Geometry, Green Energy and Building a Model Car of the Future

Senior STEM Camp for Years 3 to 11

11-15 July 2022: Face to Face at Francis Holland School, Sloane Square 

39 Graham Terrace, SW1W 8JF

 
 
 

In this topical and practical camp participants will discover how we can harness the wind to produce energy and use energy to produce wind! We will also be building a car of the future - one powered by wind for younger campers and one wifi remote controlled for older children - both to be taken home. 

All our camps are underpinned by the study and understanding of Maths and Programming. In Maths we’ll be looking at the world of geometry and the various branches of Maths it relates to. In programming, whether your child is already a confident coder or just starting out, we will create the most appropriate small study group for them, based on their age and experience.

Each day of the camp is designed to educate, enlighten and entertain. Studying around the subjects of Geometry, Green Energy and Building a Model Car of the Future, children regularly change classroom, teacher and subject during the day. Participants also benefit from a pupil to teacher ratio of six to one with each group of participants being taught in their own separate classroom to maximise the learning opportunity.

In Robotics, Electronics and Programming younger pupils will be working on a project to create a ‘Wind Powered Car’. When cars were first invented there were numerous ideas about how they should be powered: petrol, electricity and steam cars were developed. Today the search for alternative power sources for vehicles is as strong as ever. Young campers will develop a Propeller Car and will study the physical principles of propeller driven machines, including hovercraft. Campers will learn about forces, frictions and basic aerodynamics. Pupils will have hands-on experience of circuit construction, safety in electronics and the mechanical assembly of their working model. They will then test their cars in various physical environments before taking their Propeller Car home at the end of the camp!

Older pupils will build a model car that has WiFi remote control operated from a laptop computer. The hardware used to power the car is relatively serious for a model as it includes an ESP8266 chip, two DC motors and a motor driver. To control the car, camp participants will be learning how to code in the Processing programming language (Java based) to develop software that manages the remote control features. 

In Maths we will explore the world of Geometry and the areas of maths it relates to. By year groups, participants will study:

Years 3-5 

Pupils will learn about different kinds of symmetry, the properties of symmetrical shapes and the uses of symmetry in games, with children drawing their own tessellations.

Years 6-8 

Studying with the dynamic geometry software GeoGebra, pupils will create gothic windows and other beautiful designs, in order to understand the symmetries in games and geometry. Children will learn the properties of quadrilaterals, drawing an animated kite and designing their own tessellations.

Year 9-10 

Join a journey in science through time, go back thousands of years, open the book of Euclid and redraw and animate his figures using the dynamic geometry software GeoGebra. We will prove famous theorems and apply these to reveal the secrets of complex figures.

Year 11-12 

What is the heart-shape curve you can see in a teacup? How can an elliptical prison-yard help to find hidden treasure? Pupils will learn the dynamic geometry software GeoGebra so they can draw curves, animate motions and find their Cartesian and polar equations. We will also work out the properties of famous curves by using algebra and calculus. By bringing curves alive, we will turn Sixth form Maths into fun!

 
 

Format and fees for the senior face to face camp:

  • pupil to teacher ratio of 6:1
  • participants are taught in small groups, tailored by similarity of age and ability, in individual classrooms
  • camp times: 10am to 3pm
  • or from 9am for an extra hour of problem solving and/or from 3pm to 4pm with our chess class. There is a supplement of £25 for each additional session booked
  • fees are £595 for five days. It is not possible to join for a shorter period 
Places are limited, please register your interest HERE.