Children in Key Stage 1 enjoyed a fun-filled day of STEM activities led by Network Rail.
The Year 2 children spent Friday morning completing three different activities. They used marshmallows and clay with spaghetti to make free standing structures.
They then moved on to using ozobots where we created tracks to replicate train tracks using special pens. This allowed the ozobots, which act as miniature trains, to follow our tracks.
For the final activity they used Lego educational spike kits. With these they built a variety of structures such as windmills and cars then programmed them to move or light up.
Year 2 children spoke on the morning, saying:
“The games were really fun. My favourite bit was when we had to build a track and the trains moved along it.”
“I liked the robot writing because the robot moved, wherever you were writing, it followed.”
“I liked the spaghetti tower because it was fun and it was very sticky.”
“I learnt how to build stuff and how to balance.”
“I had so much fun making a track for the ozobots to follow. They were so amazing.”
In the afternoon, it was Year 1’s turn to spend time with Network Rail.
The children learnt about railway safety by reenacting as passengers and train safety officers and discussed the effects of standing too close to the edge of the platform particularly when a train passes by.
They then moved on to using ozobots where we first explored how the ozobots travelled along tracks by following the lines and how they stopped or turned around when there was a break in the track.
After, they created their own tracks using different shapes and patterns. For the final activity they used Lego educational spike kits to create and build different structures and connect them to motors to make them move.
Year 1 children said the following:
“I enjoyed the Network Rail afternoon, especially helping make robots and watching these move.”
“It was really fun because we had to colour a train track in the right order for the train to move by itself!”
“We played with lego and had to make a type of transport with it such as cars, planes or trains.”
