Sparking STEM - Universities

From Complex Research to Confident Outreach
Learn to translate your complex research into engaging and inspirational outreach for children of all ages, and to design and deliver it with confidence

In Person

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"Amanda is an very experienced and knowledgeable outreach practitioner, and she has been a pleasure to work with from start to finish. Amanda delivered ‘Effective Outreach with Children’, a three-day course for postgraduate researchers at the University of Sheffield. The content of the course was perfectly pitched and Amanda gave her own unique insights and tips to our researchers that significantly improved their practice. Seeing our researchers go from never having delivered outreach to becoming confident and enthusiastic facilitators was fantastic. We have had glowing feedback from the researchers who took part, especially regarding the opportunities Amanda arranged for them to work directly with children as part of the course. I would wholeheartedly recommend Amanda’s programmes and look forward to working with her again!"

Dr. Emma Suret
Researcher Development Manager & Lead for PGR Supervisor Development
The University of Sheffield

'Amanda was a truly exceptional trainer—knowledgeable, experienced, patient, and deeply supportive.
She created one of the most inclusive, accessible, and psychologically safe learning environments I’ve ever experienced.
It was remarkable to see how everyone’s confidence transformed over the course of the sessions.
Personally, I went from feeling genuinely nervous about engaging with children to leaving with the confidence that I could inspire curiosity and connection through my research.'

Stephanie Buller - PhD researcher attending the in-person course May 2026

Start your journey towards outstanding outreach with children, with this free download.

Children are creative, open-minded and so much fun to work with!
Spark their curiosity, boost their confidence and they’ll give purpose, reward and hope to everything you do.
Based on my experiences over fifteen years working with children and researchers, I've put together 3 of the strategies I find most effective, that you can start using straight away to engage and inspire all the children you're working with and give you a truly rewarding experience.

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What will you gain from this course?

Throughout this course you will receive individually tailored support and guidance to:

Develop detailed plans for an inspirational outreach session with children, specific to your individual field of research:

You'll come away with a structured lesson plan; activities; equipment lists; risk assessment, draft emails and more.
Learn methods to turn your research into engaging activities that will excite children in the short-term and inspire them in the long-term.
Take away a range of resources you will use again and again to plan and structure successful outreach.

Gain the confidence and skills to deliver successful outreach with children, both face to face and online:

Receive top tips and strategies to manage behaviour, make your outreach accessible and learn easy ways to level your language for different audiences.
Enjoy an opportunity to interact with an online panel of students. They'll be keen to ask and answer questions and allow you to practice your new skills!
Experience a range of methods to keep students engaged and inspired during online outreach.

Become familiar with school practices and procedures:

From criminal record checks to staff room etiquette, safeguarding to the school calendar... You'll gain familiarity with the school perspective so that you feel more confident to operate in schools and are more likely to be welcomed back.

Gain basic knowledge of the British education system and National Curriculum:

Learn to link your outreach to the curriculum objectives to give it the best chance of being welcomed by educational organisations.
Make sense of commonly used educational acronyms and use the curriculum to pitch your outreach effectively.

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Meet a panel of real children!

Meet children and to put your new skills to the test!

The online panels of children will be keen to ask and answer questions. They're always full of surprises and if you're lucky they may even swing from the ceiling, show you their favourite fossil and tell you about the cow spine they once dissected!

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Who will benefit from this course?

The course is suitable for academics working in any science-related field and has been particularly beneficial to those at the early stages of their academic career (PhD researchers and Post-docs etc).
Researchers from a diverse range of departments have been benefiting from this course since 2019: Ecological sciences, Geographical sciences, Palaeo Oceanography, Biological sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, Electrical engineering, Mathematical sciences, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Earth sciences, Psychology and more.
Whether you have previous outreach experience or none, whether you are introvert or extrovert you will find this course supports you to develop your skills and confidence to deliver successful outreach with children.

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Testimonials

I would wholeheartedly recommend Amanda’s programmes and look forward to working with her again!"

Dr. Emma Suret
Researcher Development Manager & Lead for PGR Supervisor Development
The University of Sheffield

Mean participant confidence scores before and after the course (5 point scale).

Testimonial from Raoul Blackman, who attended the EOwC face to face course, University of Sheffield 2023

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Course schedule

The course is delivered over three consecutive days, at a venue of your choice in the UK.

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Facilitation

Amanda Childs is an award winning science educator, former researcher, and founder of Sparking STEM; an accredited provider of science education. With over fifteen years of experience teaching children of all ages, she specialises in inclusive and inspirational science education that makes children want to learn more. She empowers researchers and educators to transform complex topics into engaging education that delivers lasting impact.
Since 2018, Amanda has trained researchers from over eighteen universities and research institutes, receiving consistently outstanding feedback. She works closely with schools and home-educating families, teaching children outdoors, indoors, and online. She has earned a reputation for her specialist support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Her journey as a parent to a neurodivergent child, and as an educator to hundreds of children with varied and complex needs, has shaped her creative, curiosity-led teaching strategies—approaches that reduce pressure, boost confidence, and open up learning for every child.
Amanda holds a BSc in Zoology, an MSc in Applied Entomology, and a PGCE (science specialism). Her early career included fieldwork as a terrestrial ecotoxicologist specialising in earthworm ecology in Europe, followed by a research and training role in global equine welfare, where she worked across India, Pakistan, Guatemala, Egypt, Kenya, Jordan, and Ethiopia — training vets and striving to improve lives in rural communities.
She now lives in Sheffield with her two boys, husband and a menagerie of weird and wonderful animals. She loves all things nature, wildlife and the environment, and is often found looking at invertebrates under logs, watching birds and exploring the Peak District.
Always on the lookout for teaching inspiration, she’s known for assembling skeletons and crafting educational gifts and decorations from (naturally-shed) snakeskin!