IDL – STEM

This week, we learned about how buildings are made in areas prone to earthquakes. We learned that buildings are constructed on top of flexible pads that isolate the foundations from the ground. When an earthquake hits, only the base moves, allowing the structure to remain steady. This effectively helps to absorb seismic waves and prevent them from traveling through the building.

We decided to try making our own structures, using spaghetti and marshmallows/playdoh. The spaghetti acts as the flexible steel and the marshmallows represent the building’s flexible and absorbent joints. We then placed our structures on top of whiteboards and gave them a good old shake!! Have a look at the video below to see one of the successful creations in action.

STEAM

In the STEAM room with Mr Atkinson, we have been learning all about space. We made the solar system on string and created a scaled model of their distance from the sun. Most recently, we have enjoyed making Mars Rovers. In real life, these rovers would land on Mars and capture data about life on the planet.

“We had some malfunctions at first but we worked through it once we figured out how to build the wheels.”

“We used someone’s genius idea to use the centre cardboard piece inside sellotape to create the wheels.”

“Our rover can rotate even just with one wheel.”

“We used a plastic bag for a parachute and if the wind catches it while it is moving, it will go up in the air.”

“It was quite hard to build the rovers because of all the tin foil that we were using for solar panels.”

“It was hard to find the right pieces to fit the roof of the rover and it was difficult to keep the wheels in place but we worked hard to.”