STEM Week 2024
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The motivation behind STEM week was to introduce the children to problem solving challenges, enabling them to use their creativity together with their science and technology skills to become engineers.
Across the week, we welcomed inspirational speakers, and a huge thank you to Miss Beaton and Mrs Jones for their valuable time and expertise. In addition, through Gatwick Airport and the James Dyson Foundation, the children were able to make links between their learning and the world of industry. Sublime Science also visited the school to bring science to life, a great way for the younger children to end their week.
"I enjoyed the Dyson workshop most, we learned about all fo the different parts of their products and why their products are unique."
Through class text, including The Hungry Caterpillar, All in a Day, As an Oak Tree Grows and Isatou Ceesay and the recycling women of the Gambia, the concept of ‘Time’ was brought to life as the children wrote diaries, instructional text and stories including time travel. From exploring shapes, to telling the time, to calculating duration, planetary time travel as well as charting time and linear relationships, maths skills have been stretched and curiosity raised.
The children have been introduced to inspirational scientists from Ada Lovelace to Stephen Hawking, contemplating what developments in technology and science might be next. In Geography, the children have learned about the importance of the Greenwich Meridian and older children used their understanding of latitude and longitude to calculate time in different locations. Understanding the history of timekeeping also provided an opportunity for the children to create their own water clocks.
"STEM Week was really fun, especially engineering the roller-coaster. We had to include a 360° loop, at least one 45° drop and ensure it ran for at least 30 seconds".
Overall, it has been a week where practical exploration of the design, build and test process has been experienced from Nursery to Year 6, from understanding structures and building tall towers to exploring the science of food, creating rollercoasters, wind turbines and electric vehicles.
Well done children, you have shown every one of our learning powers in abundance, and have shown to us that not only are your futures bright but, in your hands, so is the future of our world.