Our year 5 and 6 pupils are currently working through a DT project about designing and making a model vehicle. Previously, they have created a chasis from balsa wood, straws and wooden wheels, and decorated the vehicle "as is". This year though, the staff have been creative, and decide to create a design using a digital designing process along with the analogue building process.
To begin the topic, the children drew some conceptual designs on paper (some of these were truly conceptual!) as you can see in the image below. These designs were discussed, modified and adapted to suit the purpose of their brief.
Following the initial design stage, many of the children then began to use Online Tools from 2Simple that we have on our LP), and designed a vehicle in the 2Design and Make application within Online Tools. They were able to view the shape of the vehicle from all sides as they worked on their design, thanks to the rotating 3D image of the vehicle on screen. Once they were happy with the shape of their vehicle they enlarged the "net" of it, and could then begin to colour it - creating in many cases some unique paint jobs.
Once the bodywork for their vehicle had been completed, they were able to then concentrate on the chasis side of their vehicle, and with adult help they measured and cut their balsa wood floors, fixed on their axles (paper straws), and then attached their wheels.
With both the chassis and body now completed they could join the two elements together to complete their car design.
There were a few issues that were noticed though - hardly suprising for the first time that they had combined the computer designed model with their traditional chassis - and the main problem was what to do with the wheels. Should the wheels on the body be removed, to let the body sit snug on the chassis (although by folding the wheels in, they became great tabs to fix the body to the chassis), or should the chassis width have been created narrower so that the large wooden wheels could be hidden inside the body once fitted?
Decisions, decisions, although as you can see from the final design - resting the body flat on the chassis does work quite well.
