FAB Lab Warrington, on the Beamont Collegiate Academy site, has been hosting D&T sessions for TCAT Primary Schools.
Year 5 pupils are taught the technical knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making a bird box for their school garden.
They design an item using suitable materials based on a given scenario. They then make the product by designing, cutting, sanding, drilling, shaping, finishing and decorating wood. Evaluation is done through finding a suitable material to make the item and then reflecting on the process as a whole so that pupils can suggest what they could improve upon if they did the project again.
The first sessions took place last week with Meadowside Primary School visiting the FAB Lab to begin designing and creating their Birdboxes.
Students thoroughly enjoyed the session and the exciting chance to use a range of specialist equipment in the professional, purpose-built facilities.
Staff at the FAB Lab were delighted to launch the project with Meadowside and are looking forward to welcoming all other TCAT schools through their doors over the coming months.
The following benefits are available to all primary schools taking part in the project;
- Access to facilities and resources not available in Primary.
- Build Confidence in non-specialist teachers within primaries in using equipment and teaching the subject content.
- Have confidence in meeting NC standards in KS1 & KS2 D&T.
- Lead to confident Primary staff that can then book the space for teaching their own D&T sessions in the future.
- Each pupil will go away with a physical object that they have made in their Fab Lab sessions.
- Expert led session that links to D&T curriculum.
- Transport available – Minibus.
Additional available FAB Lab D&T TCAT Primary Projects are detailed below. These include face to face sessions and also ‘Project in a box’ where all required tools and other resources are provided to primary schools and then returned the the FAB Lab after the project completion.
Year | Project | TYPE | Activities | NC Skills |
1 | Wooden Bookmarks | PIB | Design, sanding, shaping, finishing, decorating wood and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |
2 | Marble maze | PIB | Design, sanding, shaping, cutting, joining, finishing, and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |
3 | Electronic cards | PIB | Designing, cutting card, creating a circuit, decorating and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |
4 | Kite making | F2F | Design, sanding, shaping, cutting wood and textile, joining, finishing, and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |
5 | Bird boxes | F2F | Design, cutting, sanding, shaping, finishing, decorating wood and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |
6 | Be Safe Be Seen – LED’s on Textiles. E.g. wristband | F2F | Designing, cutting textiles, sewing, creating a circuit, decorating and evaluating the process. | Technical knowledge, design, make and evaluate. |