Free taster lesson: Problem Detectives
In short
Problem Detectives is a free 60-minute enterprise lesson for ages 9-11. Children find out what an entrepreneur does, discover what each of them brings to a team, match real UK founders to the problems they noticed, then go on a Problem Safari and choose a problem worth solving. It is Missions 1-2 of the Pioneers kits.
Free with a We Can Be account. One zip file, about 3.9 MB.
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Group
- A class in teams of 4-5
- Prep
- About 45 minutes
- Screen
- Optional
Look inside
Real pages from this kit. Have a flick through.
Slides children can read from the back row, a guide with every word you need and printables that look great in black and white.
Kick-off slide: the founder mindset
Curiosity, problem solving, resilience and creativity, taught as skills anyone can build. Children use all four before the hour is up.
What children make and take home
- A Team Board that shows what each person brings
- A real problem they found themselves, with who it affects and how much
- A Problem Detective certificate to take home
Why it works in a real classroom
- A minimum-print route, with printing and cutting estimates
- Runs fully on paper if the projector won't play
- A seated Safari for wet days or rooms where moving around is tricky
- Teams carry straight on into the Day, Week or Club
Get the kit
How to download the Free taster lesson
Four quick steps. Everything comes as one zip file with numbered folders, so you always know what to open first.
- 1
Sign in
Use your We Can Be account, or create one free in a minute.
- 2
It's free
The taster is free for every signed-in teacher and leader.
- 3
Download the zip
One file, about 3.9 MB, with everything in numbered folders.
- 4
Unzip and open folder 01
Windows: right-click, Extract All. Mac or iPad: double-click or tap. Then open 01 Start here.
The whole kit, in one download
Slides, guide and every printable · zip file · 3.9 MB
Free with an account. You'll come straight back here after signing in.
Stuck? Get in touch and we'll sort it.
60 minutes
Running order
0:00
Kick-off
What is an entrepreneur? Three founder skills. Team Strengths cards.
0:08
Mission 1 · Meet the Founders
Rikke Rosenlund's story, then Founder Match with four founders (four more as an extension).
0:18
Mission 2 · Problem Detective
Problem or solution, a Problem Safari, then a problem check: who it affects and how much.
0:46
Share and reflect
Team sharing in any form, a written or drawn reflection, and the hands-up question again.
What's in the zip
Everything you need, in numbered folders
Open folder 01 and it tells you what to print, what to read and what to press. No hunting through files the night before.
01 Start here
- One-page checklist: print this, read this, press play
02 Lesson guide
- 11 pages: script, timings, answers, curriculum links, a timed local entrepreneur option
03 Slides
- 14 slides plus optional extras, as editable PowerPoint and a present-anywhere PDF, with the script in the speaker notes
04 Print
- Team Board (A3 or A4)
- Team Strengths cards
- Founder Match cards: a core page and an extension page
- Problem Safari Spotter Sheet
- Problem Picture Cards for a seated Safari
- Problem Detective certificate (optional)
Real UK founders
Founders children will meet
Real people who started with a simple idea, some while they were still at school. Every fact is checked against a published source, and the guide shows you how to invite a local entrepreneur too.
Rikke Rosenlund
BorrowMyDoggy
Matches dog owners with dog lovers nearby.
Omari McQueen
Dipalicious
His own vegan dips.
Victoria Jenkins
Unhidden
An adaptive fashion brand.
Tessa Clarke & Saasha Celestial-One
Olio
An app where neighbours share spare food.
Fraser Doherty
SuperJam
Jam from his gran's recipes, sweetened with fruit juice.
Honor & Cat Black
Maiden Cricket
Cricket kit designed for girls and women.
Ben Francis
Gymshark
Gym clothes, first made in his parents' garage.
Pip Murray
Pip & Nut
Nut butters, first blitzed in her own kitchen.
Cross-curricular
Curriculum links, life skills and tools
Curriculum links
- England KS2: English spoken language and reading, D&T identifying needs, PSHE Living in the wider world
- Wales: enterprising, creative contributors
- Scotland: effective contributors
- Northern Ireland: Being Creative; Working with Others
Life skills it builds (Skills Builder)
Optional tools on a screen
The kit runs on paper. These free tools add a bit of magic on the big screen.
AI · Kit Add-on Studio
Add exactly what your group needs
A warm-up, a themed version, a stretch task or an adaptation for one child. Describe it and the studio writes it to fit the free taster lesson, ready to print.
AI · Kit Add-on Studio
Ask for exactly what your group needs
A warm-up, an adaptation, a themed version or an extension. It's drafted inside the kit's rules: teams of 4-5, no pretend money, low-ink printables, UK English.
Free account: 3 a day. Never include pupils' names.
What you'll get
- Where it fits in the kit, and how long it takes
- Timed steps with words to say
- What to gather, and a low-ink printable if it helps
- Ways to support and stretch, and what success looks like
Print it, or copy it straight into your plan.
More for ages 9-11
The same story, other lengths
Answers
Questions about this kit
Yes. It's free with a free We Can Be account. It's a complete lesson with slides, a guide and printables, not a cut-down sample.
Teams carry their team and problem onto the full board in a short recap, then start Mission 3, Idea Lab, in the Enterprise Day, Week or Club.
They learn what an entrepreneur is and that founders are ordinary people who noticed something. They find out what they each bring to a team, and they practise looking for problems worth solving and explaining who those problems affect. It ends with a problem chosen, not a business: that comes next.
Yes. The guide has the full script and every activity works from the printables, so a dead projector never stops the lesson.
Pricing
Free taster, then £49 once for your setting
Start here
Free
Taster lesson, with a free account
- A complete one-hour lesson, not a cut-down sample
- Slides, a word-for-word guide and every printable
- Founder Match cards and a Problem Safari
- A certificate for every child
Educator licence
£49 once
Every teacher and leader in your school, club or group. No subscription.
- Every kit, in every format, for every age group as it's released
- Editable slides, word-for-word guides and every printable
- Unlimited Kit Add-on Studio
- Everything in the £29 plan too: every course, every tool with unlimited AI, the role models and all the resources
- Yours for good, with free updates
Get started
The taster is free with an account. Join the list and we'll email you the day the hub opens.
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