This half term in DT the children designed, tested, made and evaluated windmills. The children investigated a hook basket with lots of different windmills in and we went out on the playground and tested them considering – how they move, what they look like and what parts help them to spin and rotate. The children then explored the parts of a windmill and thought about what makes a stable structure. Step by step the children began making their windmill structures – they explored how to make their windmill stable by adding weight of the bottom and then made a hole in the centre.
The children later practiced using all the different tool and equipment accurately to make the structure. This included making marks, cutting, folding and joining the different parts of the structure. The children explored key vocabulary when learning to join the different parts of the structure: attach, join and rotate. Towards the end the children then tested and evaluated their windmill making changes to their designs or structures.
It was really fun to see them spin in the wind, they all did a fabulous job of making their stable structures!