Ready for action?
Resources
Tangible Resources
Note paper and pen.
Human Resources
Expert (architect/ structural engineer).
Preparation
Using parental links, find an architect/civil engineer who works in fields related to playgrounds, arrange a meeting and coordinate expectations, prepare students for the meeting ensuring they have thought of questions.
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- Strengthen the bond between the school and the parents of the students.
- Get to know an architect; understand what they do during their working day and how the profession is related to STEM.
- To realise that every structure was built according to the principles of physics.
Specific messages
- An architect needs to understand Newton's laws of motion and other principles of physics in order to be able to design stable, safe, and suitable structures.
- There are very strict standards for the construction of buildings in general - and playground facilities in particular - that aim to ensure the safety of their users, even in extreme cases, such as earthquakes or falls from a height.
Main terms
- Earthquake resistance of structures
- Newton's laws of motion
- Compressive and tensile forces in buildings
- Shock-absorbing floor coverings
- Building beams and lugs
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Asking questions and defining problems
Soft skills
-Management skills
-Course of activity
step 1
Before the session, students will prepare questions relating to physics and buildings in general, or playground structures in particular.
step 2
Students will meet with an expert (architect or engineer) who will deliver a lecture about how to design buildings and playgrounds, what factors and circumstances must be taken into account to maintain user safety, and how the laws of physics serve them in their work.
step 3
Students will then ask questions.