EDUCATION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ROCHESTER BRIDGE TRUST - HAND-ON EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
MORE THAN 250 PRIMARY-AGED CHILDREN HAVE BENEFITED FROM FREE HANDS-ON ENGINEERING EXPERIENCES IN THE SPRING TERM , ASSISTED BY LANGDON THE LION ; THE FRIENDLY CHARACTER WHO GUIDES CHILDREN THROUGH THE ROCHESTER BRIDGE TRUST ’ S FREE KEY STAGE 2-LEVEL EDUCATION PACKS .
Hosting learning through play workshops for children in the early years foundation stage ( EYFS ) and up to Year 2 at primary school , the Trust ’ s education team visit local schools with sessions based around 12 core lesson plans , books and website resources , to encourage youngsters to get involved with bridge building , trying out different techniques and thinking about the engineering challenges involved .
Education officer Claire Saunders explains : “ we ’ ve been fully-booked visiting education groups to run bridge building activities and inspire the next generation of engineers .
“ People are often surprised to hear that we take our workshops to such young children , but this is the time when they are shaping their interests and beginning to understand how the world works – and are still innocent to the influences of stereotyping .”
The workshop begins with an introduction , during which the children are encouraged to imagine how much harder it would be if we didn ’ t have bridges and all the different modes of transport that use them , including trains , cars , delivery vans , bicycles and pedestrians .
Children then participate in fun activities where they are encouraged to engage in open play , using the Trust ’ s personal protective equipment ( PPE ) dress up kit , construction straws and junk modelling blocks . Thinking like engineers ( and wearing the right PPE !) the children use their creativity to design a building or structure using the straws or modelling blocks – just like a real civil engineer .
The last part of the workshop focuses on reading a story and the children are encouraged to spot bridges in real life , in books and even on television – to emphasise how civil engineers really do shape the world around us . In last term ’ s workshops the story read to the children was The Three Billy Goats Gruff , which is linked with learning how the bridge helps the goats to cross the river to reach the valley filled with food .
The schools visited by the trust so far this year include : Burnt Oak Primary School , Gillingham ; Davington Primary School , Faversham ; St Margaret ’ s Infant School , Gillingham ; and St Nicholas Infant School , Strood ; as well as a Beaver Scout group from Sittingbourne .
ONE OF THE SCHOOLCHILDREN TRIES ON PPE WHILE THINKING LIKE AN ENGINEER
To register an interest for a visit to your education group , please email education @ rbt . org . uk or visit www . rochesterbridgetrust . org . uk to access free , downloadable education activities .
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