Year 4 Ash Immersion Day: Inventing a Torch for a Victorian Chimney Sweep!

 Year 4 had a brilliant Immersion Day all about designing a torch for a Victorian chimney sweep. We began by learning how lighting has changed from Victorian times to today. We explored the inventions of Swan, Edison, and Latimer, who all played important roles in developing the light bulb. We also looked at some weird and wonderful Victorian inventions to learn what makes a design successful or not.

Next, we looked at the dangers chimney sweeps faced—dark, narrow spaces where they couldn’t see properly. We were given a design brief to create a torch that was lightweight, hands-free, directional, and could turn on and off. We sketched our ideas and labelled them with materials we might use.

Then, we built our torches using our designs. Everyone created a working electric circuit with a bulb, switch, and battery. Some of our torches attached to hats or belts, so they could be used without hands—perfect for a sweep climbing a chimney!

Finally, we tested and evaluated our torches. We checked if they lit up well, were easy to carry, and met all the design brief points. We shared what we were proud of and how we could improve our inventions. It was a fun and creative day where we became real Victorian inventors!