Yesterday, all of Prep 5 and 6 took part in a day of STEM activities with graduate trainees from Leonardo Helicopters. They started by being given a scenario in which they were in a plane crash and needed to continue their journey urgently, to deliver some helicopter plans to Yeovil. They worked in small groups to design, plan and build a balloon powered car out of the recycled material which they had brought in along with some extra resources provided for them, such as balloons and straws. They then had the opportunity to test their vehicles to see which one went the furthest, followed by time to reflect on how they could have improved their design for better performance. In the afternoon they participated in another activity to design, build and test a bridge to carry their balloon car over a chasm which they meet on their journey – again out of recycled cardboard and other materials, which represents the parts of the aeroplane wreckage.
There were so many excellent designs and fantastic team work on display throughout the day and lots of fun had by all.