These types of STEM challenges are the best. I love giving kids materials, a specific objective, and then setting them off!
I like to do these challenges as a lead-in to a topic. For example, learning about buoyancy? Start off with a challenge like this, and then, as you are doing your readings/discussions/lessons, you can refer back to the boats that they made over and over. Whether the boats float, sank, or somewhere in between, the lesson learned will be greater because they created the knowledge themselves!
Materials:
- aluminum foil (about a foot long sheet)
- two 1 inch strips of sponge
- 4 straws
- piece of modeling clay
- 6 popsicle sticks
- 4 rubber bands
- 1 Lego person (mini-fig)
- 1 small bin of water (or anything to float the boats in — bathtub or pool would work fine, too)
Procedure:
- Give each child the above materials. Explain that they do NOT have to use all of the materials, but they can not use any other materials (even tape or glue!).
- Go over the goal of the STEM challenge: each boat needs to keep their Lego person afloat for 10 seconds. They have 15 minutes to design and make their boat.
- Let the kids get to work! This challenge is about creative thinking and problem solving, so as the parents, we need to stand back and watch the magic happen.
