Year 6 have been involved with the Change Project 2017. They have worked with a ceramist called Ammie Flexen and our particular project has focused on 'Alchemy'. This project saw us exploring the processes involved in making accidental discoveries and seeing how they can lead to measured, careful observations and experiments. Just like artists and scientists, we have a curiosity to discover ‘what if?’ and ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ and to investigate different possibilities. Exploring clay and the connections between it and metal states has made this a really exciting project – who would have thought mud could end up so colourful, translucent and beautiful?! We have investigated different properties of clay and observed and recorded how it behaves in plastic, malleable, dried and soluble form. We’ve learned about how it is changed by the effects of external influences such as air, time, forces and extreme heat, and how it can be changed by adding materials such as sawdust, leaves and paper to the mix.
We have had a brilliant time working with Ammie, learning new pottery techniques and investigating the properties of clay. The children were actively involved in discussing how clay can be investigated, thiking about questions such as-
- What will happen to the wet clay if we add water compared to dry clay?
- What will happen if we freeze clay?
- Does the weight of the clay change as it dries?
- What is the difference between porcelain and normal clay?
The sessions with Ammie were planned in order to allow us to work independently, in pairs and as a group. We learnt lots of new pottery skills and made lots of different small pots for our Alchemy table. We worked as a group to think about our final piece that will be exhibited in Batley Art Gallery and thought about how we could represent 'Alchemy' in a creative manner.
In our final session, we had different actvities set up so that we could practice all the skills we had learnt in previous sessions. In pairs, we made coil tubes with clay, we worked collaboratively to make a large textured sphere and we worked independently to make pinch pots. We had the opportunity to work on the potters wheel. It was fun mixing our own paints, thinking about the ratio of powder paint to water and using the potters wheel to create interesting patterns. We watched how we could mix the paints to create different shaded and colours and thought about whether the speed of the wheel affected the patterns.
We had a brilliant time being part of the Change project and loved working with Ammie. We can't wait to see our final piece in the art gallery.
Ammie will be running two parent-child sessions in the coming months for Year 6. We can't wait to see what amazing things will be created in those sessions!
Science Workshop
As part of the Change Project 2017, Year 6 visited Upper Batley High School to take part in three science workshops.
Workshop 1-
Science Dome
In this activity, children gathered in the Dome to look at star constellations and learnt about our Solar System. They had the opportunity to experience what it might be like in Space. They learnt key information about all the different planets and enjoyed this activity.
Workshop 2-
Egg-naut Mars Lander
In this activity, children raced against the time to make a Mars Lander but only had £100 to buy resources. The Space shop has different items such as sellotape, string, card, cellophane, cups and tissue paper on offer. Children had to spend their money wisely and work as a group to make a successful Mars Lander which would protect the egg. Once the children had made the lander, they got the opportunity to test it by dropping it from a height. We had some successfull ones and some that were not so successfull. Nevertheless, we had a brilliant time in this activity!
Workshop 3-
Empiribox- The Combustion of Iron Wool
This activity involved the children making fire! The children investigated the mass of iron wool before and after their combustion experiment. They weighed the iron wool and recorded the findings, discussing any anomolies. They then set up their experiment using wires, iron wool, a heatproof mat and a battery. They were amazed at what happened when they put the circuit together! They learnt that the iron reacted with the oxygen, creating a new substance called Iron-Oxide. This resulted in the mass increase by the end of the experiment. The children thoroughly enjoyed this activity and were completely in awe when they saw what happens when the iron reacts with the oxygen.
Year 6 had a brilliant time taking part in the science activities at Upper Batley High School. Have a look at the pictures below-
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