Carousel Education provides high quality bespoke support that addresses current educational challenges and practices. Our vision is to enable school leaders and staff to provide the best possible outcomes for all their children. In addition to our resources, we aim to offer down to earth, interactive, innovative and practical solutions for school leaders.
Carousel Education provides high quality bespoke support that addresses current educational challenges and practices. Our vision is to enable school leaders and staff to provide the best possible outcomes for all their children. In addition to our resources, we aim to offer down to earth, interactive, innovative and practical solutions for school leaders.
In this unit of work children design and make a working model of a fairground ride that uses rotational movement and is driven by a pulley system. Applying their understanding of computer programming they use block code to control the movement and functioning of the fairground model. Using their experiences of visiting fairgrounds and theme parks and watching an animation of a theme park, children deepen their understanding of the different movements of fairground rides and how they can be themed as part of the experience. They learn how a pulley and drive belt system works and how they can be used to transfer movement, change the speed and direction of movement. Children design a fairground ride model that uses rotational movement and make a wooden box structure for their model before adding a pulley and drive belt system. They use a Crumble Kit motor as part of an electrical system and apply their knowledge of block coding to control the speed and direction of the motor. Using their designs for guidance, children decorate the fairground model. For the evaluation part of this unit of work children evaluate the overall project and the processes they undertook to create the fairground model.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: Investigating Fairground Rides & IDEA Task 2: Investigating Pulley Systems
Focused Practical Task 1 – Making a Base for the Model
Focused Practical Task 2 – Fairground Ride Designer
Group Designing Session IDEA Task 3: Electric Motors and Computer Control
Making the Model
Evaluating the Project
In this unit of work children design and make an alien soft toy and combine it with a Microbit controller to create an interactive soft toy. Children learn how Tamagotchi electronic pets were the most popular toy in the 1990s and that many schools banned pupils from bringing them to school. Children use a mood board and computer software to help them design their alien soft toy. They apply their knowledge and skills of joining textile pieces to create a soft toy which they decorate using a range of fabric techniques. As part of their design, they make a small window and pocket to accommodate a BBC Microbit controller. Using their knowledge of block coding they program the Microbit to interact with the user. As part of the project children create packaging and promotional materials for their product.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: What was a Tamagotchi? & Focused Practical Task 1 – Toy Designer
IDEA Task 2: All About the Micro:Bit
Making the Product
Programming the Product
Packaging the Product
Evaluating the Product
In this unit of work children design and make a robot buggy that is controllable using Crumble Kit and programmed for random movement using computer block coding. As part of this project children learn about how electric vehicles work and the story of Elon Musk. Children embark on a series of focused practical tasks to create a chassis on which to add other electrical components to make their controllable vehicle. They learn how to use block code to program their vehicle to successfully complete the ‘test track’ before their vehicle is allowed to take part in the class Robo Wars. Children evaluate their project by making a short documentary film or a display stand or by taking part in a ‘show and tell’ event.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1 – Robo Wars!
Focused Practical Task 1: Creating the Chassis
Focused Practical Task 2: Vehicle Control
Buggy Designing and Making
Test Track
Evaluation: The Robo Wars Competition – Let Battle Commence
In this unit of work children learn about structures by designing and making a model treehouse. They begin by visiting a local playground to look at different types of playground equipment. Their shapes and structures. Having discussed their favourite playground activities and equipment, they draw a plan of their ideal playground. Children create 2D and 3D structures using drinking straws and pipe cleaners and are taught different ways of making these frame structures stronger, stiffer, and more stable. Having discussed what a treehouse is and the different types of activities that can take place in a treehouse, children draw a labelled drawing of their treehouse design. Working in groups they use their designs to help them make a model of their treehouse and apply their learnt knowledge to make them strong, stable, and stiffer. They evaluate their own models and those of their peers using the design specifications and identify what they like and what they would improve about the products they have made.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: Visiting the Local Playground
Focused Practical Task 1: Making Straw Shapes & IDEA Task 2 – All About Treehouses
Focused Practical Task 2: Playground Models
Designing Treehouses
Making Treehouses
Evaluating Treehouse
In this unit of work children learn about structures by designing and making a model of a monkey enclosure for the local zoo. They begin by visiting a local playground to look at the different types of playground equipment, their shapes and structures. Having discussed their favourite playground activities and equipment, they draw a plan of their ideal playground. Children create 2D and 3D structures using drinking straws and pipe cleaners and are taught different ways of making these frame structures stronger, stiffer, and more stable. Using information from either a visit to a zoo or from watching a video of different monkeys and primates in zoos, children design a new enclosure for monkeys. They use their ideas and designs to help them create a model of a monkey enclosure applying different skills and techniques to make their structure strong, stiff and stable.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: Visiting the Local Playground
Focused Practical Task 1: Making Straw Shapes and IDEA Task 2: Monkeying Around
Focused Practical Task 2: Playground Models
Designing Session
Making Session
Evaluating Session
In this unit of work children learn about structures by designing and making a model of a new piece of play equipment for the local playground. They begin by visiting a local playground to look at the different types of playground equipment. their shapes and structures. Whilst at the playground they also focus on different types of movement created by the equipment, particularly linear and rotational movement. Having discussed their favourite playground activities and equipment, they draw a plan of their ideal playground. Children create 2D and 3D structures using drinking straws and pipe cleaners and are taught different ways of making these frame structures stronger, stiffer, and more stable. Using their experience of visiting the playground, children design and make a new piece of play equipment applying different skills and techniques to make the structure strong, stiff and stable.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: Visiting the Local Playground & Focused Practical Task 1: Making Straw Shapes
IDEA Task 2: Playgrounds in Motion
Focused Practical Task 2: Playground Models
Designing Session
Making Session
Evaluating Session
In this unit of work children design and make a money container using textile materials. They apply their knowledge of how to create pattern template from models and prototypes and how textiles can be joined both temporarily and permanently. Children have the opportunity to consolidate their skills in using the running stitch and are taught the technique of the overstitch. Children learn about different textile fastenings and consider which ones would be best suited to use in a money container. They develop their knowledge of textile decorative techniques including embroidery, embellishment and appliqué to create a money container for someone special.
Sessions:
IDEA Task 1: All About Money Containers & Focused Practical Task 1 – Developing Decorative Stitching
IDEA Task 2: Investigating Money Containers
Focused Practical Task 2 – Simple Coin Purse
Designing Session
Making Session
Evaluation Session
In this unt of work, children create their own recipe, branding and packaging for a healthy yoghurt-based breakfast meal. This unit of work also includes learning about the importance of breakfast. Children learn how to make yoghurt and how a thermos flask helps to maintain the temperature of the yoghurt allowing the micro-organisms to create yoghurt from milk.
Applying their knowledge of a balanced, healthy diet, children design a layered breakfast pot of yoghurt, cereal and fruit. Consolidating their skills in food preparation, children use their design to make a healthy breakfast product.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1 – All About Breakfast
IDEA Task 2 – Investigating Yoghurts & IDEA Task 3 – Yoghurt Pot Packaging
Focused Practical Task 1 – Making Yoghurt & Focused Practical Task 2 – Cross-Sectional Drawing
Designing a yoghurt-based breakfast
Making the yoghurt product
Evaluation
In this unit of work children learn how to make a focaccia bread product that can be used as part of a shared meal. They investigate a range of bread products from around the world and have the opportunity to taste test some breads that can be bought locally in a bakery then recording their results using a taste test recording sheet. Children learn how to follow a basic bread recipe, about the action of yeast and the importance of kneading bread. Using this knowledge, they adapt this recipe and add other ingredients to create their own focaccia bread product which is shaped to make it suitable to be shared. The completed product is taste tested and evaluated.
Sequence of Learning for Teachers
IDEA Task 1 – Breads from Around the World & IDEA Task 2 Investigating Breads
Focused Practical Task 1 – Baking Bread
IDEA Task 3 – What is Focaccia? & Focused Practical Task 2 – Shaping Dough
DME: Bread Designing
DME: Making Focaccia
DME: Evaluating and Packaging the Product
In this unit of work children create a simple lunch of a healthy soup and a bread roll. Children follow instructions and recipes to make a classic tomato soup and a bread roll. Children learn how bread is made and develop their skills in preparing food and kneading bread. Children consolidate their understanding of how taste testing can be used to evaluate food products and through participating in taste tests develop their own taste vocabulary. Children learn some of the key messages around healthy eating and use this information to explain how their lunchtime meal provides them with a healthy, balanced meal.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: All About Soups & IDEA Task 2: Soup Taste Test
Focused Practical Task 1 – Making Soup
IDEA Task 3: All About Bread
Focused Practical Task 2 – Making a Bread Roll
Meal Designer
Meal Maker
In this unit of work children design, make and decorate a Tote Bag to encourage people to be more eco-friendly. Children learn about different types of bags and their functions and understand that designers will often design a product that has both function and is fashionable. Children have the opportunity to develop and consolidate their sewing skills and techniques working with textiles. Each child makes an identical tote bag but in learning about graphic design will make design decisions around additional features to add to their tote bag and also about how to decorate their tote bag with a slogan and logo to promote an eco-friendly message.
This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:
IDEA Task 1: Investigating Bags & Focused Practical Task 1 – Fashion Designers and Mood Boards
IDEA Task 2: Newspaper Bag Challenge
Focused Practical Task 2 – Making a Tote Bag
Eco-Bag Designer
Adding the decoration.
Evaluation session.