Home Page

Useful Websites:
English
Maths
I.C.T.
Science
R.E.
History
Geography
Design/Technology
Art
Music
P.E.
Dictionaries and
Encyclopedias
Website of the Week
Local Websites

Other Lower Park Pages:
Classwork
Fun Stuff
Music
Parent Pages
School Trips
Shows
Sport News
Surfing Tips

Design & Technology

The main aim of the subject is to develop the skills of problem solving, imaginative and creative thinking, and produce system design. As such it allows pupils to draw upon and enhance their experience from other areas of the Curriculum. At Lower Park School, we undertake a major project each year with a local business. This project involves all pupils and generally takes 3 to 4 days to complete. In 1997 and 2000 the school worked with Smurfit UK, and in 1998 with British Aerospace.

Whatever you are studying in Design and Technology there maybe something useful for you to look at on the web. Here is a list of useful sites which may help with your DT work.

If you come across other good DT sites e-mail them to your Lower Park Web Editors saying why you think they are 'cool'.

Screwing

20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes

A simple site that nearly all Key Stage 2 pupils will be able to access independently. It gives the instructions (and encouragement) needed to get the whole of your class kite-flying within 20 minutes. Children can follow the instuctions step-by-step. Once they have the basic design under their belts they can make modifications using the rest of the site's photos of kite variations as a starting point. Much of the designing and making curriculum can be covered along with some English work based around instruction writing. All you can't plan for is the wind!

D&T Online

This site promotes itself as 'A different kind of website'. Maybe not, but it uses text, pictures and animations to provide useful information on various design and technology topics such as packaging, electronics, food, pneumatics and mechanisms. Key Stage 2 pupils will find this easy to navigate and very informative.

Exploratorium: ExploraNet

This site provides access to, and information about, science, nature, art and technology, based around the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco. A visually-stimulating site, it makes good use of virtual video clips, and shows how education can be improved using modern technology. In particular, the pages on the 'Science of Cycling' - gears, mechanisms and the like - are worth visiting. A generally very useful site for students and teachers.

Fascinating Folds

This well presented site can be used at two levels in your classroom. Firstly, use it as a design and technology activity with children learning origami folds and following a set of instructions to create an end product. Secondly, children can use the instructional text as part of an English activity - the language style can be investigated and new instructions written for a simple paper-folding pattern. These instructions can then be followed by the children in another class - what are the results? Could the instructions be improved upon?

Kids & Co. - Fun Activities

It is a well-known phenomenon that children will eat anything, no matter how healthy, if they helped to prepare it. The 'fun food' recipes in the Things to Cook section are designed to provide balanced nutrition for children, with suggestions for ways to involve them safely in cooking. Meals include 'undercover veggies' disguised as mash, and 'fruity faces'. Alternatively, Things to Make shows ways to keep a toddler quiet using eggboxes and pasta. Primary and nursery teachers may find ideas here.

Kitchen Fun For Kids

Mix a large portion of easy recipes with a sprinkling of cartoons and a big spoon of fun. Throw in some simple nutrition facts and stir it all together to make a site just to the taste of 7-12 year olds who want to get busy in the kitchen and learn about healthy eating.

Legends & Lore

'Puppets are gentle, non-threatening friends that can do goofy things.' says this website. They also make great D&T projects with children and there are instructions here for making different types of puppet, putting on puppet plays, plus characterisation advice and ideas for using puppets to teach other subjects. Colouring pages, poetry and how to make your own art materials also feature on this fun-loving site.

Mechanical Toys Page

The Mechanical Toys Page is devoted to all toys that are powered mechanically or that are kinetic. Rubber bands, springs, flywheels, candles and gravity power the toys which range from camphor boats to rubber-band guns. This site will enhance many topics but is especially useful for science and technology work.

National Geographic

Many of the constantly changing feature articles in this 'National Geographic' magazine site are orientated towards design and technology, with very good graphic and virtual video sequences. The site is child-user-friendly, with links into cyberspace, and contains a great deal of interactive material, references and information. Worth checking out before any major project, and teachers will also find it useful for research into geography and science topics too.

Sundials on the Internet

These pages provide a gateway to the expanse of sundial information on the Net. They contain all the background information you need to begin constructing your own sundials. A number of simple projects are included to get you started, all with excellent diagrams and clear instructions. The site has many links to other sources of sundial information on the Net, including pictures of existing dials and computer programs for generating sundials.

Wonka

Meet Willie Wonka and the Oompa Loompas in this exciting and colourful site. The interactive games are both fun and educational with varied levels, and can be played online with Shockwave or downloaded. Topics include science, technology and animals. Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils studying Roald Dahl's stories will enjoy this either in the classroom or at home.