When Everyone Says It Can't Be Done
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) was Britain's greatest engineer. He built railways, bridges, tunnels, and ships that people said were impossible.
What makes Brunel special for children isn't just what he built — it's how he dealt with people saying "you can't do that".
When Brunel wanted to build a railway line from London to Bristol, experts said it was impossible. Too far. Too hilly. Too expensive. Brunel proved them wrong.
When he designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge, people said it couldn't be done. The gap was too wide. Brunel built it anyway (well, it was finished after he died, but his design worked).
Brunel's lesson for children: When someone says it can't be done, that's often when the interesting work begins.
Brunel saw obstacles as puzzles to solve, not reasons to quit
When the Thames Tunnel flooded, he didn't give up — he fixed it and carried on
He didn't copy what already existed — he invented new solutions
Brunel heard "impossible" hundreds of times — and kept building anyway
Tomorrow's Rules is inspired by Brunel's persistence when everyone says "you can't".
When Maisie gets to make ALL the playground rules, it's brilliant — until someone else gets the clipboard. A story about fairness and persistence for ages 5-7.
Read Free SampleBrunel built a railway from London to Bristol when people said it couldn't be done. For KS1 children, this teaches that "impossible" often just means "no one's tried hard enough yet".
Brunel built the world's first iron-hulled, propeller-driven steamship. Everyone said iron ships would sink. They didn't. This teaches children that sometimes you have to prove people wrong by actually doing the thing.
Working with his father, Brunel helped build the first tunnel under a river. It flooded multiple times. They fixed it each time and finished the job. This teaches persistence when things go wrong.
For ages 5-7, focus on Brunel's persistence and problem-solving rather than technical engineering details. Children this age understand "trying again when it doesn't work" better than they understand suspension bridge mechanics.
"Brunel got everything right first time" — No! Many of his projects failed, flooded, or broke. He just kept fixing them until they worked.
"You need to be a genius to do hard things" — Brunel was clever, yes. But his real superpower was not giving up when things went wrong.
"Brunel worked alone" — No. He had teams of engineers and workers. This teaches children that big achievements often need teamwork.
Lesson plans, discussion guides, and activity sheets for teaching British values through real heroes.