Year 3 learn how to beat the flood

Year 3 pupils have been learning about the devastating effects flooding can have as part of their STEAM lessons. 

The children have been discovering what effects our changing climate can have for people living in some areas of the world and how certain communities live with the constant danger that their home could be flooded at any time.

Year 3 found out that those living in poverty are the worst affected and suffer most from the effects of flooding, with it being harder for such people to rebuild their lives after a flood.  However, they discoverd that if people are prepared for floods they are more likely to recover quickly. 

The children imagined they were a community living on a small island in the Indian Ocean, which has experienced a huge increase in rainfall, causing many of the island’s rivers to flood. The traditional homes made from earth floors, wooden frames and topped with corrugated iron roofs are regularly damaged or lost as they’re not designed to withstand flooding.

The children were set the challenge of how they could ‘beat the floods’ by making sure their homes were flood-proof before the next rainy season. They set about designing a home for their community which would be able to withstand the effects of flooding and then made models of their designs which could be tested. 

After researching the best materials and structures for flood-resitant homes, designing their homes and constructing the models, the children had great fun testing how flood-resistant they were. They carried out the ‘flood tests’ by standing their models in 5cm of water and squirting them with a hose for two minutes. 

The children then looked at how well their models stood up to the flood test and what they’d do differently if they did it again.