Skeleton Shapes

Skeleton shapes are made with balls of modelling clay and straws.

This shows a cube and a skeleton cube:

How many balls of modelling clay and how many straws does it take to make the cube?

Here are some piles of modelling clay balls and straws:

Look at the shapes below and decide which piles are needed to make a skeleton of each shape.

Extension: Can you make a skeleton shape out of modelling clay and straws?

What a fantastic water wheel. Well done Hollie. 

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

Follow this link and find three ‘Spot and Stripe’ videos. Watch each video and discuss the following philosophical questions with a member of your family:

Are wild animals more free than people?

Can any dog really be a ‘good dog’?

Is it ok for the government to keep an eye on what we are doing?

Make a Water Wheel  

Equipment for 1 water wheel

2x sturdy paper plates

Ruler and pencil

Plastic tub

Length of dowel longer than the width of the tub

Scissors

Sticky tape

Recycled plastic cups, pots or paper cups

Permanent marker

Stapler

Jug or watering can

Water

To Make the Water Wheel

1. Measure and mark the centre of the two paper plates.

2. Perforate the plates with a pencil at the marks.

3. Push the dowel through the two plates.

4. Staple a minimum of three cups snugly between the two plates.

5. The cups should be evenly spaced and all facing the same direction.

6. Mark one of the cups prominently with a permanent marker.

7. Balance the wheel width-ways across the tub.

Investigation

Steadily pour the water from a jug into the top cup of the water wheel and watch it begin to rotate as the water flows. Count how many rotations the wheel makes using 1 litre of water. Use the marked cup to keep track of rotations. Experiment by changing the height and speed of the flow of water. What difference does a faster flow make?

Extension

You could attempt to harness the energy from your wheel attaching a string and a small weight to the shaft to see how much weight the mechanism can lift.

Olivia, we love the way you have rewritten this scene from Varjak Paw so that it is from the point of view of the other protagonist.

Three Ball Line Up

Two children are playing with three balls, one blue, one red and one green.

They toss up the balls, which run down a slope so that they land in a row of three.

In how many different ways could the balls land?

Can you use and apply a systematic way of working to ensure that you find all the possible solutions?

If you want to explore this challenge using an interactive activity, please follow this link.

Extension: What would happen if you added a Yellow ball as well?

Would this increase or decrease the number of possible ball arrangements? Prove it!

How many more/less? Prove it!