On Tuesday 3 October, Years 7 and 8 had a visit from the Sea Cadets. First they listened to a talk from a marine engineer. They learned all about what it means to be an engineer and in particular a marine engineer. They were taught all about the science behind building a boat including the key words: density, buoyancy and ballast.
In groups the pupils designed and built their own boats using simple materials such as card, wire and sellotape. They took part in a competition to see who could build the boat that would hold the most marbles without sinking. The design process showed the pupils’ creativity and thinking skills and everyone worked very well in their teams.
When it came to testing the boats, there was a lot of tension in the room as everyone hoped that their boot performed the best. The winners were Nell and Chloe, whose boat (Toblerone) held 244 marble before it sank. Incredibly this was more marbles than any other school in Essex had been able to hold! Afterwards Chloe said she had fun designing and working with Nell. Both pupils said they thought their boat would fail but once a few marbles had been added , it was clear the design of their boat was good. The marbles were able to add ballast and help to stabilise the boat. Congratulations to Nell and Chloe.
