LI: We are learning to explore how people travel and survive in different environments by designing and building a model of Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance.
Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities (Working with Others / Problem?Solving)
LI: We are learning to work together to plan, build, and adapt a model, just like explorers who must solve problems and make decisions.
Based on what P3 have learnt about Ernest Shackleton’s remarkable Endurance expedition and how teamwork, resilience, and creative problem?solving were essential to the crew’s survival. To deepen their understanding, pupils worked in groups to design and build their own versions of the Endurance using outdoor materials.
We discussed the key features the ship needed, a long shape to cut through the ice, a strong structure to survive harsh Antarctic conditions, a deck where crew members could stand and work and a front (bow) where someone could sail the boat.
Working collaboratively, each group used tyres, planks, bricks and wooden poles to create a shared model of the ship: Deck construction: Children used planks laid across tyres and bricks to form the deck. They experimented with balance, stability, and spacing to make sure the deck was safe for their “crew.”
Life boats: Some children placed tyres along the side of their ship to act as lifeboats, just like Shackleton’s crew relied on when the Endurance became trapped in ice.
Seating areas: Tyres also doubled as seats for the “crew,” showing excellent imaginative thinking.
Fishing rods: A few groups decided that wooden poles would make perfect fishing rods, helping their imagined crew find food during their long, icy voyage.
Problem?Solving in Action One group noticed that one of the bricks they were using had a hole in it. This sparked concern that their “ship” might sink! The children discussed options, showing great reasoning and teamwork as they considered how real explorers would assess risks and protect their vessel.
After building their ships, each group imagined the fate of their journey. One group successfully landed in Antarctica, just as Shackleton hoped to do. Another group was shipwrecked, mirroring the real Endurance disaster, and cleverly decided they had made it to Elephant Island—just like Shackleton’s crew did during their dramatic escape.
