Children at Portpatrick Primary enjoyed a trip to Dumfries House on Friday. Pupils took part in two workshops during the trip. The first was focused on being energy engineers, exploring the different ways we can create renewable energy. Children spoke about wind turbines and solar panels before heading outside. Once outside, children had fun making a water wheel which explained how hydropower worked. The children were able to use the outdoor water park to learn and explore. The children discussed the different energy transfers and where we can find natural energy in the outdoors. It was agreed that while electricity is the primary type of energy used by humans, but recognise that it is rare to find it in our natural environment. Pupils gave examples of lightning and electric eels. The children all agreed that we have enough natural resources to create electricity, but we need to do more to encourage sustainable energy.
The second workshop focused on weather, which tied in well with our last topic. We spoke about different weather systems and how the wind blows in the various systems. We then discussed how we record wind, the speed of the wind and the different scales we can use. The children had fun with parachutes to show wind resistance and then enjoyed finding the find direction using bubbles.
After all the education was done, it was time for some fun. Pupils didn’t need to be told twice to go out and explore the fantastic treehouse outdoor adventure area. JUST WOW! We will be back!
