Scrapstore Playpod

Our playground looks a bit different than it used to these days... At lunchtime we have some great scrap to play with - materials that would otherwise go staright to the dump are assessed by Orkney Zerowaste and can be used by us. Everyone is enjoying playtimes with the new equipment - all you need to bring is your imagination!

We put all of our ideas together to create a class acrostic poem about the Scrapstore Playpod.  We made sure that we described what we play with, what we do with it and how it makes us feel.  We successfully included many WOW words and similes.  We are all able to create a poem with an interesting structure.

 

 

Pylon Challenge!

This term our topic is Electricity. One of our first activities is a technology challenge to create model pylons using Stixx (made from rolled up newspaper). The models must be 1.5metres high and be able to carry the cables at least 1 metre above the ground. The weight of the cables will test the strength of the structure and we will use a fan to simulate wind.

The four groups began by looking at pylon design and used K'nex to plan the basic design of their structure. Next they made the raw materials - Stixx. These are rolled up pages of newspapers glued together and compressed in rollers. They are really strong and can be joined with cable ties. Then it was time to begin building. Each group had to make decisions about how to create the crucial triangle shapes to give the structure strength as well as cooperating to make the joins work. Careful decision making was needed to make the most of the limited resources!

Next week we should have the second part of the process completed and we will share the results with you here!

Back to School

Welcome back everyone! We are looking forward to a busy term and a year full of activity and learning. Bookmark this page and make it your starting point to keep up to date with all our news and learning links!