Following lifetime careers as teachers we set up our not-for-profit social enterprise to continue what we always practised, connecting pupils’ learning with the (business) world outside the classroom.
Our philosophy is simple ~ if young people enjoy what they are learning and also see its relevance, then they will be more motivated and more likely to develop the crucial curiosity to want to learn more.
Since 2014, inspired by our board game Business on the Move, we have co-written with our business partners many resources that connect young people’s learning across all kinds of subjects to global supply chains, international trade and climate change, so important and topical nowadays.
A cross-section of these resources ~ for use by teachers and trainers ~ is now being made available, to all home-schooling families who would like to use them:-
Send us an email if you have any questions and we’ll do our best to help.
We’d also be delighted to receive your feedback and your photos of busy smiling learners!
Our board game, Business on the Move, that inspired these learning materials, is for any age from 9 upwards and is now played and enjoyed all over the world.
What sort of resources are available?
The activities are very varied. Some are naturally more suited to primary school pupils, some to older school/college students and some to all age groups.
Many of the activities have proved so flexible that they have been adapted right across the age range for use from primary to higher education!
Some resources relate to a particular subject such as Maths or English, while others are of a more general appeal across the curriculum.
There are different tasks within each resource, some taking less than 15 minutes to complete while others require much longer. Most have answers and teaching notes you can dip into.
A summary of the activities follows in two parts, the first describing resources for children from as young as 10 and the second for 14 year olds or older.
To download an activity simply click on the Download links below. To see an overview of all the activities, you can click here and download our pdf “Activity Guide”.
IMPORTANT: Inside some of the activity downloads is a Notes for Parents pdf. We recommend reading this before starting the activity as it always provides an overview of the activity and, very importantly, describes what will be required by way of preparation, including which resources will need printing.
HOME LEARNING?
Are your children spending too many hours in front of screens, be it a computer, a phone and/or a TV?
Would you like to ‘unplug’ and enjoy some hands-on learning and family fun together?
We are in the process of raising sponsorship from business to enable us to place free games with families through schools*.
If you would welcome a free copy of Business on the Move distributed to families through your local school, please ask a teacher to log the school’s interest in receiving free games by emailing us at info@businessonthemove.org providing contact details and the approximate number of games that his/her school desires, 10, 20 or 50.
*subject to the sponsorship we raise and our remaining stock of games.
We are proud to be working alongside our partners in #Learning Through Logistics to make all these resources available absolutely free-of-charge to parents who are home-schooling:
“Top brands, bottom prices” is the strapline of Home Bargains. How many of the 21 top brands can you recognise from just one single letter of their name? Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
A logic / problem solving exercise that introduces you to, and tests your understanding of, the supply chain for ice cream, bread, toys, T-shirts and trainers. Please read the two 'Notes to Parents' documents first as they explain which activities will be the most suitable. Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
Using 16 photos, can you arrange in sequence the supply chain of carrots from the farmer through to the customer’s shopping bag? Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
Some short and snappy exercises that help to develop your basic skills by applying them to interesting information about the UK’s biggest retailer. Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
A realistic problem solving exercise, applying map reading skills to work out the most efficient way to make deliveries. Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
A ranking exercise that challenges you to work with large numbers used in global business. Suitable for 10 year olds and older.
A problem solving exercise where you take on the role of a Customer Care team dealing with a variety of customer complaints and enquiries. What would YOU say? Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
A logic exercise, making use of Venn diagrams, to explore what the Shop Direct businesses Isme, Very and Littlewoods.com have in common and what also makes them different from one another. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
Two different tasks that provide an insight into this international engineering company. Learn about “niche markets’ and also demonstrate your powers of concentration. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
From which countries in the world does M&S source its garments from? How are all those clothes brought to the UK? Apply your number and problem solving skills to realistic M&S business data to find out. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
A problem solving exercise where you decide, using actual photos, which of 24 insurance claims are valid and how the risk of similar claims in the future can be reduced. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
Work out which items are sourced from where and how many miles the various items travel to be made into this ‘mystery product’. What is it and who is its world famous customer? This activity will demonstrate the importance of global supply chains and how they work. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
You predict which part of the production chain for a ‘cuppa’ has the biggest carbon emissions. Then watch a related video clip before being challenged to suggest ideas to reduce the carbon footprint of a ‘cuppa’. Internet access will be required to watch the video clip. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
A variation of the radio game using business terms, but very adaptable to any vocabulary you wish. Reinforces knowledge of definitions and thinking skills. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
A 50 question quiz about organisations involved in UK and global supply chains. No prior knowledge needed as specific links from our sponsors’ logos trigger relevant information. Internet access is required. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.
A series of calculations to work out the costs and profitability of running a truck. Suitable for 14 year olds and older.