Our Grade 4’s and 6’s collaborate annually in a Mars Rover Project. This year was even more exciting being the 10th anniversary of the project coinciding with Oakhill’s 30th birthday! The Mars Rover Project integrates Social Science, Natural Science and Technology into a combined building project where each aspect of the project is designed and completed by the children in their teams, at school. Over the last 10 years our Mars Rovers have grown from very simple designs. In the first year they were built out of recycled materials and were rolled down a ramp to see how far they could move on CD wheels and straw axels. Each year, we have added to the project making it more challenging and exciting. Last year, an inanimate doll (the driver) who was dressed in a full space suit – designed and made at school – was added to the vehicle. This year, to celebrate a decade of collaboration, the project was expanded upon even more. Each group decided on a driver and design and then had to create a space suit and design a vehicle around their Intrepid Explorer. The Rover were made from a range of materials chosen by the teams with an emphasis on using already available items. The Rovers were put the to final distance test and rolled, unassisted, down the hill of the bricked road on campus to the great celebratory cheers by enthusiastic parents and pupils!
