Bridges

 

The main component of the project is for the children to collaborate with Peter, Cathi and Tim in the design and build of a bridge. The final structure is to be built in the school playground on Saturday 21st June.

Peter, Cathi and Tim have worked very hard to introduce the children to the design process and to try and incorporate a range of the children’s design ideas in the final construction. They have gathered a diverse range of construction materials for the final build and, with the help of the children, the structural components are being assembled for the great day.

In the classroom, the children have been researching bridges from the perspective of structure, e.g. arch, suspension, beam, etc. and purpose, e.g. road, rail and foot. The children have constructed model bridges to test different structures and different materials, assessing the positive and negative gains of each variation. Additionally, the children spent a day visiting Tower Bridge and an investigative walk along the Thames. Here, they were exploring the bridge in history and within the local environment.
The children have been fascinated by this project – examining the purpose, structure and design process behind bridges. They have looked at bridges from all over the world and, more locally, across the Thames. The visit to Tower Bridge had a huge impact on them, as they were able to apply their knowledge to a structure which is surprisingly complex. The children were surprised to learn that the bridge incorporates three different types of bridge structure in the one river crossing: suspension, girder and bascule structures are all present and we crossed them all. Do ask a member of Mogg's Group to explain a 'bascule'.

The classroom has been a place for experimentation. At first the children attempted to make a bridge from newspaper which would bridge a 44cm gap between two tables. The bridge had to be able to hold a 200g weight without deforming. The children were not allowed to use scissors and could only fasten the newspaper together using masking tape. Their temporary structures employed a variety of ingenuity to make a very flexible and ‘weak’ material strong enough to support its own weight as well as the test objects.

Having researched the finer points of bridge design, the children successfully designed and built small-scale wooden models. These were constructed using modelling wood, hacksaws and glue-guns for fastening. The children really enjoyed using these materials, but also enthusiastically engaged in working from one-to-one scale design drawings to solve design problems before they caused difficulties in the final structure. Their bridges are on display in Middle School if you would like to come and have a look.

Cathi, Peter and Tim have made several visits to Mogg’s Group to discuss the progress of the playground bridge. On their most recent visit, the children helped test one of the bridge components for structural integrity. Everyone is thoroughly enjoying the process, swapping ideas through drawing and discussion, testing solutions through debate and experimentation. As soon as we have images of the construction day, Saturday 21st June – watch this space!