After the all of the
science learning around the school last term, it’s been fun to get into some
technology and lots of robotics.
In the junior syndicate, classes have been coming to the
science room and we’ve been making periscopes.
The boys have found it quite challenging but they’ve been determined to
do a good job and as a result, they’ve been really pleased with how their periscope
has turned out. They’ve had to measure,
stick, cut, score and tape really carefully and accurately. They seem to have really enjoyed this and it
was great to tie it in with the anniversary of the start of World War 1. We talked about how the soldiers used
periscopes in the trenches and more recently, their use in submarines.
Classes are enjoying their sessions with the robotics. Some classes are just starting and others are
having a second round of sessions. 7/8T
have really made the most of the creative side of the robotics so after a
series of challenges, they convinced me that a battle would be great. Typical boy stuff! So we planned a tournament where pairs of
robots would challenge each other. The
students had to programme their robot to move continuously around the ‘battle
field’ and they had to programme a touch sensor so that when their robot hit a
wall, it would reverse back and then turn around and move off in a different
direction. Needless to say, it was a very noisy and very
fun session. I’m sure they could hear us
from down on Williams Park!
This term has also seen the start of the Science Club. Just click on the link at the top right of
this page to see more. It would be
really great to have more parents involved, either as a helper or someone to
lead a session. Please don’t hesitate to
get in touch with me. You might just
like to come along to have a look before offering to help!