Speaking of the Week, Liz Martin, Head Teacher at Meadowdale said: “Every year we mark STEM Week in school, but this year we decided to go one step further and turn it into a fortnight of activities for the children. We had a visit from DTC Construction with their digger for our Foundation and Year 1 children, Davidsons Homes ran a competition for our Year 5 and 6 children, getting them to think about how a housing development is planned and the amenities needed for the home owners. While our brilliant neighbours from TGW Logistics Group returned to run three workshops with our Year 3, 4 and 5 children, looking at how to build structures that can withstand an earthquake. They used K’nex sets in groups, followed a brief and created some amazing buildings.
“At Meadowdale we believe in ensuring our children can see the direct link between what they learn in the classroom and the world they live in. STEM subjects can often seem daunting when first introduced, but once the children can see that everything they interact with has been designed, engineered or used science and maths to create it, their understanding blossoms and their excitement for these subjects increases immensely. The workshops were great fun and every child engaged in the sessions through the hands-on fun. Thank you to all the local business for their support, it really does mean a lot to us and our pupils.”
The school has celebrated STEM Week in different ways over the past couple if years and looks forward to developing its relationship with local business moving forwards. If any business would like to offer a workshop or assembly to spark the children’s imagination and curiosity in any subject, they’d be delighted to hear from you.
Becki Davis of TGW Logistics Group said, “Supporting the Meadowdale pupils with their STEM activities is always so much fun. Seeing them working together as a team, creating a plan and executing their build with enthusiasm and perseverance is tremendous to watch. Looking around the workshops, we could see how talented the children were and how some will make brilliant engineers in the future. We have been working with Meadowdale for several years now and we can’t wait to return again soon.”