A huge thank you to staff at ‘Jas P Wilson’ in Dalbeattie for organising fantastic workshops for our Primary 5 pupils. We had been learning about hydraulic systems in class and were delighted when ‘Jas P Wilson’ invited us to see hydraulics in action and to learn more about how they use this system in their business. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed participating in all four workshops:
- Clear communication was essential in the first challenge. Using a two way radio, pupils had to give clear instructions from the viewing gallery to the operator of the crane who was in the showroom area below. This loading exercise showed the potential of hydraulics. The winning team had the fastest time and the clearest communication with the operator.
- The SIMLOG Simulator challenge was next. Each competitor was timed as they used the joystick controls to pick up the log onscreen and transport it safely. Mrs Dyson and Mrs Hall were amazed at the skills shown.
- The next challenge was to manufacture and test a wooden grabber using a hydraulic system. Pupils worked as a team to identify components, build and test the model. This was a great way to apply our skills as we had already built our own Burger Box Buddies and Pop Up Puppets in class using hydraulics.
- Our final challenge was the remote-control excavator challenge. After a practice run, each competitor had a timed run through the course. Maisy was the champion at this, having completed the course in 21 seconds, with Jasmine in second place with 22 seconds.
Thank you to all staff at ‘Jas P Wilson’ for welcoming us into their business and especially to Drew, Sean, Cameron, Bradley and Hamish who ran all our workshops and made our time there so memorable!
