The children in 1st and 2nd class have been busy exploring the Lego WeDo 2.0 robotics kits. These kits are a fantastic and enjoyable way to develop STEM skills.
We have had a very productive year so far – a winning 3D Printing National Competition project, another National Science Award, a hugely enjoyable Sciath na Scol GAA football campaign and a beautiful First Holy Communion Sacrament. The children enjoyed pizza and cream cake to celebrate our efforts and achievements.
The children in 1st and 2nd had great fun designing and programming a car racing game using Scratch. Even though the progamming was more or less the same for each game they were all unique due to the track and car design. To make things a bit trickier they decided to add “speed boosts” at different points on their tracks. They really enjoyed trying out the different tracks they had each designed.
We are delighted to announce that Togher N.S. has won the Best Design Category in a nationwide 3D Printing Sustainability Challenge. The judging panel was from I-Form based in U.C.D. and Stryker. The school has won a €1000 voucher and children will be presented with individual vouchers in the near future. Our entry will now go forward to represent Ireland in the European Showcase. 3D Printing and CAD have been a wonderful addition to the school and has allowed Togher N.S. to further extend the technical and artistic skills that our pupils will need in the future. We hope you enjoy our winning video.
When you stretch a rubber band it stores potential energy. Specifically it stores elastic potential energy—the type of energy stored when a material is deformed. A rubber band can be attached to a simple machine—a wheel and axle—to build a simple rubber band–powered car. Experimentation and re-design allows the rubber band – powered car to go further and faster. During Mr. D’s Science Workshop the children explored and experimented with rubber band-powered cars to make their cars go further and faster. Hope you enjoy our video.