Advanced Popsicle Stick Catapults (STEM Project)

The Engineering and Design Process

Chain Reaction Machines (Herringbone)

Chain Reaction Machines

Chain Reactions Part 2

Energy and Amusement Parks

Read about amusement park rides and physics. (advanced)

Chain Reaction Machines (Rube Goldberg)

 

Captain Bob's Rockets and Robots

Our assembly today featured Captain Bob.

Check out his website:
https://www.rockets-and-robots.com/

• projects
• videos

Diagnosing Diseases with Origami Microscopes #EngineeringForGood

We will watch this video as we begin thinking about our own designs to help with plastic pollution.

Bringing Fish Up from the Deep #EngineeringForGood

We will be examining the criteria and constraints in this video as part of our ongoing engineering process about plastic pollution.

You can review prior information we have learned about plastic here.

People are currently thinking about how to deal with plastic:

• https://interestingengineering.com/how-to-eliminate-plastic-waste-and-plastic-pollution-with-science-and-engineering
• https://www.greenbiz.com/article/5-innovations-could-end-plastic-waste
• https://www.fastcompany.com/3060571/10-clever-student-inventions-that-could-reduce-our-waste

The Reality of Plastic -- Part 2

1. Watch the videos.
2. Read about the pros and cons of plastic.  What do you think?
3. Here is a second page dealing with the pros and cons of plastic.
4. Here is a website from England called Kids Against Plastic.
5. Here is an article from plastic makers telling you why they believe plastic is a good thing.
6. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch from National Geographic.

The Reality of Plastic

Once you have watched the video above, read this article:
Plastic: The Popular Pollutant
Then watch this next video and see what new information you can get.

Engineering Challenge -- What Makes an Object Float?

Read about the concept of buoyancy.  We will be applying this concept in our engineering task this week.  We will be creating boats out of aluminum foil and seeing how many pennies they can hold.
Read more about buoyancy basics here.
How do boats float?  Wonderopolis
The buoyant force of water. (bonus activity idea)
Here is your task:  Float My Boat.  We will use this chart to record our designs.

The Engineering Design Process part 2

Engineering Design Process

Check out a NASA video on engineering.

Read about the engineering design process.

Chain Reactions

Try out this chain reaction simulator.

Video from Design Squad