In Learning Blocks 5 and 6, Year 4 children enjoyed a trip to Network Rail’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, learning all about the railway and its links to World War II.

The children were given a tour of Network Rail’s facilities at The Quadrant:MK, in Central Milton Keynes, where the eco-friendly features of the building were discussed.

The building has a self-heating ventilation system that requires no energy output, with large glass windows, an abundance of plants and trees along with plenty of natural light – all by design.

This tied in nicely to the children’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle unit in Geography, which they will be learning more about in Learning Block 6 and 7.

The children learned about the role of the railway during World War II, where over 1.3 million evacuees took trains away from major cities and into the countryside to escape the air raids taking place across the country.

They learned how the railway was used to transport troops and machinery to the frontline and was crucial to the organisation of historic events such as D-Day.

Afterwards, the children took part in some design-based activities, with some children designing their own ‘Station of the Future’, considering how train stations are designed now and how they could look in the future.

A particular focus on eco-friendly elements was encouraged with this.

Some children were also given the chance to get hands-on with building their own model vehicles using construction equipment (Lego) and mini motors to get them moving.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the children, who were enthusiastic and used their knowledge from their recent World War II unit, while also gaining valuable insight ahead of new learning to come.

Some of the children said the following about their experiences:

“I really enjoyed the Lego!”

 

“It was fun trying to make the motors work!”

 

“We learned how the railway helped in World War 2!”

 

“The building was amazing, it was so bright with big windows!”