Primary school pupils in Camblesforth have built their own robots from recycled materials as part of an initiative developed by Drax to boost science, technology, engineering and maths education and skills.
Students aged between seven and 11 at Camblesforth Community Primary Academy, which is part of Ebor Academy Trust, were provided with individual activity boxes containing a range of learning materials, games and resources they needed to build their robots, the focus of which is on recycling and forms part of their school curriculum. The robots are made from recyclable materials that can be found around the house such as bottles, tin cans and cardboard and have been designed to carry out recycling tasks such as having magnetic hands to pick up metal, or built-in compartments to store paper. Students received a presentation from the Drax Community and Education team on recycling and the role everyone plays ensuring the correct waste items enter recycling schemes. The Drax team then returned at the end of April to see the results and judge the best robots. Jane Breach, Drax Community and Education Manager, said: “By providing schools with these resources we hope to help develop students’ understanding of the importance of recycling and fire up their imaginations, inspiring them to study STEM subjects by showing them the wide range of career options that are available.”
Georgia Wynn, Camblesforth Community Primary Academy teacher, said: “Creating their amazing robots really sparked the children's enthusiasm for STEM and drew their focus to the importance of recycling. Activities like these are so important as it brings the subject to life and encourages students to start thinking about careers they might enjoy in the future.” Drax has a long tradition of supporting education and helping to inspire the next generation of engineers by encouraging interest in STEM subjects.
Pupils at Camblesforth Community Primary Academy show off their robots made from recycling (18-05-07 SU)
