Design Technology - Rainforest Monsters (Lower Key Stage 2)

Design Brief: Design and make a rainforest monster toy that uses a pneumatic system to create movement.

Sequence of Learning for Teachers
In this unit children extend their knowledge and understanding of mechanical systems by learning about pneumatic systems. They apply this knowledge to create a rainforest monster toy with a pneumatic moving mouth. They begin by learning about how air creates movement in a pneumatic system. Using this knowledge, they create a simple pneumatic toy based on the story of the Wide Mouth Frog. They further extend their knowledge of pneumatic systems using connected syringes to understand how pneumatic systems can change the direction and amount of movement in a system. They apply this knowledge to design and make a toy based on a rainforest animal. The toy uses a pneumatic system to control the opening and closing of its mouth. They decorate their model to resemble a rainforest monster. In evaluating their product, they create a display stand that includes a cross-sectional diagram to explain how their product was made and how it works.

This knowledge, skills and understanding is delivered through the following six sessions:

1. Investigate 1: Loads of Air and Focus Task 1: The Wide Mouth Frog
2. Focus Task 2 – Making the Wide Mouth Frog
3. Investigate 2: Pneumatic Systems and Design & Make: Designing the Monster
4. Design & Make: Making the Product
5. Design & Make: Decorating the Product
6. Evaluating the Product

Some activities / sessions can be re-arranged or delivered in different ways in the learning sequence to allow for whole-class teaching and/or small adult-led sessions to take place at the same time.