Should your creature be fierce or friendly?
The big task is for children working in groups to design and make a statue of a creature that will welcome visitors to the classroom during the day or act as a guardian "after school" and deter intruders. It has to be large enough to create an immediate impression, stable so that it doesn't fall over, stiff so that it keeps its shape, strong so that it doesn't break easily, durable so that it lasts a long time, made from readily available and inexpensive materials, and impressive through quality of construction and finish.
These are reports on activities taken by schools around the country. You can download the activities as acrobat files from the resources section
Fridge magnets are OK but skillies pose problems (September 11, 2007)
In an in-service sessions teachers have tried out the primary solutions units 'What should be stuck on your fridge?' and 'Is your creature fierce or friendly?' Their verdict, 'The difference in the demand of these two units really shows progression in D&T'.