Camping Craziness!

Last week, we decided to put out problem solving skills to the test with a very different and interesting challenge!

The students were placed into groups of three, and then tasked with putting up a small camping tent...WITHOUT instructions.

This was a lot of fun and quite the challenge. Some students had never put up a tent in their life, so there was (initially), a lot of discussion about what should be done first, or how each pole fitted into each sleeve. Needless to say, there were many false starts, backtracking and scratching of heads!

I am pleased to note that all groups managed to work it out in the end, and no one quit when it seemed too difficult! This was one of the key 'lessons' I wanted to get across to the students: things aren't always easy, and persistence is (by far) one of the most important traits a person can possess.

There was one group that was given an extra challenging assignment! Finn, Rosie and Fearne were all experienced campers, so knew exactly how to erect a commercially made tent. I gave them the challenge of designing and making their own survival shelter using only one tarpaulin, a length of rope and one pole. I am pleased to report they did an excellent job, and came up with a simple yet effective design. Well done!

Check out some of our photographs below!

Harmony Day 2018

Last Wednesday, our school celebrated Harmony Day, an annual event where all Australians come together and celebrate the wonderful diversity of cultures that make up this big land of ours!

All students were encouraged to dress up in a national costume, or wear orange, which is recognised as the international colour of harmony.

I was very pleased to see ALL students from Rm 22 participate in this day by donning some sort of costume. Our room was awash with beautiful dresses, brightly brocaded jackets and lots of jewellery. I particularly liked the bells worn around the ankles of some of our Indian girls...very musical!

Check out some of our photographs below!

STEM in Rm 22

Who said learning can't be fun?

Our class had a wonderful Monday afternoon, making paper helicopters and then breaking into small groups for some engineering shenanigans!

First. we conducted some investigations into the way a paper helicopter worked. We discovered something interesting - if you change the direction of the blades to the opposite position, the helicopter will spin in the opposite direction. 

Very cool!

We also tried doubling the number of blades, then shortening the 'body' of the helicopter. In each case, the efficiency of the descent was badly affected. In any case, it was a lot of fun and we felt like proper engineers, modifying and testing our creations.

For the second half of the afternoon, we split into groups and engaged in some engineering activities. We had a go at:

• Building long, continuous marble roll structures
• Creating circuits using our electronic kits
• Building the tallest tower possible using only playing cards
• Building vehicles and structures using Lego
• Using dominoes to build towers and pyramids

It was a fun time for all, and we look forward to engaging in more great STEM sessions!