About 250 students from Year 5 and Year 6 posed questions and sought solutions through projects with a sustainability theme.

The results were on show at the Tacking Point Public School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Festival on August 7.

Hunter Ellem created a solar energy project.

“I think solar energy is a really good idea and we should all use it,” the 10-year-old said.

He said solar energy helped the environment and would impact how our world was sustainable and how we made the world a better place.

Hunter said the STEM Festival was educational and just really fun.

Noah Memmott tested the assertion it took thousands of years for plastic bags to break down.

The 12-year-old tested different types of bags under a range of conditions including placing them underground for nearly six months.

“We found some really good results with our compostable bag,” Noah said.

“It worked really well underground, breaking down completely.”

But salt water was bad news for plastic bags, the project showed.

STEM Festival coordinator Cass Tonkin said the process behind the projects and problem solving were important.

“We want them to be critical and creative thinkers,” she said.

“What we have got as a result has astounded me.”

A range of the projects will be on show at Settlement City on August 18.

The students entered the projects into categories.

The winners were: global thinking - Poppi Cox; marketing - Ava Hughes/Isabella Campbell; artwork - Erin Rapley/Sara Smith; inventor - Ashton Cooper/Jay Van-Gemert; techspert - Euan Hoffmann; environmentalist - Noah Memmott; mathlete - Millicent Wilson; and physicist - Samantha Aguilar.