Year 2 students have been hard at work this year on a unique STEaM project combining coding technology and LEGO to design household reusable water systems.
Armed with We Do 2.0 technology and the We Do app, as well as purpose-built LEGO kits, students paired up to plan, design, research and create their ideas.
Junior School STEaM Co-ordinator, Jesse Ussi, said the project focused on “problem-solving and creative thinking”.
“The project aimed to teach students about sustainability and how to save water,” he said.
“The students have worked through a research booklet that outlines the whole engineering design process. We use that process from Kindergarten all the way to Year 6 to find solutions to real-world problems.
“Our girls research and find out what the problem is, then they decide on their solutions, make it and share it.”
Year 2 teacher Anthea Kelly said students learned all about the water cycle and water as a resource.
“Students went around the School and looked at how water was used, and they had a tally chart to calculate water usage,” she said.
“They looked at salination plants, ground water, grey water, aquifers and dams.
“Students learned how water is important to life and the fact that fresh water is so scarce, so they have to be responsible users of water.”
Year 2 students hard at work 
Year 2 students hard at work 
Year 2 students hard at work 
Year 2 students hard at work
Year 2 student Stella said she had to overcome a number of challenges before she was successful at pumping reused water onto her LEGO garden.
“Well we couldn’t use real water because it would interfere with the electronics,” she said.
“The water was pumping the wrong way around but, after a while, I got it working again.
“I’m using a little wheel to push the water and then you have to wait a little while for it to come out and there is some storage.”
Emily and Felicia, who teamed up to make their recycled water system, said they had learnt some important lessons along the way.
“We’re turning the house’s dirty water into clean water and then it becomes a swimming pool and any people can go in the swimming pool for free,” they said.
“It wasn’t hard to make but we did argue a little bit at the start but now we just help each other.
“We don’t argue anymore. We have to work as a team.”