Back To School With A Bang!

It was back to school with a bang (or was it a ‘pop’) as our STEAM day on balloon-powered cars got underway. The whole school listened to Mr MacKenzie talk about the scientific principles of motion, before splitting into mixed age groups. Year 6 pupils joined those from Year 1 & 2, and Years 3 ,4 and 5 worked together to learn about forces, in particular how Newton’s Law of Motion affects movement.

After morning break, they moved onto the more practical element of the day, getting stuck into the hands-on side of the challenge, drawing designs and putting together their plans. Test models were built, improvements were made, practice runs were attempted… all culminating in a dramatic showdown in Kerruish Hall.

As ever, STEAM days build resilience. This was a tough challenge to complete and emotions varied from deflated at an unsuccessful attempt to so excited that they could burst when the cars actually travelled some distance. The children learnt that success is a journey not a destination (Mr Andrews’ favourite quote), and that it’s about perseverance, teamwork and determination.

At the end of the day the children sat together and self-evaluated how they had got on, discussing potential improvements that could have been made. Watching the children work together and support each other was lovely to see and an honourable mention must go to Georgia and Florrie whose balloon-powered car really took off and travelled a whopping 3 metres!

Watch the video below to enjoy the very best bits of STEAM Day at St Faith’s Prep: