This term we’ve been learning about forces- air resistance couldn’t hold us back; we wouldn’t let gravity pull us down; things heated up when we learned about friction; and we were swept away by water resistance! Therefore, we couldn’t wait to see how our forces learning would pull us in and push our learning this week…

Very punny, we know (or should we say, ‘very pulley’! 

Yes, that’s right, Year 6 have set aside all modern technology and stepped inside the fascinating world of ‘Simple Machines’. Used by even the Ancient Greeks, pulleys and levers are a sure fire way to help a small force have a greater effect and so we investigated this by building our very own pulley mechanisms using only a hockey stick and a length of string. We explored how 5 different ‘block and tackle’ pulley systems can help us exert less force whilst lifting a heavy weight.

After that, we created our own catapults using just lollipop sticks, elastic bands and boxes of paper to see how far we could fling objects and to find out if we could knock down our opponents’ towers!

We worked together in teams, understanding how cooperation helped us investigate accurately and fairly, and had a marvellous time doing so!