Year 5 Einstein – Squashed Tomato Challenge

This term we have been looking at simple machines in the form of levers, pulleys and gears. To help us develop our understanding further we have been able to apply this knowledge to formulate possible solutions for a real-life issue experienced by tomato farmers in Nepal.

Nepal is an incredibly mountainous region, containing 8 of the 10 highest mountain peaks in the world. As a result, Nepalese farmers face some rather challenging farming conditions. As a class, we discussed the difficulties faced by the farmers in Nepal and how it would affect their lives. In particular, we discussed how they would transport their produce to market, many miles away and the dangers they would endure.  After careful planning and designing, we were able to make and test our machines. Working in groups, we demonstrated fantastic team work, evaluating and solving any problems we encountered. Many of us had to modify our designs to make them successful. Here.is a sway of photos and a few video clips – Tomato challenge Sway