KS1 Design and Technology activities that can be carried out before, during or after a farm visit
Technical Knowledge
Activities:
- Examine toy version of farm cart or tractor. Can you identify levers, sliders, wheels and axles?
- Make own frame, axle and wheels having seen toy version.
- Look at the building shapes around the farm. Can you make a "mock up" and test the shape of the designs?
Resources needed:
- Toy farm vehicles
- Appropriate reclaimed resources
- Pictures of different farm buildings
- Dowelling, Art straws, cardboard, wood
Design, make and evaluate
Activity: Design, make and evaluate a bird scarer
An example of a half-term, or extended, project
- Brainstorm - why do we need to scare birds, how have they scared birds, what happens when they run up to pigeons?
- Discuss different ways of scaring eg movement, sound, protecting things from birds.
- Provide some materials - let them discuss/feel/fold; which materials could be used? What would they be used for?
- Design own bird scarer drawing ideas individually or in pairs; ask the children what to do next at each stage.
- Look at a group of designs together. Ask them to explain how it will work. Can others make suggestions?
- Provide the selection of materials shown at design stage and others children have identified.
- Make parts ready for assembling. Ask them do they fit? Were the materials easy to cut? What else could they use if they were experiencing difficulties?
- Demonstrate some ways to join materials - glue, sellotape, using paper hinges.
- Provide materials for finishing.
- Discuss own bird scarers - try out in playground; what happens? can other children suggest ways to improve?
Resources needed:
- Sticks, bottle tops, string, net, material strips etc
- Range of paper, card, string, corrugated and ordinary cardboard/tubes
- Foil, bottle tops. old cassette tape, jar lids,brightly coloured paper, old CDs
- Paper fasteners, glue, sellotape etc
Activities: Other projects to design and make using the same process
- egg carrier
- seed dispenser
- shelter for an animal
- feeder/waterer for animals
- milk carton and logo and adverts
- junk model farms- use this to teach different joining techniques eg paper hinges