LAST YEAR WE WENT FROM LAND’S END TO JOHn O’GROATS
Have a look at the film over there to see what we got up to last year.
THE #ROCKETKIDS SESSIOn
This half or full day session for UK primary and secondary schools is based on the best selling book 'Rocket Boys' and movie 'October Sky" by Homer Hickam. It's a journey of aspiration, creativity and family which tells how a group of boys go from seeing a bright light in the October night sky to working for NASA. You couldn't make it up.
If there is a more inspiring story, it's probably Elon Musk's who, having read every book in the school library, taught himself to code and helped develop and sell PayPal. He is spending the money on designing and building reusable rockets.
We tell his story in the session too!
For KS1/2 and KS3/4 learners, the session consists of:
All school assembly - which tells Homer's 'Rocket Boys' Story, explains how rockets work with many links to the curriculum
Real rocket launch - outdoor launching to 500 feet with parachute recovery system
Rocket workshop - the chance for a class to make/fire paper rockets
If you haven't seen it, take a look at the 2 minute film below of a week we spent taking this session to schools across Norfolk for the Norwich Science Festival.
“THE CHILDREN WERE OVERWHELMED BY IT.
A STUNNING, STUNNING MORNING”
Dean Marshall – Head Teacher
Mill Hill Primary, Sunderland
“I BECAME A TEACHER
TO HEAR CHILDREN MAKE THAT NOISE”
Vic Goddard - Head Teacher
Passmores Academy/'Educating Essex'
TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS
A Careers Day with a difference, these very special STEAM Co. Days not only show children how Engineering Improves Lives but also how their studies, especially the STEAMskills connect to these exciting careers and the various ways of getting there - whether via vocational or academic pathways through an apprenticeship or degree (or both of course!)
This day consists of the following key elements:
All School Assembly - a roller coaster journey through the STEAM skills and how they power engineering, and how it improves lives on many fronts. This exciting talk will focus on positive role models and diversity and show how engineering is a multipath creative career that is open to everyone.
KS2 Activities - for the rest of the day, groups of children took part in activities linking back to the key themes and story introduced in the assembly.
CO CO CODE DAY
We also have a Tech Literacy and Coding STEAM Co. Day whcih we take to shcool across the UK too.
This consists of an ‘All school’ assembly – a 45 minute journey through the history of tech and amazing role models and firing/timing of Elon Must’s dynamite HypedLoop!
Four 45 minute hands on activities:
Micro Bits and Bytes– a chance to code the BBC Micro:bit.
3D Worlds – hands on Virtual Reality, 3D photography, 3D modelling and 3D printing.
Code A Robot - a chance to programme a Lego RoboCroc
Think like a computer – exercises in computational thinking.
We are the robots
Given that, according to reports, the robots and AI are likely to take over half the jobs we do today we need to teach our kids to do what robots can’t do, not least be creative, use their imagination and find/develop a passion… their art.
This all session is off the scale exciting:
All School Assembly - an introduction to different types of robot, how they work and what they are used for.
Followed by three workshops:
Meet the Robots - a look at ten different types of robot, including the amazing Lego Rubik Cube puzzle solver
Design a Robot - inspired by Inventor Dominic Wilcox, the children get to design their own robots, whcih Dominic might even get to see if uploaded to his Little Inventors website
Think Like a Robot - a fun look at computational thinking and debugging computer code.
Code A Robot - a chance to learn to how to Code a BBC Micro:bit computer and see how they can power cardboard robots
OUR INSPIRATION
One of the people whose work inspired the formation of STEAM Co. was Prof Guy Claxton who said at the Kidcrafters event where we launched.
He said "We need to help children understand what they want to be great at and help them pursue that dream".
Similarly Lord Michael Heseltine and Prof Robert Winston who has emphasised the importance of inspiring and children in primary school to help them on their career and life trajectory.
So we were delighted to make a pledge to support National Careers Week 2018 the National by offering to run one of our half day 'Rocket Kids' sessions free for any school (primary or secondary) anywhere in the UK.
But then we thought bigger... why just visit one school?
