25 April 2016
The day started with the Year 6 boys designing and building a 3D Viking Longboat, using large pieces of dowel and rubber bands only. Tetrahedrons, trusses and masts were erected, and the two classes rowed the giant ship to the beat of a drum. Some oarsmen who were slow to respond to the warning of an iceberg were thrown overboard into the depths of the sports hall sea! The workshop acts as a starter to their historical studies and some Balsa wood models of colourful Viking ships are now being constructed in CDT lessons. These will be displayed during the schools ‘Art & Design’ exhibition during the week beginning 16 May 2016.
Year 2 learnt that the strongest shape for construction is the triangle which they combined together to make 3D tetrahedrons. After discussions to help the blackbird have a home, the simple modular forms were connected together to make a huge structure of a birdhouse. No glue, no mess but a fantastic amount of team work took place to help the blackbird sing happily forever more!
In Year 4, the pupils worked in teams to build a bridge using a truss-girder form, each approximately 2m in length. With the emphasis on teamwork and cooperation, each bridge was constructed from wooden tetrahedrons and long dowel, some passing the stability test more easily than others! The boys are now using their knowledge to design and make models of their own footbridges in the CDT room.
Katie Smith (Head of CDT) 2016
