Springfield Primary School… inspiring children
CCAC works in state primary schools with Year 5 children and professional designers, many of whom have no prior teaching experience. This term, we’ve teamed up with STEM educator Bren Hellier, who has been on hand to provide expertise and support in the classroom to our fledgling teachers. How has she found the experience?
“In my house we have chosen to use solar panels to make electricity to use in the bathroom and to collect rainwater from the roof.”
That’s a quote from a year 5 student at Springfield Primary School in Sale – one of 90+ children who have been involved in the CCAC programme to imagine future homes against a backdrop of extreme climates.
In the weeks prior to my visit the Yr 5 teachers and designers from Levitt Bernstein had introduced the children to the impacts of climate change on people and the environment across the world, so when I arrived the children were engaged in a challenge to develop solutions in their local area.
I was struck by the creativity and eagerness the children showed to create designs fit for the future that genuinely address problems caused by climate extremes. As teacher Jennifer said, “Whenever CCAC was on the timetable, the children were just so inspired and motivated.”
The children had started to look at the role designers can play to transcend climate change. Namely, to make choices around the use of sustainable materials and to create safe homes and bio-diverse environments to withstand climate extremes. Some of these ideas are modelled in these inventive “maquettes”, which use humble household items to illustrate a variety of zero emissions technologies.
During my visit to Springfield Primary, I listened to groups of children enthusiastically presenting their initial ideas and modelling rooms for homes for the future. According to teacher Paula, the children loved being encouraged to think freely: “What they really liked is not having any parameters, really just being told that the sky’s the limit. Whatever idea you have, it’s not wrong. It is possible. They’ve loved that, they’ve really loved it, and I think they’ve taken it as far as they can.
I can’t help but think that if the children from Springfield Primary could use their voice today to impress upon the decision-makers the urgent need for justice and fairness for future generations, we might get more robust resolutions.