Sound Proof Hiding Places presents students with the challenge of working through the technological design process to design a safe and comfortable hiding place for a cat to retreat to when they are feeling afraid or stressed, particularly by loud noises. Providing a safe place to hide in stressful situations is essential for a cat’s welfare to allow them to express their natural behaviours and to help them return to a feeling of calm and safety, giving students a real life context to engage in the technological design process, using science and mathematics concepts to inform their technological outcomes.

Sound Proof Hiding Places introduces students to the physical phenomenon of sound and the idea that materials allow sound to move through them in different ways. Students will then use this knowledge to help them determine what materials would be suitable to use to reduce the impact of loud noise on cats. Students will also be introduced to simple measurement concepts that will support them to create a hiding place that is practically suitable with regard to size.