Teach-Primary-Issue-20.1

• Have I checked the risk assessment requirements for my setting when using junior hacksaws, glue guns, wire cutters for mesh – accordingly, have I planned a safety briefing for the pupils? • Do the pupils have the necessary background knowledge? It helps if children have some prior experience with simple mechanisms (like basic levers or hinge ideas) and understand the concept of fair testing. • Do we have untouched areas of the school grounds where we can base our hideouts, away from inquisitive little hands? lever-operated door (think of a tiny drawbridge that could pivot up and down), and an axle-based pivot (a door or hatch raised and lowered when a string is coiled/ uncoiled). Every group can use these principles to invent their own unique doorways, all aiming to end up with a closable entrance. Once structures are built and sealed, the final touch is camouflage, where artistry meets subterfuge! Provide paints in murky greens, browns, and greys (or link to art lessons and have pupils create their own hues). Children can also mix sand into their paint to add gritty texture like mud and stone, or add on bits of dried leaves, moss and twigs collected from around the playground. around their frames, which will allow each hideout to take on an irregular, organic profile, instead of looking like a simple wooden box. Choosing an outer covering can be a great opportunity to explore the properties of materials. It’s a good idea to have a selection of off-cut materials to hand – strips of old plastic tarpaulin, waxed fabric, thick foil, and supplies for traditional papier mache. Have each team decide which covering would best keep rain out, and how to attach it securely to their mesh. It goes without saying that no secret hideout is complete without a working entrance to sneak your Lego figure in and out. Demonstrate two simple mechanisms on the whiteboard, first: a basic • Cross-curricular writing or drama: have pupils write a short story, diary entry or news report from the perspective of their hideout’s inhabitant. What was it like hiding in there? • Material science investigation: build on the testing by having the class design a fair experiment around waterproofing or durability. • Real-life den building: if you have access to a forest school area or even just a school field, challenge pupils to translate their model ideas into a child-sized shelter or den using natural materials, tarps, and rope. EXTENDING THE LESSON 3 | TEST Now for the moment of truth – testing time! Move outside for a simulated rainstorm, and ask each team to pop their Lego person inside their hideout to await their fate. Pour the exact same amount of water over each hideout’s top, one after the other, to fairly compare waterproofing. Encourage the children to observe where the leaks (if any) occur – seams between materials are a common culprit – and to think of design solutions. Next, unleash an electric hairdryer on a high setting to mimic strong wind and sun, testing each model’s sturdiness. Then reflect as a class upon which hideouts stayed completely dry, which withstood the wind without losing parts, and why. To really embrace the spirit of the challenge, children can hide their camouflaged hideouts around the school grounds. We chose a variety of nooks and crannies – under bushes, behind tree stumps, nestled against the building – and left them there for the school week. After five days braving the real weather, each team can open up their shelter and reflect on which design choices worked best and what they’d improve next time. Common themes may include: the importance of overlapping waterproof layers, using stronger joints, and better anchoring of camo materials. Crucially, every child should get to celebrate some success – whether their hideout stayed completely dry, withstood the wind, or was the hardest to spot. Marc Bowen is a deputy head and primary teacher in South Wales. USEFUL QUESTIONS “This project could easily take on the context of historical or literary figures in need of a covert base of operations” www.teachwire.net | 75