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
• Risk Assessment for COVID-19
• Outreach COVID Guidelines

Pricing

Our experienced team will put together a full or part-day programme of shows and workshops that fits into your school timetable and that allows sufficient time to set up, reset or clear away. The programme is tailored to each school and can usually include a mixture of activities for different Key Stages. A small number of activities may require two staff members, but we can run two streams of activities simultaneously with an additional member of staff.

For timetables involving one staff member:

£230+VAT for a part day
£320+VAT for a whole day
15% discount for Member Schools

For timetables involving two staff members:

£360+VAT for a part day
£495+VAT for a whole day
15% discount for Member Schools

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

Back to previous page