成人论坛

Fourteen schools from around St Austell have been designing and constructing a transporter using recycled and resistant materials (items which do not break easily).

The brief was to make a vehicle which could carry an egg as far as possible, without it breaking. Students used cardboard, elastic bands, lolly sticks, wood, plastic bottles and plenty of sticky tape!

Click on the link below to hear Rachel, Laura and Kelly reporting from Eden:

Mr Gibson, the headteacher of Charlestown Primary School said:

Armed with notepads and ready to report

"We're hoping it will be a really good experience to meet with other children. We're hoping the children will learn a little bit about solving problems, that in life you come across problems and you can actually solve them within your own resources."

Pupils had just three hours to create their transporter from scratch before the judging started. Students were allowed to propell it forward just once and were not allowed to push or waft it further.

The judges were looking for distance travelled, speed, appearance, and status of the egg at the end. The overall winners were from Mount Charles County Primary school, and a vehicle designed and built by Carla, Carl, and Isaac.

"We made a basic car with a catapult, on some cardboard type things, and we had a bottle. We tried it at first, but the elastic bands were too thick, so we switched them over to thinner ones. It made a lot of difference because the thicker the elastic bands the further it spun out,听 and it wouldn't stretch so far and wouldn't have as much power to shoot the car to where we want to get it."

One of the transporters made at Eden

One student from Bugle school told us:

"We've had lots of fun. We've all enjoyed doing different bits and having a go. It was quite difficult because we needed to get it right - and its still turning a bit but its getting there."

The fourteen schools involved were: Bishop Bronescombe, Bugle, Carclaze Infants, Carclaze Juniors, Charlestown, Luxulyan, Mevagissey, Mount Charles, Penrice, Poltair, Pondhu, Sandy Hill, St. Mewan, Treverbyn.

This report was compiled for 成人论坛 News School Report. 成人论坛 Radio Cornwall presenter Naomi Kennedy took the students through their paces. They learnt off-the-cuff reporting skills as well as creativity and time management skills.

One of our reporters in action

Laura says: " It's different to TV because you don't have to worry about where the camera is and how you are standing."

Rachel added: "You learn a variety of skills like being more descriptive in your writing and radio isn't just about talking - you need sound effects as well and other techniques."

Kelly says: "I expected to feel nervous but I wasn't. It helped that my interviewees were younger than me and were more nervous."

Well done to our young reporters for writing their first piece for the 成人论坛 Cornwall website.