A STEAMy Endeavour: Castelli students’ quest to build a foundry

At Castelli International School we know that students learn best when they do.
Castelli’s creative team of teachers are always pro-actively collaborating and finding ways for the students to learn while doing.

During hands-on projects students are allowed to be part of a learning experience, taking risks but doing “real” jobs that lead to tangible outcomes. The successful end result fills them with pride and joy that they actually managed, in this case, to build a foundry.
Inevitably, hands-on projects are also perfect cross-curricular activities. The recent science and technology project on metals, linked science and mathematics to history by learning how primitive foundries were made. Before Covid-19 our 5th graders spent a night in an archaeological Etruscan village where they observed how bronze was made by melting copper and tin in an open foundry. By the time they got to 7th grade, they decided to make their own miniature foundry.
"We tried to attach a handle to the crucible, it was very difficult. But with determination, a hammer, a saw and a screwdriver we succeeded!"
Nicholas
Student, Grade 7

How did the students make the foundry?

They found an old metal bucket, which they sanded down. They then inserted a plastic plant pot into the middle of the bucket. They then mixed the plaster of paris and sand with water and poured it between the bucket and the plastic plant pot to divide the center from the sides. As the mixture hardened, they all took turns dislodging the plastic pot from the hardened cement.

"As a teacher it's great to see such independence and enthusiasm in a class. The biggest take-home message is that they feel enabled to carry out any STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths) project!"
Ms. Orietta
Science Teacher

A discarded fire extinguisher was cut in half to make a crucible. A hair dryer turned the oven into a blast furnace. Melted tin cans in the crucible were poured into the molds they made in art class.

Through teamwork, collaboration and a lot of innovation the students managed to produce aluminum hearts and shells and to create an amusing limerick in their English lesson describing their adventure.

This project was a very successful cross-curricular, hands-on learning experience for all involved.