Wacky Windmills

Visit a variety of windmills around the world and encourage them to get their builder hats on with this 'Wacky Windmills' scheme of work for Year 1 and 2. Your class will explore different ways of making windmill bases and sails with classroom and craft materials, learning how to join materials together and make axles allowing sails to spin in the wind. They can then design, make and evaluate their own wacky windmill!

With lesson plans, informative and engaging slides, step-by-step instructions, differentiated worksheets and much more, this DT scheme of work is all you need to get your class building and testing model windmills.

You may also like our Wonderful Weather Topic Bundle! Perfect if you want a cross-curricular approach to your teaching. 

Exploring Windmills

The first lesson in this series shows children what a windmill is and the types of materials used to build them. The engaging slides in this lesson show images of real windmills and challenge your class to discuss the materials and features of each windmill.

View Lesson 1

Making Strong Bases

Get your class thinking about ways to make a windmill base with classroom and craft materials with this lesson. Encourage your children to discuss how real windmill bases are made and how to recreate this in the classroom. There is an opportunity in this lesson to have a friendly competition to see who can build the strongest base!

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Making Sails

Children will explore how to make a windmill sail in this lesson using different materials. Challenge your class to find the best material to catch the wind and make the windmill sail spin. Your class will investigate how objects move in the wind and how to recreate this in their sails.

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Designing a Model Windmill

This lesson encourages your children to get creative with coloured felts and pencils. Challenge your class to design a model windmill based on a theme. Children will see images of theme-based windmills that will inspire them to design their own.

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Constructing a Model Windmill

Have fun with your class in this lesson as they face the task of constructing their designed windmill. Can they make it? Watch your children find and solve construction problems.

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Evaluation

Children should always evaluate objects they have made so this lesson provides a fun and engaging way to discuss the design and construction process with their friends. Ask your children questions and get them thinking about changes they could make to their own windmill models.

View Lesson 6