On Thursday before Christmas Break, students worked together to complete a STEM Challenge: Santa’s Sleigh. Students were prompted by the “STEM Elf” that Santa needed a new sleigh to help deliver all the presents. The goal was to see who could build a sleigh that would fly the farthest. Students created a design, and then had 30 minutes to build their sleigh out of 1 piece of 12by12 cardstock, 4 straws, and a foot of tape. We then had a sleigh throwing tournament, until we could determine the best sleigh in the class. One of our sleighs managed to get “stuck” to a paperclip hanging from the ceiling, so we all decided that maybe that sleigh should have been the real winner since it had actual “hangtime”. It was a fun way to spend time before our class party!
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This year, we have compared a lot of different Three Little Pig stories, so we paired the theme of the story with a Science Challenge. After reviewing STEM and the Engineering Design Process, students worked with a team to design a house that would withstand the Big Bad Wolf. Students had to plan, and then create a house using only one building material and one adhesive material. After houses were made, students brought their creation by “The Big Bad Wolf” (a fan) to see if it would stay together or collapse on the poor “Fourth Little Pig.” Most houses stayed together very well, and students showed good problem solving and teamwork skills, as well as reflection afterward. |