Spike In Charge
Catastrophe! A city is plunged into darkness in the aftermath of an environmental disaster! Under a state of emergency, can Spike Prime deliver the power needed to meet the demand in time?
In this workshop, pupils will learn about how we rely on energy to live and the importance of moving away from burning fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy sources. Pupils will be introduced to the Lego Robot Spike Prime and – with some initial guidance – discover its impressive functionality, enabled through coding.
Pupils will first learn how to set up and calibrate their robots and then how to provide coding instructions for movement. The workshop culminates with a simple group task, where teams program their robots to move ‘energy packets’ across a gaming mat, to predefined target areas in under two minutes. Due to the relative difficulty of this workshop, it is recommended for years 6 and 7 only.
This workshop can be used as an introduction the First Lego League.
Available for P6 & P7 only. 90 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 24
Art Of Animation
Have you ever wondered how gravity was discovered? What it was like to walk on the moon for the first time? What it was like to study and live with chimpanzees in the jungles of Africa? With this workshop you not only can answer all these questions, but you can animate them too!
Using stop-motion animation, we will re-enact the stories of three great scientists and their discoveries, learning about the science and history of animation along the way. Pupils will learn new techniques such as story-boarding, frame composition, lighting and onion-skinning and develop their story-telling skills as they make their own short stop-motion animation video!
Optional 30 minute extension: Get to interact with various animation media such as a Zoetrope and flick books. Engage in a short storyboarding exercise. Using some editing tools, transform your animation into a self-contained feature. Create the right tone by building in music, sound effects and transitions. Add the finishing touches by designing some catchy titles and credits.
60 or 90 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Game Changers
Ever wondered how games programmers and designers got into their career? It started with learning the basics and building on that initial experience. Could one of your pupils be a future creator of a big video-game hit? We’ll help pupils learn the basics of block-based coding, as they work in pairs to create a simple computer game using a website coding app called Makecode Arcade, in this engaging ICT workshop.
Students learn the difference between hardware and software, that there are various types of engineer who do many different things and that software engineers write code to create programs and algorithms. By the end of the workshop, students should be able to use basic block-based coding to create a simple game. The block-coding exercise guides students step-by-step from creating a background to having a fully functioning game. They can even try out their personalised games on hand-held Kitronik gaming devices (time permitting).
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Amped Up
Come explore how technology and electronics have changed the music world forever. From Jimi Hendrix to Marshmello – generations have rocked out to synthesised sound! Beginning with electricity itself, pupils will learn about types of electricity and how to build various electrical circuits in practical exercises. Following this, we explore the history and science of electronic music and finish with a build exercise in which pupils will combine card, electronics and their musical flare to tune and play an electronic instrument.
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Marvellous Machines
How did the Egyptians build the pyramids? Who was Archimedes? In this fun, fast-paced building workshop, pupils will be encouraged to consider what defines a machine and through the examples of Archimedes’ six simple machines, how they allow us to overcome some real-life problems.
This will include demos that look at transformation of energy and the use of machines to overcome forces of friction and weight by multiplying effort. Pupils then work in groups to design and build their very own machine out of K’nex, with the ultimate goal of using their creation to transport or propel an object across a predetermined space. The workshop will culminate in a race to the finish, to complete their very own Rube Goldberg-style machine.
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Fizz, Bang, Pop
Pupils are treated to an experience at W5’s Science Lab, where we carry out a host of fun, sometimes explosive experiments to investigate whether changes observed during chemical reactions and physical changes in state are permanent or temporary. Time permitting, experiments will include making fun shapes from Plaster of Paris, exciting bubble volcanoes, dramatic dragon’s breath, balloons shrinking and freezing before your very eyes, Vitamin-C rockets and a monstrous, bubbly finale!
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Fit To Go
Why do we breathe? Where does your food go? Which bones are the largest and smallest? In this hearty workshop, pupils leave no organ unturned in our pin-the-tail type anatomy game, find out whether their skeleton know-how stands up to scrutiny and carry out investigations to discover more about their heart and sense of balance. Pumped full of fun facts, anatomical activities and puzzles, they’ll leave with a body of knowledge!
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
Rollercoaster Racers
In teams, students work together engineering the ultimate rollercoaster in this fun, hands-on workshop. Initially, we discuss what makes rollercoasters so appealing (or not!) and introduce basic science concepts like motion due to gravity. Students then go on to apply this knowledge in a group challenge (up to 8 groups max) in which they must construct a Skyrail rollercoaster in around 20 minutes. We then test each and judge them on all the characteristics that make rollercoasters an irresistible ride – thrills, duration and an innate sense of danger!
50 minute workshop. Maximum number of participants: 32
