This term at school

My class have been exploring Every Day Materials in Science

They were very good at identifying objects

And sorting materials

They were quite good at describing the properties of materials

What we needed to do more of

Still do need to do more of

Is thinking about how different materials are used and why

And also use the vocabulary we have learned in different ways

My class also need to develop their scientific enquiry skills

With all of this in mind

We had a week of investigations and challenges at the end of term

We made scarecrows

We had an egg drop

And we experimented with different construction techniques

Building structures with a range of different materials

We started with marshmallows and spaghetti

I was so proud of my class

For the structures they made

The scientific and mathematical language they used

And the fact they did not eat a single marshmallow

Not a single one!

I gave each group of children

Some spaghetti

And some mini marshmallows

In the first session

At school and with my own children at home

I just left them to play

To experiment and explore

And that is exactly what they did

With such focus

Such concentration

Such determination

And some skill

In that first lesson

They learned how to build a solid structure

They learned that triangles are stronger and sturdier than squares

They learned that shorter lengths of spaghetti

Make a stronger structure than longer lengths

The children learned the importance of a strong base

A solid foundation for their build

The discussions we had

The questions we answered and asked

Were wonderful

Awesome

Inspiring

For the second session

I showed the children a selection of famous buildings

Including some bridges

I challenged the children to try and recreate their favourite

I encouraged them to work together

With a partner or in small groups

To try and make a super structure

The children happily worked together

Sharing their new engineering skills

Their new scientific knowledge and understanding

The children worked together

Creating structures

Testing techniques

Trialling and improving their methods

It was wonderful to see

And success was found by all children

Of all academic abilities

A magical moment for me as a teacher

One of those flash points

When you just know

That you have done something right

That for these children

At this moment

You have made a difference

I loved how much the children learned through this activity

I loved seeing unlikely collaborations flourish

And my heart sang when my beautiful daughter

And some very special girls in my class

Used these scientific materials

Used these building materials

To create delicate accessories for their imaginative play

Esther made the letters to spell out her name

A ladder to climb

And a house, with a fire

Where she could toast her marshmallow

On a spaghetti stick!

This was a wonderful activity

At home and at school

If you have some time

I really recommend that you give this a try

The scientists, builders, collaborators before you

Will amaze you, humble you and inspire

That is what my children did for me