As we reach the end of this term's World Around Us theme 'Unsinkable', we have been experimenting with floating and sinking. Last week we predicted and then tested whether a series of items would float or sink. This week, we used that knowledge to design a boat, made from modelling clay, which would remain afloat when put into a water-filled tray.
Our first series of tries saw a huge variety of shapes and sizes tested, with a few briefly attempting to float, lots of immediate sinkings and just Daniel's boat remaining afloat! After various modifications, a few more children succeeded in avoiding the bottom of the tray, they then attempted to make a different design float as well. Finally, by considering elements of the successful designs, most of us managed to get ours to stay afloat. (I think this is called learning and adapting, rather than cheating!)
A lot of our designs may have resembled a traditional coracle but some were quite advanced and Dylan even managed to correctly position a mast on one of his. So lots of good investigative and practical learning occurred alongside the fun.
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