Our Workshops.

Workshop 3- January 23rd 2019.

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During workshop 3 the children took apart more complex electrical equipment to use for decorating their robots. They had gained further experience using screw drivers and other tools and were more confident. 

After collecting a wide variety of items that they liked and had ideas for they redesigned their initial design to incorporate the new equipment found. 

  

Redesigning their original ideas.

          

     
















In the afternoon we went outside to practice our Animal orchestra we did a great deal of work modifying our conducting and experimented with dual conductors. 

We also conducted a survey based on our speaking and listening skills and what we thought about being creative. We had a great deal of discussion about language and how we talk to people in different situations. 

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Workshop 2- January 16th 2019

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During workshop 2 the children used a soldering iron and soldered their voice changers. They added a speaker to amplify their voices and then had a practise using them.

Taking toys apart.

Using a soldering iron to attach a larger speaker.

Disconnecting wires to the original speakers in the voice changer.

Deconstructing toys.

 

 

 

They also started to investigate the electrical equipment and a variety of toys by taking them apart. This was really a great way to see how things worked, what components were inside and how to use basic tools such as screw drivers and pliers- a completely new experience for most of them.

In the afternoon we worked outside using our voice in many ways, through games, as an ensemble and directed by a conductor. We discussed formal and informal language and where you would use it. We warmed up our vocal chords and thought about how we actually speak and listen to others. 

At the end of the day the children were given opportunity to discuss their day. 

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Workshop 1- January 9th 2019
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Activity 1

Introduction of the 'Spinny Microphone.' Every workshop will open with an opportunity for speaking and listening. There will be a topic open for discussion. The aim of this activity is to encourage everyone to speak and develop skills in using a microphone and listening, taking turns to talk and feeding back appropriately.

Activity 2

The children were given voice changers. They were asked to open them, place batteries inside and figure out how to operate them. As you can see from the video they had great fun speaking through them but they only managed to think of very basic things to say such as 'hello' or 'goodbye.' The voice changers will become a component of the robots they make.

Activity 3

The children were given a toy dog and as you can see they were delighted with it. They were asked to deconstruct the toy ready for modification. This was a delicate operation that required collaborative working and care. The components of the toy will be used for their own robots so they had to ensure that they didn't break anything.

Activity 5.

Paul took us outside to investigate using our voices. We plan on investigating how we can use our voice and to record the audio to accompany the work we are doing to develop our speaking and listening. We have started off mimicking animal noises. The children were a little apprehensive at first as you can see. Later Paul demonstrated how to use a soldering iron because we will be using it during workshop 2. The children also gave an account of how they thought the day went and how they felt being involved in the project.