Ever have one of those years where you begin the year behind...and can never get caught up? My plan over the Christmas holiday was to get on top of my work, and then I was sick all Christmas...so I have been fighting all term to get on top of the reports I haven't finished...the paperwork that is sitting in a basket (that I lug home every night!). I too, have neglected to post what has been happening in the challenge centre! So here goes....
In February I worked with a great group of grade 5 and 6 students on engineering projects. Here, we are looking at joint construction and how to design strong joints to hold materials together.
The goal of the engineering program was to get like minded students together that enjoyed building and working with their hands. This appealed to the designers and students who like to build...often a group that we can't service in our classrooms due to the constraints of the curriculum and space and materials.
After the four days, the room was a DISASTER....bits of modelling clay, toothpicks, tape, and glue were everywhere!
We also learned about stability and how the triangle always wins out as the strongest shape.
I started the program looking at basic engineering principles of compression, tension, how to make strong joints, how to reinforce materials, and how to build with local materials from home....
Here the students are building bridges to hold weight.
Lots of interesting designs
This bridge can hold up a great deal of weight...
Lots of talk and discussion about materials used and if the bridges worked and what could have made them stronger...
My next post...the final project and what students built!!!!
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