In DT, Year 4 have been learning about simple machines including levers, inclined planes, pulleys, wedges, wheel and axles and screws. We learned that they make a load easier to move and that they can be combined to make compound machines. We looked at various photographs of machines to see if we could identify which simple machines were being used. 

Next, we conducted a practical exploration of simple machine in the classroom. We pushed a heavy box of books along different surfaces and the children recalled that rough surfaces create friction, which makes the load harder to move. Then we put the box of books into a box with wheels and experienced how much easier it was to move. We combined the box on wheels with an inclined plane to explore how we could raise a heavy load to a higher level with less effort.

After that we explored using a lever to lift a bucket of rocks. The children agreed that the further from the fulcrum, we applied the force, the easier it was to lift the rocks. We also tried lifting the rocks with a pulley. We related this learning to Year 4's new topic of Ancient Egypt; considering how the tombs and other structures that the ancient Egyptians constructed out of heavy stone would have been constructed with these simple machines.