Described as the age of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, children were given a taste of how tools, resources and digital technology could be used to help make a better world.  ‘Future Make’, also called ‘The Club For Little Hands with Big Futures’, will be offering an after school club at Stowford School running from 4-6pm on Thursdays over a 10 week period.  Mrs Chislett, who teaches in Year 5, had organised the pilot of this club (which is also being run at Sherford School).  Stowford School is currently focusing on achieving a Primary Science Quality Mark Award through STEM activities which includes Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.   

The immersion day run by ‘Future Make’ was designed to inspire children as a future Engineer or Ideas Designer.  One of the activities required the children to design and build their own unique structures which included problem-solving as part of the design process.  Lucy of Year 5, proudly showed off her structure and explained “I think transportation in 2050 will need to change and I have designed a hoverboard” (see photo).  On the same theme of transport, Angus & Afie were deep in conversation when asked about their design “We are part way through making a flying car and it’s wings will fold up when you are driving it”.  

Another response to what we may need in the future came from Billy.  “I have made a moving Travel Lodge so you will not have to get out of the car to go to it, the Travel Lodge will come to you”.  In the next door classroom a different team had been busy making a future robot.  Lucia said “we think in the future there will be more robots and we have made a robot that goes around and picks up rubbish.  Our Re-Cycle Bot came together after we decided to connect 2 designs into one”. (see photo)

Mr Brooke-Houghton, who teaches in the Year 5 Kestrels Class said, “it was great to see the children so motivated, they loved the design process right from the initial ideas through to the completed and tested results.