Two students taking A-Level design and technology at Doha College created a project that successfully linked its Primary and Secondary schools, promoted the eco-friendly ethos of the college, and assisted the Enhanced Curriculum Activities in a cross-campus venture.

As part of their design and technology A-Level examination, students Dyllan Briggs and Pauline Mabulay created an interactive watering station then gave their invention as a ‘gift’ to the Primary School so that their younger peers could use the product on campus. The students were thrilled to see their project in action and being used by younger students for the first time.

Dyllan described the project, emphasising that it was designed for primary aged children.

The water is stored in a trough with a platform over the top so smaller children can stand on it. Water can be pumped to the top of the station, where it comes out from self-designed 3D-printed waterspouts. The metal mesh allows children to move the pipes around as they wish so that they can follow the waterflow.  According to Dyllan, this makes it more enjoyable, as the station can be different each time. The clips that allow the repositioning of pipes were also self-designed and 3D-printed.

 

Pauline meanwhile, explained why they chose to create a multi-purpose project. She said that the idea was to give the primary students the ability to plant various types of vegetables or flowers in deep soil. There’s a step enabling younger students to access the soil easily, and there is a built-in storage space for them to keep gardening equipment like compost, gloves and trowels.

The students can use chalk to write on the sides. They can write the time when they watered the plants, the names of who’s in charge of each plant, or decorate it as they wish. The octagon shape was not just interesting to design, but offers the teacher a space to show or demonstrate a topic,  a focal point during class.’

Apart from serving all these functions, Dyllan and Pauline’s project fulfils another, nobler purpose: getting very young children interested in plants, gardens, and the ecosystem,  in a real-life, hands-on manner that makes learning more interesting. The project also links fittingly with the school’s focus on environmental issues. Doha College is the first in Qatar to have been awarded the Green Flag by the Foundation for Environmental Education, back in 2016.

To find out more about the school’s design and technology curriculum, as well as the other creative subjects on offer at Doha College, visit dohacollege.com.