P6 are using their engineering and electrical skills to create their own robot. This robot uses chemical energy from a battery turned into electrical energy and then into movement to make the robot move. It then scribbles using the attached pens onto the paper.

P6 are taking part in a K’nex challenge. They have to build a bridge that satisfies the following criteria. It must:

be a stable structure.

span a 50cm gap.

hold a weight of at least a textbook.

The best team players will go on to represent Cross Arthurlie at the Barrhead High cluster competition. The winner of that competition will go onto a Glasgow wide and then a nation wide competition.

Today, on the day that a real volcano is erupting, we have erupted our own volcanos. We used our knowledge of chemical reactions and mixed vinegar and baking soda with washing up liquid and food colouring to make magma.

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As part of our natural disasters and Earth materials topic, the children have been discussing how the Earth is made up and how minerals are formed. We made some volcanoes to explode next week. This also links back to our chemical reactions topic, but we will see that in next week.

Today we looked at minerals, otherwise known as rocks! The class found out some great facts about a range of minerals. Did you that amethyst is a stone of peace?!

P6 have been learning about sustainable homes by thinking about how to conserve energy. We have created homes with insulation materials, energy producing windmills and solar panels, vegetable gardens and the latest technology to reduce energy wastage where we live.

Insulation

Windmill

Vegetable patch

…but don’t worry. Our firefighters know that CO2 is able to extinguish fire by taking away the oxygen which fire needs.

The children experienced creating a chemical reaction to make CO2.

We are finishing our planets from last week. They will be used as a wall display along side some fact charts to show what we learned.

P6 are beginning to make their own solar system. They will use paper mache to create the spheres before leaving them to dry. In addition, we will use them to look at the enormous size of the solar system.

Tune in next week to see them being painted.

Watch out everyone else! P5 have begun training for the Cross Arthurlie sports day! Cue “Eye of the tiger!” And a montage!