Arts

Let's have a look at DT!

Here are some ideas for the children to do at home, which are linked to their current learning and development of DT skills.

Nursery

In Nursery the children's central idea is: 'We all have a role to play in our community'. As part of this unit of inquiry the children will be learning about different cultures. To link this to DT, the children could create something from recycled materials to demonstrate their understanding of the cultures within our community! Can they make something for their community, like a church or a post box?

Reception

In Reception the children's central idea for this term is: 'Celebrations are important'. As part of their learning in this module, the children will be learning about different celebrations from different cultures. They will be exploring Diwali and Christmas. Could the children make something to help people celebrate? This would help the children to explore their cutting and joining skills.

Year 1

In Year 1, the children's central idea is: 'Communities in the UK are linked in different ways'. As part of this the children have been reading 'Katie in London' and 'Katie in Scotland' to explore different places in UK. Can the children use different materials to create the landmarks they have been exploring in their lessons? They could draw a design first, labelling the materials they will need and then use their design to create their model.

Year 2

In Year 2, the children's central idea is: ' Communities may have different requirements to be successful'. As part of their learning they will be considering the features of different places and what the living things may need to live there. To link this to DT, the children could consider their favourite animal and make a 'shoe box habitat' for this animal. Can they use different joining materials? Can they fold and roll materials for their habitat?

Year 3

In Year 3, the children's central idea this module is: 'People impact ecosystems'. They will be linking this learning to the Stone Age. As a DT project the children could make a model of a Stone Age house or tool that they have learned about. To support them in making this, they could create a step-by-step plan so that a friend could make it too! This will help them develop their ability to use a range of materials and choose what is appropriate for their purpose.

Year 4

In Year 4, the children's central idea is: 'Beliefs and values can be expressed in different ways'. As part of their learning the children will be exploring the art and culture of Ancient Greece. As part of their learning, the children could create a Greek temple. This would require them to carefully measure their materials and consider how to make their product strong - what methods and materials have they used to achieve this?

Year 5

In Year 5, the children's central idea is: 'The Earth is a part of a vast and complex universe, much of which is still unknown'. They will be learning about the planets throughout this module. At home, they could create a 'moon buggy'. They will need to use accurate measurements to avoid a wonky vehicle and consider if their buggy would be able to move on a different terrain. Pupils will also have to think about the appearance of their product, how they will make it look attractive and smart to match current technology?

Once pupils have created their product, they will evaluate it:

  • what went well?

  • what could be even better?

  • did they prioritise appearance or function?

Year 6

In Year 6, the children's central idea is: 'The development of trade impacts civilisations'. They will be exploring South America and looking at the achievements of the earliest civilisations, like the Inca civilisation. The children could create a model of Machu Picchu. To do this the children will have to research what this looks like and how it was made. Next they would have to make a design to support them in their creating, this would include what materials they would be making it with, joining materials, equipment and potentially measurements. They will need to use their materials and tools accurately to create an accurate model.