QPHS magazine - Spring Term 2025 - Magazine - Page 4
FUTURE ENGINEERS
Designing an interactive educational toy
In February, six Year 8 students
were selected to take part in the
Faraday Challenge, an exciting
national STEM competition run by
the Institution of Engineering and
Technology (IET). Held as a oneday challenge event, students
were tasked with solving realworld engineering problems
through teamwork, innovation,
and hands-on design. They were
joined by students from five other
schools across Cheshire and the
surrounding areas.
Their challenge was to design
either an educational toy that
would enhance learning for
children or an innovative device
aimed at assisting individuals with
disabilities. This brief encouraged
students to think critically,
problem-solve, and apply their
creativity to develop practical and
meaningful solutions.
Team QPHS rose to the
challenge and developed an
I really liked that there was a
makeshift shop for us to use, because it
meant that we had to be creative to
design our prototype within a set budget.
Year 8 student
engaging and interactive
educational toy designed
specifically for young children.
This innovative toy aimed to
enhance cognitive development
by helping children recognise and
match different shapes. The toy
featured a variety of colourful
shapes, each uniquely designed
to fit into corresponding slots.
When a child placed the correct
shape into its designated slot,
the toy would light up, providing
immediate positive reinforcement.
This interactive element not only
made learning fun but also
encouraged problem-solving
skills, hand-eye coordination,
and shape recognition, combining
education with entertainment.
Students then brought their
designs to life using various
electrical components, such as
LEDs, solar motors and lightdependent resistors. Additionally,
they tracked their expenses to
ensure they stayed within budget.
Each group showcased their
prototype to the judges,
explaining its functionality and
how it fulfilled the project
requirements. Additionally,
students outlined any challenges
they encountered during the task
and the solutions they
implemented to overcome them.
Congratulations to all six
students, Aphrodite A, Emily C,
Olivia H, Olivia J, Cerys R and
Eleanor S who were awarded a
certificate of commendation from
the institute of Engineering and
Technology for taking part in the
Challenge Day.
I am so proud of our students.
Their presentation was so strong
that the judges couldn’t think of a
question to ask them because
the team had covered all
bases in their work.
Miss Gleave, Teacher of Science
