Our whole school theme, Their Past Our Future was explored through the technologies and innovations that took place during the time of war. Through the whole school project we aimed to bring together Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths (STEAM)

Year 3 looked at medicine and microbiology. They found out all about the development of medicine, especially the innovations that dealt with the casualties and the injuries of the First World War. Year 4 learnt about the developments of sound and communication, from early Morse code right up to modern day tweeting. Their very own Morse code machine, created through computer coding, featured at the exhibit. Year 5 took a close look at flight innovation and at those who influenced these amazing developments and the technology behind it. Year 6 looked at improvements that have been made in prosthetics since WW1. They also looked to the future and the creation of the ‘superhuman’.

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‘Magnifique’,  ‘Fabuloso’,  ‘Inspirational’,  ‘Sick’

Just some of the many shouts that could be heard at the STEAM exhibition on Friday afternoon. The upstairs hall? It can’t be!

Following last year’s successful STEAMspeare exhibition, this year’s Engineering our Future exhibition was again a fusion of cardboard and fluorescent tape (à la Jack Cornell), entwined with the amazing, creative work by pupils and staff alike.

Immediately after stepping into the exhibition, you were pulled along by the psychedelic display of microbe art dangling from every point. After having been checked for germs and advised about cleanliness, you were then guided by hypnotic iPad screens, showing off the year 3 microbe dance. It is amazing what you can do with a goPro and a green screen!

Turning to the left you walked into the triage of trenches where medics ably wrapped wounded visitors with bandages and gave overwhelmed viewers a jab to calm them down. Exit right form the trench, mesmerised by the pulsating music, and you walked into the 3d printing area which led into a catacomb of galleries.

With the huge microbe costume display as the centre point, a musical sound barrage of microbe trance music, installed by Mr C’s whole school collective, added to the mystique of this incredible ‘show’.

First left again and you were welcomed by the white coat brigade into the prosthetic limb section and the drawing lab. They eagerly informed you about their research into the development of prosthetics since WW1. Looking to the future, they considered what kind of prosthetics could be made available for creating superhumans and designed and developed different types of prosthetics for a range of different purposes. Their working prototypes were displayed and explained.

Like stepping out of a tardis, the next section was a mix of grandma’s 1914 living room crossed with a NASA Space lab.

To the left there were secret messages written in Morse code and authentic artefacts to explore. All of the children’s hard work was there for all to see; their detailed information texts and photos of their dance performances brought communication to life, and their understanding of science allowed them to build their own Morse Code machines. Travelling through time, back to 2015, using their computing knowledge and D&T skills, the children also built and coded Raspberry Pi Morse Code  machines.

Dit dit dit  dah dah dah  dit dit dit!!!

Passing by the Star-Trekky SOLE learning board into the final section of the exhibition, you could feel huge gusts of wind coming from what looked like an aircraft hangar.

Inspired by Wilbur and Orville Wright, visitors to the hangar were given the opportunity to design and create their own paper airplanes. The year 5 scientists were able to talk about their own flight experiments and how their knowledge of forces helped them to design paper planes. The visitors to the flight lab, who were incredibly impressed with the children’s knowledge about aviation during WW1, enjoyed designing their own WW1 aircraft with the help of expert advisors.

What a journey!

Many thanks to Emma Sampson (Science Lead) for her great enthusiasm and Jack Cornell (artist in residence) for his motivation and inspiration.

Can it be bettered? He reckons yes.

In the words of Roberto Martinez…it was phenomenal.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/123536960

How on earth do you marry the literary and artistic brilliance of Shakespeare and Science in an exhibition?

The short answer, in the exciting exhibition mounted by Torriano Junior School, is to choose an appropriate name, focus on Shakespeare’s world, both real and imagined, add a few ipads and there you have it…Steamspeare!

This is an exhibition that takes us on a journey from 1614 Stratford upon Avon to 2014 Kentish Town Camden. It puts his plays into context in a number of fascinating ways.

The exhibition begins downstairs with year 4s Shakespearean soundscapes which accompany an audio-tour.

The sounds echo around this exhibition, and moving upstairs you have the feeling that you have stepped into the wrong room as you are greeted by the eerie lights that spectacularly light up the top hall.

You can’t have a Shakespeare exhibition without living language; and here you get what are called “digital” characters. Year 5 have been working with Jack the artist to create sculptures inspired by their study of Macbeth. They used some alternative types of material. It’s amazing what you can create with some tape and wire. Using ipads as faces the characters talk to each other to recreate magical scenes.

On a glowing white screen in the middle of a hall, appear the shadows of familiar characters. Year 3 created shadow puppets and used their silhouette creations to tell a part of Shakespeare’s story from their biographies. They experimented with different torches, coloured films and motors to create different effects for the performance.

Finally, in the corner of the hall is a darkened room. Step inside and you arrive in a Midsummer Night’s Dream of kaleidoscopic lanterns and vibrating games created by an extremely busy year 6.

One word.

WOW!

As you step into school bright and early tomorrow, cast your eyes towards the left. What was known as ‘the pitch’ has been transformed into a mini Emirates. It took two men five days to lay 9 tonnes of sand and 11 tonnes of rubber. Maths questions to follow!

The pitch is 3G artificial turf. Artificial 3G sports surfaces have been used to hold UEFA Champions League games, and FIFA promotes the use of synthetic football surfaces and pitches. I know the staff can’t wait to play on it. What about you?

Thank you to Arsenal Football Club for their generous contribution to this project.

Yet again, an eggs-ellent eggs-ample of the eggs-traordinary, creative ability of our children and families, was shared at the 2013 Eggs-hibition. Crowds scrambled up to the top hall to get a ‘peak’ at the many egg-trees. The eggs-hibits ranged from eggs-otic to the eggs-traterrestial and of course eggs-perimental; in keeping with our Invention and Discovery Theme. There were many Lor-eggs in there too! The Torriano folk really egg-celled themselves this year, with an eggs-plosive final, egg – cluding; ‘Where the Wild Eggs Are’, ‘An Eggs -tract from Gulliver’s Travels’, ‘The Lor-egg’, ‘Egg-ssembly’, ‘How To Catch a Dragon Egg’, ‘Egg-quarium’, ‘Can an Egg Carry a Book?’ and the very topical ‘Let’s Scramble Together to Beat Homelessness’. There were many more brilliant eggs-hibits. Much fun was had by all!

That’s all yolks!

If you had ventured into the hall at 3.30 Today, Wednesday 27th March, you would have been forgiven for thinking that you had been transported to the Science Museum itself.  However, in our exhibition, every object on display was designed and created by pupils from across the school.

Each year group asked big questions and worked to create solutions through invention or discovery.

Year 3 and 4 worked together investigating how we can use sustainable light in our playground.  Their combined efforts created two incredible models of the school and its surrounds complete with a range of solar powered lighting.

Year 5 explored ways to provide all children around the world with clean water.  They used their extensive knowledge of filtration to create an array of colourful and instructive water filter prototypes.

Year 6 developed solutions for the local problems we see around us.  Their inventions ranged from a computer game to reduce dog mess to a homeless shelter, a living wall complete with working model to a graffiti wall with solar powered lighting system.

On 6th March, the brilliant mathematical brains of Torriano were beavering away for World Maths Day. The day was a fantastic opportunity for all of the children to compete with others around the world in a mental maths competition.

Some of the adults also had a go in front of the whole school; Miss Williams and Mr Price showed that practice makes perfect!

In our classrooms we had some problem solving activities to complete with the children working brilliantly together in teams.

There’s one thing for sure at Torriano: WE ARE ALL MATHEMATICIANS!