Gallery
2025-2026
Year 1
Mechanisms
In Year 1 the children have been learning all about mechanisms: making a moving storybook. They explored slider mechanisms and the movement they output to design, make and evaluate a moving storybook of their own.
Structures: Constructing stable structures
In this unit the children explored the stability of structures and made a stable pencil pot for a specific user.
Upcoming:
Wheels and axles
In this unit the children made wheels and an axle to create a pull-along toy.
Year 2
Cooking and nutrition: Balanced diet
In Year 2 the children have been learning all about cooking and nutrition: balanced diet. They were discovering the importance of a balanced diet and created a tasty, balanced wrap to meet a design brief.
Textiles: Pouches
The children explored different examples of textiles and learnt a simple running stitch to create their own pouches.
Upcoming:
Mechanisms: Moving monster
The children learnt that a lever is something that turns on a pivot and that a linkage is a system of levers that are connected by pivots. They designed two possible moving monster ideas and then carried out a tally survey to see which is favoured by their peers. They then constructed, assembled and evaluated the moving monsters.
Year 3
Cooking and nutrition: Eating seasonally
In Year 3 the children have been learning all about cooking and nutrition: eating seasonally. They learnt about seasonal food and used their understanding to create a seasonal food tart.
Mechanical systems: Pneumatic toys
The children explored pneumatic systems, applying understanding to design and created a pneumatic toy using different types of diagrams.
Upcoming
Textiles: Cross stitch and applique Egyptian collars
The children learnt how to cross stitch and applique to decorate and assemble Egyptian collars, which represent their unique personalities.
Year 4
Mechanical systems: Making a slingshot car
In Year 4 the children have been learning about Mechanical cars. They designed and made mechanical cars that use different methods of movement.
Electrical systems: Torches
The children evaluated a range of existing torches and designed a functional torch for a target audience.
Upcoming
Structures: Pavilions
The children selected appropriate materials and construction techniques to create a stable, free standing structure. They made free-standing frame structures of different shapes and sizes befor designing their own pavilion then added cladding to their pavilion
Year 5
Mechanical systems: Making a pop-up book
In Year 5 the children have been learning about mechanical systems: making a pop-up book.
Structures: Bridges
Children explored how bridge designs and materials affect strength and stability through building a wooden truss bridge.
Upcoming
Electrical systems: Doodlers
Children investigated an existing motorised product and problem-solved to understand its construction before developing their own.
Year 6
Electrical systems: Steady hand game
In Year 6 the children have been learning about mechanical systems: Steady hand games. The children designed and created their own steady hand buzzer game.
Mechanical systems: Automated toys
Children developed functional automata toys for a window display using cams, followers and axles to create movement.
2024-2025
Year 1
The children in year 1 have learnt all about the mechanism of levers and how they can be used to enhance pictures and story books. The children learnt how levers can move things up and down, as well as left to right.
The children practiced their cutting and sticking skills on a rabbit in a hat before they moved on to making a nursery rhyme scene come to life!
In our second unit of the year, the children explored joining methods with fabric. The children designed, cut out and made their own hand puppet based on specific design criteria.
As a mini project during World Book Day week, we used some of our scientific knowledge about floating and sinking, to make rafts for the Gingerbread Man to cross the river. The children considered different joining techniques alongside different materials to work out the best for the task.
