DT in Base 5

In DT, Base 5 have been looking at the Global Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on goal 11- sustainable communities. We have been learning about the impact of flooding on communities sand as a result we are designing houses which could survive flooding. Our first practical step this week was to look at the structure for our homes, how could we build strong structures that could withstand the power of a flood?
The children looked at shell and frame structures and used this to help them to design and make. The children were very engaged with this task and had many forward thinking ideas. Some of the children thought about the ways drainage systems would support these houses (making connections with our learning about the Indus Valley) while others thought about the ways they could help a house float and even considered hydraulics. We will test these structures before we move on to investigate which materials would be the most suitable when creating these houses; we will need to consider both the properties of materials as well as the cost.