Building the Mayflower: it's sink or swim time!

 Before Thanksgiving break, my gifted 3rd graders tested their engineering skills by building Mayflower boats from foil, tape, and straws to see which could hold the most pennies. It was a fun, hands-on STEM challenge that taught them about design principles, like how a wide, flat-bottomed boat can hold more weight before sinking.

 

The winning team maxed out the penny load by using all 140 pennies! We then had to use heavier magnets to load on the weight. The winning group ended up using 140 pennies and 21 magnets! This 3rd grade team even beat out the 5th grade teams :)

Launching into learning!

 Recently, the students were tasked with designing a functioning catapult using only common household items: popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. This project wasn't just about building; it was about problem-solving, collaboration, and understanding the engineering design process.

They worked in teams to figure out the best leverage points and tension needed to launch their candy pumpkins successfully. We saw incredible ingenuity in how they reinforced their structures and adjusted their launch angles!

 

The ultimate goal was to launch as many pumpkins (out of 25) onto the green pumpkin patch as possible. The classroom turned into a friendly testing ground as students measured distances, refined their techniques, and cheered on their peers! This was a lot of fun!

*Check out the video at the end :)