We began by discussing the properties of my metal water bottle that make it suitable for carrying warm water to the woods i.e. strong, won’t melt etc. I then asked each group to choose a card ( face down on the ground) with a design challenge on. The groups then had to go away and discuss the ‘design specification’ – what properties their object needed to have. The example I used was an umbrella – we decided it would need to be waterproof, have a strong pole, have a comfortable grip and be nice to look at.

We re-grouped and shared ideas then the children went off to build their objects. We later had a look at what had been constructed – there were some great ideas and I was most impressed.

The challenges were;

A bag to carry a mobile phone

A toy for a toddler- this group built a mobile. Look at the pine cones which they used to cover the sharp edges!

A present for mum, a tree decoration, a boat, a den for a small creature and a fire. The children who were asked to make a gift for their mum couldn’t think of any ideas so to finish off I asked everyone to go and make something for their own mum. More great ideas 🙂

I hope to repeat this in the summer when there are leaves around etc. Next steps would be to ask the children to think of their own challenges and maybe to have a ‘properties Olympics’- find the strongest, weakest, softest etc. potential for more fair testing.