Make a Flume

What's a flume?

Basically a piece of hardware for modelling various physical processess, usually (but not exclusively), those to do with rivers and coasts. Flumes can be purchased for around £300!! from a "MAJOR EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIER." However, you can make your own, starting with tea tray technology and going up to the version illustrated, photographed shortly after emerging from the Juicy Geography workshop. Download a pdf with instructions here (240kb) This flume cost around £120.00 to make out of the finest ingredients i.e. 18mm marine ply. Possibly your Design and Technology department could be persuaded that this would be a great opportunity for that cross-curricular project they promised to help with!

 

Ideas for lessons

So far, I have used my flume for modelling arid land processess, sand dune systems, longshore drift, coastal management, liquefaction and glacial erosion. Here a couple of KS3 river lessons:

Simple river modelling in the flume (pdf 49kb)
Flood prevention (pdf 65kb)


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