Year 4: How does the invention design process shape our world?

This term, Year 4 have been exploring their big question: How does the invention design process shape our world? Through Design and Technology, the children learned that successful inventions begin with identifying a problem and following a clear design process – researching, planning, creating, testing, and improving.Our learning was brought to life during an exciting visit to the Science Museum. Pupils explored interactive exhibits and real-world inventions, seeing first-hand how designers and engineers use creativity and innovation to solve everyday problems. The trip inspired thoughtful discussions about how modern technology has evolved and how design choices can make products safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.Building on this inspiration, the children took part in a High Stakes Project where they became inventors themselves. The children identified real-life problems and designed new products to solve them. They created design briefs, sketched ideas and came up with a presentation speech to sell their new product. The project culminated in a brilliant “Dragon’s Den”- style event. The children confidently pitched their invention, explained how it worked, and justified their design choices to a panel of ‘dragons’. Their creativity, confidence, and determination were fantastic to see, and we are incredibly proud of the innovative thinking Year 4 have shown throughout this project.