This exciting workshop will challenge children to apply their scientific understanding to a practical problem. We’ll start by using some hands-on activities to explore floating and sinking. Children will work in small groups to investigate why certain objects float, and how changing their shape, mass or material affects their ability to float. We’ll encourage children to ‘work scientifically’ and draw their own conclusions from their observations.

Armed with this scientific understanding, children will then become marine engineers, creating a raft using limited materials, working in small teams. Based around a scenario we will describe, their raft will need to be designed to carry as many small toy animals as possible. Which raft will be able to rescue the most animals from the island?

We’ll test each raft in turn, giving children the opportunity to refine and improve their designs. The workshop provides a great way for your students to develop their team-working, resilience and problem-solving skills!

Throughout the session, children will work together in small teams of typically 4 or 5 children. We will of course need access to a water supply for this workshop, and enough space, indoors or outdoors, to test our rafts in large water-filled containers.

Curriculum links:

• Key Stage 1 Programme of Study: Working scientifically
• Year 1 Programme of Study: Everyday materials
• Year 2 Programme of Study: Uses of everyday materials
• PRIMARY National Curriculum – Design and technology

Documents:

• Risk Assessment for Crafty Rafts

Contact our schools team with any questions on [email protected]