The Recycling Battery Project has gone really well thanks to your excellent pack and box of resources.
The children thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the lessons. I particularly liked the links with Scientists from the university as it gave the children an insight into where Science education can take them in the future. The PowerPoint presentations were a really helpful teaching resource too.
The children’s interest was captured well with the letter asking them to investigate the different strengths of glue. They really developed their investigation skills through this task. They loved using the term ‘anomaly’ when a result wasn’t expected. They suggested that next time, every crisp packet needs to be the same brand and size, the cleaning of the bags needs to be more thorough, the amount of glue applied needs to be exact. ( even though we tried), the speed at which the marbles were added needs to be the same and the way the bags were taped to the table needs to be more exact. I was so impressed with how critical they were of their approach to the investigation. Pritt stick was found to be the strongest glue which surprised me.
The tasks were given a real purpose and each lesson linked together well. We’ve learnt so much about lithium ion batteries as the lessons brought them to life (with the help of crisp packets!)
The lemon battery activity was their favourite. They were delighted to see the bulbs light. They had so many questions about other fruits so we tested bananas, oranges, melons, limes and kiwis. I had no idea if it would work and explained to the children that usually I know the out come of investigations but this was all new for me too. I warned them that nothing may happen and that’s just how science is. It made them feel like they were on the cutting edge of Science! The excitement and gasps when all the fruit powered the bulbs has to be one of my favourite teaching moments of all time!
The car packs were wonderful and I gave them no direction so it was interesting to see how the children used the instructions and their initiative. It was a great way to complete the project and they loved working in teams to produce a working car.
In our school we have a corridor where we display our writing. We decided to create a display based on the project so I’ve included photos of that too.
It’s an excellent resource and I can highly recommend it! We would love to be part of any future projects and really appreciate the continued links you have with our school.
