In this activity children investigate whether a local material, straw, is the best material to use or if a different material would be better.
Description
Practical Action supports families in local communities in Bangladesh to build flood-proof homes. Severe flooding, which is likely to continue to get worse due to climate change, has repeatedly swept their homes and, in some cases, their land away.
Villagers work together to build raised plinths on which to construct their newly designed homes. Wells have also been raised to avoid contamination. New homes have jute panels for the walls which are cheap to produce and resistant to the floods. They are held in place by treated bamboo poles.
This activity focuses on the final part of the house, the roof.
Learning Objective: Children will be able to work scientifically by:
- Planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Children will learn:
- To give reasons, based on fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
These resources were initially developed in partnership with Practical Action.
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