What happens when you mix dirty water with 60 eight and nine-year-olds?
This was the question faced by Education Officers from the Rochester Bridge Trust when they visited Meopham Community Academy.
Rather than the natural parental concerns of soggy, dirty uniforms and a great big mess, the reality was a period of hands-on learning, followed by the creation of some very impressive water filter systems.
Caroline Chisholm, an Education Officer from the Rochester Bridge Trust, explained: “We spent three afternoons visiting classes in Year 4, with the final day a challenge bringing all pupils together in teams.
“They really enjoyed interactive tasks, which encouraged them to think about how civil engineers help bring clean water to our homes.
“It was a pleasure to see how keen they were and how carefully the young people applied themselves to the challenge of modelling a water filtration system.”
During the visits, the children learned about the importance of cleaning water and how civil engineers design the facilities for this vital resource.
Teacher Mrs Clarke said: “We are very grateful to the Rochester Bridge Trust for visiting our school for free. The children obviously really enjoyed this fun activity and the opportunity to learn through doing.”
The winners were Team 8 from Owls Class and Team 6 from Flamingos Class.
The school has also written about the children’s experience, read their report here.
See a short video of a water engineering challenge here.