In this design challenge, students will receive a problem inspired by the story Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol Ottolenghi. In the story, Jack climbs a magical beanstalk where he finds a castle that he steals several items from before returning home. The students will be presented with the following problem: “Jack wants to go back to the castle in the sky to return the hen and the harp he stole, but he is out of magic beans. He does not know how he will get back to the castle. Today, you are going to put on your engineering hat to help Jack build a “beanstalk” that can reach all the way to the giant’s castle in the sky so he can return the stolen items.” Students will engage in a STEM challenge to build the tallest structure in 25 minutes that can hold a toy figure (Jack) for one minute. Teams will receive bonus points if their structure can withstand a 30-second windstorm before Jack safely returns to his home on the ground.
In this design challenge, students will work together to design a tool or process that successfully removes an invasive species from an ecosystem while minimizing harm to the native species and environment.
In this challenge, students will practice problem-solving and collaboration skills as they design, build, and test their wind turbine
prototypes. Students will explore the role of renewable energy in powering communities, learn about energy transfer and mechanical systems, and gain insight into the importance of sustainable energy solutions.
In this activity, students will read the story "In a Garden" by Tim McCanna. They will learn about the life cycle of a plant, what seeds need to grow, and what keeps seeds from growing. They will then create their own seed house and watch their seeds sprout!
