12 Dec Year 6 – Create a Structure!
DT – Year 6 – Hands-on DT Fun: Building Big Ideas with Straws and Tape!
This week’s Design and Technology lesson was bursting with creativity, teamwork and some wonderful engineering! After researching how famous architects design and construct the buildings we see around us – from soaring skyscrapers to sweeping bridges – our pupils stepped into the role of young architects themselves. Armed with only straws, masking tape and their growing knowledge of real-world structures, they set out to bring their own imaginative frameworks to life.
The challenge called for clever thinking: how do we use simple tools to create strong and stable joins. We experimented with different ways to connect straws, discovering how triangulation and cross-bracing stiffen and support a 3D framework. Classroom tables quickly transformed into mini construction sites filled with buzzing conversations, thoughtful problem-solving and the satisfying snap of tape being pulled from its roll.
By the end of the lesson, a fantastic range of structures stood proudly on display. Some were tall and elegant, others compact and cleverly reinforced (with a handful of structures leaning charmingly to one side!). The real test came when we applied pressure to check their stability. Aesthetically pleasing or not, not all of them remained standing! The gasps, laughter, and determination that followed were all part of the learning: understanding that design is as much about failure and improvement as it is about creativity.
A brilliant, hands-on session and our architects of the future are already eager for their next build!