In the Engineering Inspired By Nature challenge, students investigate seeds that are dispersed by the wind. They apply what they have learned to make paper helicopters and parachutes. They test different variables (lengths, width, weight, etc.) to see how these factors affect performance. Concepts covered in this unit include gravity, drag, friction, velocity and acceleration.
In the newest Making Music Challenge, students explore sound and vibrations. Students learn how the human eardrum works and explore concepts such as pitch and longitudinal and transverse waves. They collect information through hand on lessons and engineer a musical instrument according to specific criteria. A student reader brings the concepts to life for the students through a fictional story about animals and sounds within nature.
In the Straw Rockets challenge, students explore the early life of Dr. Robert Goddard while reading the biography, The Rocket Age Takes Off. After investigating Goddard's early trial, students build, test and modify rockets made from drinking straws. They test the rockets to see how far they can fly. Concepts covered in this unit include Newton's Laws of Motion, Gravity, thrust, lift and drag.
In the Pinball Designer Challenge, students build, test and modify a non-electronic pinball machine to create a toy that meets certain specifications. Concepts covered in this unit include gravity, potential and kinetic energy and inclined planes.
In the Rolling Things Challenge, students explore how changing the ramp height and vehicle weight affect the momentum of toy cars. Ramp height affects the velocity of the car when it strikes the crash box-the greater the height of the ramp, the greater the velocity of the car when it reaches the bottom of the ramp. Concepts covered in this unit include gravity, potential and kinetic energy, friction, momentum, mass, velocity and acceleration.