The Year Four children commenced their new IPC topic, 'Active Planet'

The Year Four children commenced their new IPC topic, 'Active Planet' being faced with the following scenario for their Entry Point: There has been a huge typhoon across Bangkok and the whole city is flooded and is now underwater. Your task is to design and build a raft that will float and carry survivors. In groups, think about the following questions - What materials will you use to make your raft? Why? How will you make your raft?

Collaborating in small groups, the children made a draft design and then built their models using materials from the Creativity Zone and plastic bottles from home. They had to adhere to a strict deadline and it was great to see them all complete the raft in time. The following day, it was time to test the buoyancy and strength of the rafts. They noted how some designs were more effective than others and enjoyed adding the 'survivors' - aka, unifix cubes - onto the rafts to test the strength of the vessels. The children are now looking forward to exploring this topic in greater depth over the next few weeks.