For my Endeavour I am doing HTML/JAVA coding. I am making a webpage and I am going to use the website CodeCademy to help me. I have completed a planner covering what I will achieve in a certain space of time and answered questions like: how is this project ambitious and how this Endeavour will help me with my world of work. I have written a letter to a creator of a coding boot camp however I don’t know what I am going to do on my webpage. I am hoping that I get a reply for my letter and that it can help me with my Endeavour.
Building circuits
After building human circuits in the gym hall, children in P1/2/3 were given a box of components and had to build a working circuit. This excellent resource was given to the Islay schools cluster by SSERC and it has been well used!
February Diary
Renewables Engineering Islay – February Diary
We’ve had a really busy few weeks ….
Wind Turbine Building
P4/5 and Kate Brown have been busy investigating wind power, moving from pinwheels to desk turbines and finally to designing floating wind turbines…perfect for an island location. This was a fun and busy time in the classroom. Children planned their models, thinking carefully about the design criteria and materials available. They then decided which of their ideas were best and worked in pairs or independently to build their models. They used their Engineering Habits of Mind to guide them and repeatedly tested, altered and improved their turbines as they went along. Testing was done in the rowing boat in the Nursery area as it was full of rainwater. Many models toppled over or sank but the best ideas are going to be improved further and entered into a competition. We’ll keep you posted….
Dearbhla reported My design was very hard to make because you had to get the exact measurements. We needed to work well in a team together. I think we need to understand where our power comes from and grown ups need to know that too.
Morgan said I enjoyed making my turbine because we got to make little models from the junk box and my model was big but it took quite a while to get the base done. The playdough on the base was not effective.
KNEX Renewables
P6/7 and Jo Clark have been improving their engineering skills by building with the new KNEX we purchased. Working in groups and pairs, employing teamwork skills and applying engineering habits of mind, they have built wind turbines, water wheels, solar vehicles and paddle powered cars. P1/2/3 were given a demonstration and explanation of how they worked. Ellen said We made a wind turbine and it was made out of KNEX and when you spun the wheels one of the coils would turn into a smaller wheel and go into a generator. The generator was connected to a wire which then turned a roundabout. I loved doing that and I am going to ask my mum if I can get KNEX at home.
CPD Event for Teachers
As part of our commitment to extend our project out form our own school Maggie Harrison and Maureen MacDonald have been in discussions with Headteachers from the other cluster primary schools to organize some shared engineering challenges. Maggie is part of the SSERC Primary Cluster Programme and is one of three mentors on Islay and Jura who have organized a series of CPD events for teachers to improve confidence in STEM teaching. It has provided the perfect opportunity to include some further CPD linked to our Rolls-Royce project so she shared a SSERC presentation on Engineering Thinking to cluster colleagues. Great fun was had by all. Comments from colleagues included Excellent, engaging and great fun. Easy to apply ideas. Team Port Ellen won the best designed chair for Baby Bear!
Offsetting our Carbon Footprint
P6/7 with Jo Clark have been finding out about ways to offset our carbon footprint and improve the environment. They discovered a search engine called Ecosia which uses revenue from it’s search ads to plant trees. It is a social business who believe that trees have the power to make the world a better place for everyone. Their mission is to plant one billion new trees by 2020…so far they have planted over 20 million! Did you know that every time you search the internet you produce CO2 emissions? We have put Ecosia on all the school computers and ipads so that we can research in a more environmentally friendly way and we hope all readers of this blog will use Ecosia too!
Saving Polar Bears
In P1/2/3 with Maggie Harrison, the children have been very concerned about the plight of polar bears as the ice is melting due to global warming. We have had some very interesting discussions and the children have decided that they would like to adopt a polar bear. They are on a mission to sell ‘Popcorn for Polar Bears.’ It was Katie’s idea; I think saving polar bears important because they will all die if they can’t get food and the babies can’t swim so far if the ice melts.
Large Scale Engineering in Pre-School
Children in nursery have been using some Quadro to design and build some large scale structures during Joint Sessions with P1/2; first a tent for teddy complete with tarpaulin that had to be tested to check that it was waterproof; then a hide to watch birds for the Great Schools Birdwatch. One of our dads, who works for the RSPB, was on hand for a bit of expert advice! Alison Logan is now involving the children in decision making about the sorts of building materials they would like us to buy to develop their skills further.
We have not had any outgoings this month and have £4369 remaining in our budget.
How we get electricity
P1/2/3 have been learning where electricity comes from. We watched video clips of how power is generated in a power station by burning coal and oil to make steam which then turns the huge turbines. We built models to show that we understood how power gets from the power stations to our homes and why we should never play near electricity pylons. It also struck home that this is what causes emissions that cause global warming, linked to our Who will Save us? topic.
Learning where electricity comes from
P1/2/3 are learning about electricity this term. They are building on the work they did about energy in the first term and finding out about all the ways that they use electricity, how to use electricity safely and where electricity comes from. They watched video clips from power stations and saw a model made of spoons that turned using the power of steam. This helped them to understand what was happening on a larger scale. They decided to make models to show how electricity gets from power stations into their homes.
Teddy in the Park STEM
Following a SSERC CPD on Teddy in the Park P1/2 and the ELCC have used this as a focus for Joint Sessions. Children have had a great experience investigating waterproofing, building tents and rucksacks for teddy all linked to a story about a teddy.
January Diary
Renewables Engineering Islay – January
The new term started on the 8th January and the new year has started with wild and windy weather here in Islay. A perfect opportunity to see wind power in action….
Renewables Visits
Last week Primary 6/7 with Jo Clark went on a renewables trip around the Island with George Dean from the Islay Energy Trust to find out more about how our island is helping fight global warming. They visited the community wind turbine, the biomass generator at Dunlossit house, the Solar panels at the Gaelic College and a micro hydro electric scheme at Ballygrant quarry. Here they got to see renewable feats of engineering in their local environment. A few days later Kate Brown and Primary 4/5 had the opportunity to do the same trip.
Robyn and Phoenix wrote We went inside the wind turbine. it was very noisy. Mr. Dean showed us how fast the blades were going. It was going very fast for a small wind turbine. Mr. Dean talked about wind turbines and how much it cost (the wind turbine cost £1.2 million) and how it works. We learned the satellite on the wind turbine sends the information about how much electricity is produced to the company in Germany. Millie and Charlet Rose told us that The wind turbine stopped spinning at one point when we were there and the kilowatts went to zero. The wind turbine can adjust it’s blade depending on the direction of the wind and can shut down if it gets too windy.
Both classes got such a lot of learning from their visits and it helped them to understand that a sustainable energy solution can be a mix of different types of renewable energies. George Dean spoke to P4/5 about the history of the Islay Community turbine and all the considerations that were taken into account when siting the turbine. The class enjoyed a debate about whether a wind turbine should be built at the Ard, in Port Ellen however children didn’t want one in their own back yard.
BP Ultimate STEM Challenge Competition
Inspired by their visit to the micro hydroelectric scheme, one group of Primary 7s decided to build and test their own hydro electric generator from KNEX for the BP Ultimate STEM challenge competition. They produced a video which can be viewed on the school website at https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ab/peps/2018/01/14/bp-stem-challenge-handy-hydro-port-ellen-entry/ Lauren said It was a good experience to learn about all the different energy sources. It was really challenging to build our turbine and we had detailed plans. We did lots of testing to see which combination produced the most energy.
Energy Use in School
Continuing our learning about energy in Term1, Kate Brown’s class (P4/5) are continuing to try and persuade us all to use less energy. The Lights-Off Christmas Disco with glow sticks was a roaring success and children thought that it was the best disco ever! Next on the agenda is the use of plastic! Primary 6/7 have finally managed to complete the school’s carbon footprint. We found out that the school produces 61 tonnes of CO2 a year, and 55 tonnes of that is through energy use. The children suggested turning down the heating, turning off lights and computers on charge might help with this. Jo Clark has been in further discussions with George Read about energy meters that are suitable for monitoring energy use on this scale. Much of our heating system is automated but we have decided that to reduce our energy consumption in the long term we need to look at the temperature in the school.
Who will Save Us?
Meanwhile, in P1/2/3 with Maggie Harrison, the children have learned in a simple way about global warming and some of the reasons for the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They were fascinated to learn that lots of gas comes from cows’ bottoms! They thought about some of the possible solutions and Katie suggested that we eat vegetables instead of lots of meat. So P1/2/3 are looking like they are right on trend. The children worked in groups or with a partner to come up with ways to share their learning and explain to other children about global warming and what they could do to help. They came up with puppet shows, film (animation) and story books which they have read and performed to the children in nursery.
Engineering in Pre-School
Children in nursery are still being encouraged to think like Rosie Revere Engineer and solve problems for themselves. Alison Logan says that the latest mission was to clear the outside boat of ice and water. Problem solving tasks are continuing to be incorporated into the joint sessions with P1/2/3.
We are hoping to have some local engineers in to talk to the children and Maureen MacDonald is going to get in touch with local contacts. She is also in the process of formulating a new vision for Port Ellen – making sure that our Eco-Schools work and STEM activities have a high profile in taking the school forward.
Budget
| Date | Purchases | Cost |
| 20th December | Mechanical Workshop Class Pack | £100.00 |
| Energy Storage Circuit (Pk30) | £19.95 | |
| Solar Bag | £19.99 | |
| Solar Module | £26.85 | |
| Simple Machines | £24.95 | |
| Assorted fans, propeller blades | £13.55 | |
| Solar Panels | £16.25 | |
| P & P | £4.95 | |
| 16th January | Hire of 16 seater minibus, 2 trips | £240.00 |
| Total Expenses | £466.49 | |
| Remaining Money | £4411.75 |
KNEX Challenges
On a Tuesday at lunch time at Port Ellen Primary School Charlie, Ciaran and Aidan run a Knex Club for P4-7. We put everyone into groups of 5. Every week there is different things that get made and done like frisbees and tracks we also made a lot of houses out of knex. A lot of people came to Knex club so we had a lot of things that were made. After the Febuary break we are starting Knex club again. We hae also been doing Knex building challenges in class. We built a hydro electric machine, a wind powered machine and a solar car in class from Knex and even maneged to make electricity. It was very exciting!
Wind Turbines Trip
On Monday 15th P4/5 went on a school to see the wind turbine at Castlehill. Before we left for the bus Mr Dean showed us a PowerPoint about wind turbines and how to build them. When we were at Castlehill it started to rain, everyone had to go in to the bus for shelter except from the first group that went in the turbine. We went into groups of five into the turbine. In our group was Caitidh, Christopher, Harmoni, Dylan, and Morgan. When our group was in there was a noise and the blades stopped spinning and everything turned off. It was very interesting to hear how the wind powered the turbines and generated electricity. After all the groups had went we went back in the bus and went to the Gaelic collage to see their solar panels and have our lunch.
Caitidh
On our school trip our class went see a wind turbine. It was quite cool with dials plus a lot more. Also we got to go inside the turbine. When we went in the door it looked very good and it looked like a big build. Mr Dean told us the turbine produced lots of electricity in kilowatts. That electrical energy is sent to the national grid for us to use. It had lots of stuff outside too like a satellite dish that sent all the information to Germany. They were lots of stuff in it and then…it stopped immediately. It stopped because it was going too fast. All other people in my class were inside too, we also did a few other things in our trip.
Drew
On Monday 15th January P4/5 went on a trip to the wind turbine up at Castle Hill. We went in groups of five to see inside of the wind turbines and George Dean was in there to and he was telling us about the turbines and about how it produces electricity. The wind turbine stopped spinning at one point when we were there and the kilowatts went to zero. But a few minuites later the speed of the turbine 3 million and something. The power of the wind makes the blades on the turbine turn which generates electrical energy. The satellite dish on the turbine sends all of information to the control system in Germany.
By Millie and Charlet Rose
On Monday 15th of January 2018 P4/5 went to the wind turbine on the High Road at Castlehill. We went inside the wind turbine, it was very noisy. Mr Dean showed us how fast the blades were going. It was going very fast for a small wind turbine. Mr Dean talked about wind turbines and how much it cost (the wind turbine cost 1.2 million) and how it works. He also talked about what you need: a crash helmet and a harness. We learned the satellite on the wind turbine sends the info and how much electric wind turbine to the company in Germany.
By Robyn and Phoenix.
The Wind Turbine
The wind turbine that we visited was up the high road at Castlehill. Mr Dean told us that the wind turbine was 63 meters tall, including the blades. We had to go up some stairs and hold onto the railing due to heavy wind. Mr Dean (the chairman of Islay Energy Trust) showed us inside the turbine and what everything does. We learned how many kilowatts and how much energy it’s producing. It also told the wind speed and how fast the blades were going. The electricity that is produced from the turbine is sent to the national grid and is then sent back to Islay.
by Harmoni & Orla
On Monday 15th we went to the Wind turbine at Castle hill. We learned that it takes 5 years to plan the turbine and 1 month to build and that it cost £1.2 million to build. It makes electricity when the blades spin round. We got to go inside and while we were inside we learned that the wind turbine dose one full circle and then it goes the other way so the cables don’t get tangled. If you’re trying to get up the ladder you have to wear a helmet and a harness incase you get hurt. There is a satellite dish that sends all the information to Germany.
Scott and Aiden
Hydro Dam Trip
Yesterday we went to Ballygrant Quarry with p4/5. We saw a waterfall that generated power to a turbine which was stored in a shed. This was called a hydro dam. We learned that the river in Ballygrant leads into a pipe which travels to the waterfall that moves the turbine to produce energy. The energy from the turbine goes to Dunlossit Estate.
Dylan and Rhuraidh
BP STEM Challenge Handy Hydro Port Ellen Entry
This term P67 have been learning about renewables and how energy is produced from different sources. They went on a trip around the renewables projects on Islay and this inspired a group to enter the BP STEM Challenge by making and testing their own Hydro Energy device. Watch the video they made for their entry below.
Oil Sway
Solar Power
Geothermal Energy
Tidal Energy
Wind Power Sway
Gas Sway
Tidal Energy Sway
Nuclear energy
Nuclear is a non renewable energy source.
Nuclear doesn’t release any gasses or fuels but if a tsunami happens or a terrorist attacks it, it will release a lot of bad chemical that can cause global warming it can also kill people and it wont go away for thousands years.
The chemical reaction will cause radiation the parts of it will have to be hidden in a special rock because its the only rock that can hold it with out letting it go this rock has no cracks so it can hold it. This rock is on Islay!
Nuclear is from Radioactive minerals which are uranium they are found by mining. When the minerals are spilt they split in Nuclear reactors.
Nuclear only needs a tiny bit to create a lot of energy, It doesn’t release gasses or fuels.
They are expensive to run, if they leak they can have a massive effect on people.
Wind Power
This term we learned about wind power and we made proper models on our wall for Rolls-Royce. We made pin wheels too and we filmed this on the camera that Rolls-Royce gave us after we learned all of the parts. Just today we were learning more about wind and wind turbines. After the holidays we are going to visit a turbine on a trip. We are going inside it in the tower in case you don’t now what the tower is its the big long stick thing. Wind turbines generate energy and electricity. This energy and electricity is good for our planet because were an eco friendly school and we care about are environment. We did a challenge and we made a paper wind mill using card , paper , cup , string , scissors , tape , and a pencil. The challenge was to make a wind mill that spins and lifts a plastic cup of the ground with weights in it. To make it move we used a hair dryer. It was fun.
by Dearbhla and Millie
P4/5 Wind Turbines
Our class have made wind turbines. We made a wind turbine out of paper, pencil, sticks, string, pin tape ,string and scissors.
We stuck the pencil to the table and attached the string to the pencil. After that we put a hole in the middle of the blades. There is a cup you cut a two holes in it you put your string through the holes in the cup . Then you get a hairdryer and push the blades around.
December Diary
Panto fever has hit Port Ellen as we have been preparing for our whole school pantomime which takes place every two years. We have also been organising the Christmas Fair, our main fundraiser, and P1/2/3 are preparing for their Nativity. Meanwhile, our Rolls-Royce journey continues….
Statoil Young Imagineers Finalist
As a result of our engineering project, we had a finalist in the national Young Imagineers competition run by Statoil. Sarah, from P6/7, invented a device that would save sheep stuck on their backs by making a scary sound and getting them to turn over. Her device was made into a prototype and she had to present it at the final in London at the Science Museum. Everyone is very proud of her achievement. Sarah says she is much more confident now about talking about engineering after presenting in front of a large audience, and she is inspired to take up engineering when she grows up.
Switch Off Fortnight
Continuing their learning about energy in Term1, Kate Brown’s class (P4/5) decided to try and encourage everyone to use less energy in school and at home. The children were quite shocked at how much electricity an electric shower uses and from looking at energy use they decided to make others understand this and think about saving energy, electricity in particular. So they joined the National “Switch Off Fortnight” and made information posters for the local community and home. This campaign was so successful that this week they are keen to spend part of the Christmas Disco without lights and use alternative sources instead…..glow sticks are at the ready!
Introducing Renewables
This month Primary 6/7 have been working hard on researching renewable and non renewable sources of energy with Jo Clark. They wanted to know what energy sources are used in Scotland and the implications for the environment. Using One note they researched online and then used the notes to create posters, blogs and Sways. They debated in class the various types of energy source and chose the ones they thought were best, and wrote a discursive essay on renewable energy. In maths they looked at data produced by the Scottish Government on Energy use in Scotland and then analysed, interpreted and drew conclusions from it as part of a holistic assessment. Finally, they came up with pledges of what they could do themselves to reduce energy consumption.
Meanwhile, in P4/5 with Kate Brown, the children have been learning about wind power as there is a tall wind turbine outside the village. The children know that wind is sustainable and they made their own pinwheels to record the wind direction/wind strength associated with the speed of the wheel which led to discussions about what happens to wind turbines when there is no wind, and how strong winds here in Islay can be used to generate electricity. They then worked in groups to complete the Wind Turbine Challenge from the STEM website. The aim was to create a fair test to try to make a turbine that could raise a cup from the floor using a hairdryer. Charlet said, “Our group all had roles and Rhuraidh was the engineer. He designed a turbine but the rest of us felt there was not enough detail to make the model and so Caitidh, our artist, added more. Then we used card for the blades and a pencil for the shaft. At first we taped the shaft to the desk but it wouldn’t go round so we fixed that problem by putting card over the pencil loosely so it could turn. Sadly, our Turbine only lifted the cup a little bit but did manage when we gave it a bit of a hand. Next time we would change the size and shape of the blades and also use stronger wind power”
Next term George Dean will be helping us to organise visits to the Islay wind turbine and other sites that generate or use renewable energy on Islay.
Learning how Energy impacts on the Environment
In P1/2/3 Maggie Harrison has been using a story called Who will Save Us? to introduce the concept of global warming. All the children have been really engaged with learning all about the Antarctic and the penguins who live there and then how global warming might cause the ice to melt and affect not only penguins but other animals and people in different parts of the world too. Iona made this fantastic poster and she said that she ‘didn’t like the bad gas getting stuck in the earth’s blanket and that we should save the penguins and polar bears!’
Engineering in Pre-School
Joint sessions of structured play have started with the nursery and P1/2 – these will continue on a weekly basis from now until the end of the session. Maggie Harrison and Alison Logan are working together to plan how to incorporate the development of engineering thinking into these, although with new giant wooden blocks and the KNEX purchased the children are building some amazing structures.
Maureen MacDonald and Maggie Harrison have had meetings with Headteachers from the other primary schools in Islay and Jura to see how they can be involved in our Rolls-Royce project next term. Following the school being awarded a Digital Schools Award, the first school in Argyll & Bute to do so, Jo Clark was also interviewed with regards to a national website wanting to develop engineering skills across schools in the UK for the 2018 Year of Engineering.
Hydro Power
Hydro power makes electricity by water being released from a reservior flowing through a turbine,spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to make electricity. Hydro power is a renewable energy source. 18% of the UK uses hydro power. It’s negative point is that it is expensive to build and it dams water flooding lots of land. However it won’t pollute the air with greenhouse gases like power plants that burn fossil fules. We have small scale hydro electric projects on Islay that make electricity for a house. There is also a large scale project near Oban, called Cruachan Hydro Plant. Islay has used water since olden days to move things as this old abandoned waterwheel shows.
Coal
Coal is a non-renewable energy source and it is also a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are a source of energy that takes millions of years to form and people use them so much that someday they will run out; coal is a fossil fuel. To produce electricity coal is burned to heat water and produce steam; the steam then propels the blades of the turbine. Then it is attached to a generator and this produces electricity.
There are advantages and disadvantages about coal. The advantages are:
- Coal can be found in a lot of places and there is still plenty in the UK
- Coal can be easily transported to the power station
- Coal is a relatively cheap energy source
- There are many coal reserves in the world
The coal disadvantages are:
To dig up coal, we have to dig up mines and they can be dangerous
- Transporting coal by lorry and train mine to the power station causes pollution in the world
- Coal is a non-renewable source and will eventually run out in around 100 years
- Burning coal releases greenhouse gases which add to global warming
Biomass a Renewable energy source.
Biomass is a Renewable energy source it is also short for biological material. Biomass creates heat and energy. The energy it contains is from the sun. Biomass is created by burning things like some crops, types of rubbish, manure, scrap and lumber forest in a boiler. The most common types of Biomass boilers are hot water boilers and steam boilers. Co-firing biomass with coal is a very effective way of using biomass for energy. Biomass is the only renewable energy source that can be converted into liquid. The countries that use Biomass the most are Sweden, Austria, and the United states of America.
We Became A Digital School
Our school has just achieved digital school status through the Digital Schools Scotland Awards Scheme. To achieve this we had to review our approach to technology in school and have our work validated. We spoke to a lady called Jen Mackay using Glow Meet, and she asked us questions like what technology have you been using in school. We are the first school in the whole of Argyll to win this award and the first to do it via Glow. Jen MacKay said that we were very good at telling her what technology we use in school and what we use it for. We use Glow for writing essays and homework and also for writing blogs on our website and our learning blog. We use Classdojo so that if we needed to bring in something to school like a packed lunch for a school trip Mrs Clark can message our mum or dad, we also use Excel to work out points for our houses. Sumdog Maths is really helpful for us too and we also use Nessy to help us with our spelling skills.
So that is how we became a digital school.
By Abi Logan
Imagineers Presentation London Trip
On Saturday 18th November I went to London as a finalist for the Tomorrows Engineer competition. In the competition there were 10 finalists from all around the UK. All the finalists had to meet up in the Science Museum to present their invention in front of 4 judges and the audience. We had professional posters made to show our inventions. My invention was the Scaredy Sheep, a device that would bark like a dog and is attached to the sheeps ear so when sheep get stuck on their backs they are scared into jumping up again.
When the finalists first arrived we went down into a room where the judges were and we got to talk to them and the host so we weren’t as scared to talk about our inventions in front of them. We also had to get head sets on so we could do a sound check. After the break we all went down and sat down. The first thing that happened was a balloon experiment and a bubble experiment. In the bubble experiment a lady got bubble mixture and big bubble stick. Another lady came out and got another bubble stick and each side of the room did a bubble competition. The balloon experiment was really cool because a lady put a balloon on fire and it made a REALLY loud bang.
Then the first finalists went up to present their ideas. Then we got a quick break to explore the museum. After about 15 minutes we had to go back and on my way in their was a robot called Oscar who walked into me. Oscar was a really cool robot because he speaks to you and hands out chocolates and lollipops. Finally we got into the room and sat down and then there was another quiz. Then it was lunch and after we got to have a quick demonstration on how the body digests food. It wasn’t a good sight at all!
After the disgusting demonstration I had to go up and present my idea. I was nervous but excited and was proud of explaining my invention. Then the judges came out and the host announced the winner, and the winning design was an excellent hover wheelchair. We all congratulated the winner and then we got to explore more of the museum. After a long day I went back to my hotel. I really enjoyed the competition and I would like to be an engineer when I grow up. While I was there I learnt that to complete something you have to stick with it and keep trying.
The Engineer Grabber Challenge
In class we have been looking at engineering and we have been doing challenges in groups to help us feel like an engineer. For this challenge we were told that we had make a model and we were to be able to pick up an object from one metre away. First thing that we did in our groups was go off separately and make a design and label it so that we could see how it would work and what materials it needed to be made. When that was finished we got back in our groups and we decided what one that we would make. We went of and started to make our model and when we had to test it out and my group managed to pick up a water bottle from a metre away. Then when we had finished Mrs Clark decided who was the winner of this challenge and it was my group.
Rowan Morris
November Diary
Renewables Engineering Islay – November Diary
Mentor Visit
We were all delighted to welcome Neil Chattle from Rolls-Royce to the school at the end of October. He spent time getting to know the team and having a tour of the school. He gave a presentation to the children in the afternoon and they had an opportunity to see some of the materials and parts that make up a Rolls-Royce jet engine. We were all amazed that the cooling mechanism allows the engine to operate above it’s melting point and that it would be capable of preventing an ice cube melting in a hot oven! Clever engineering indeed! Neil introduced the children to the Bloodhound SSC. Working in teams, the children then built model Bloodhounds powered by balloons and had a great afternoon trying to refine them to make them go faster. Coincidentally, Neil’s visit was the day before the first public test run of the Bloodhound in Newquay, Cornwall…..so the whole school watched as the car made 210mph. We will follow Bloodhound’s progress with interest.
Children as Leaders
Following leadership training, P6/7 children have been encouraged to set up clubs for younger pupils so we now have a KNEX Club and a Lego Club, in addition to the usual football, table tennis and dance clubs. Maureen MacDonald, Headteacher, encourages us to promote leadership at all levels within the school. The clubs have been really well attended and we used some of the funding to purchase new KNEX and Lego material for them. Dearbhla says that ‘KNEX club is really fun because you make something new every time and I am learning new skills to make cubes that are really tricky.’ Donald, who runs the Lego Club said that “We are encouraging children to use their imagination and be creative with the Lego.” Charlie is promoting teamwork by asking children to build small components of bigger models.
After-School Clubs
We have started an after-school club for children from P4-7, supervised by Jo Clark. Again there has been lots of interest in this and we are lucky to have the support of two senior pupils from Islay High School – Young STEM Ambassadors – to help us. It’s great to have these young women to be positive role models for girls in the primary school. They have been giving children open-ended problem solving tasks where children have had to work together to solve a problem. Last week they were engineering a carrier to transport a ping pong ball down a zip-wire.
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week
Throughout the school we are continuing to promote engineering and develop engineering habits of mind. As a school we engaged with Tomorrow’s Engineers Week. Jo Clark and P6/7 found out about sustainable engineering and the 6Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Rethink and Repair – to appreciate that the environment needs to be considered alongside any engineering solution and that any design needs to be both efficient and sustainable in terms of the environment. Matthew Campbell says ‘We had to rank the 6Rs in order – I thought that reuse was the best one because things can be used many times are best for the environment.” They were tasked with building a “Helping Hand Grabber’ which had to have a reach of 1m. In Kate Brown’s P4/5 class the children looked at different types of bridge design. They then worked in groups to build some fantastic bridges. Already Kate could see progress in her children from the initial bridges that were built on the baseline build. In P1/2/3 Maggie Harrison invited parents in to join their children doing an engineering challenge – design and build a chair for baby bear, who had cruelly had his chair ruined when Goldilocks visited. Alison Logan and all the children in the Nursery have been making the most of the new resources we have bought for them – Kids KNEX and stories like Rosie Revere, Engineer. This week we are starting our joint sessions – structured play for pre-5 children and P1 and P2 together. Maggie and Alison will be working together on this; once the children are settled into this new routine this will be an ideal opportunity to share practice in developing engineering skills.
Thinking about Energy
Meanwhile the whole school are continuing to think about how we use energy in our school and in our lives. Our new Eco-monitors are being vigilant about switching off lights and George Dean from the Islay Energy Trust is going to get the school some energy meters. The Islay Energy Trust is a community-owned charity. Its aims are to develop and operate renewable energy projects for the benefit of the community, and to reduce the island’s carbon footprint. George will be supporting us with this project, organizing site visits for children and putting us in contact with different renewables companies that are looking to operate locally. P4/5 are busy organizing activities for Switch Off fortnight – more news to follow. In all the classes we have started looking at the effect that our energy use has on the planet and this will be our focus for the rest of this term. Maureen MacDonald and Maggie Harrison have met the Parent Council and are promoting the project more widely in the community.
A Chair for Baby Bear
As part of Tomorrow’s Engineers week mums, dads and grans came in to help P1/2/3 with an engineering challenge. The problem was that Goldilocks had broken Baby Bear’s chair and so when Mummy Bear made him some more porridge there was nowhere for him to sit. A great afternoon was had by all and we had some interesting designs. At the end of the afternoon Baby Bear tested out all the chairs; they had to stay standing for 10 seconds. Thanks to everyone who came along to help us.
