10 Easy STEM Projects for Engaging Students- The Brown Bag Challenge II

This Brown bag series gave me a chance to dig through my files and share some more STEM Challenge oldies-but-goodies.

In each post, I've shared different engineering design projects that are appropriate for a wide age range.  All of these activities work to prove that you don't need an endless budget to teach STEM and promote STEM principles and skills.

Here's a recap of the project ideas shared in this series:

• Building Boxes
• Paperclip Airplanes
• Paper Rockets
• Perfect Parachutes
• Pringle Pod
• Derby Cars
• Marble Madness
• Lilypad Launch
• Slingshot Gallery
• Hot Air Balloons

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Hot Air Balloons

This challenge takes a little more time than some others, but it is worth it to watch students build a "stock" hot air balloon then work to design their own hot air balloon that stays aloft longer.

Materials
Tissue Paper
Glue Sticks
Scissors
Copy Paper
Staplers
Hair Dryers (with "low" or "cool" setting) OR
Hot Air Popcorn Popper
Stopwatches

In this challenge, student begin by building the same hot air balloon.  I like to have teams of three for this project, simply because it is more involved and requires students to follow specific directions for this first round. I'm also a bug fan of assigning jobs, so I prefer to divide up the work like this:

• Navigator- Reads the directions to the team
• Surveyor- Makes any measurements and checks work
• Manufacturer- Glues, and assembles materials

  Directions can be found all over the internet.  I personally like the Junior Balloonist plans or the directions provided by the Civil Air Patrol (who use the directions from Pitsco).

Students follow the directions to build this balloon using the directions and test it, being sure to record their "flights" using 30 seconds of hot air. Once students establish a time to beat (I usually let each team launch once and average their times to get the time to beat.)

Then, students will design their own hot air balloons striving for them to stay aloft longer.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: Planning and Carrying out Investigations, Designing Solutions; Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information CCC- Patterns, Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

CCSS Math: Measurement and Data, Geometry, Ratios and Proportional Relationships

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Slingshot Gallery

Have you ever played the shooting gallery game at the carnival?  Here's a STEM twist on that carnival game for students...a slingshot gallery.

Materials
Slingshot Targets*
 Rubber Bands
Craft PomPoms
Popsicle Sticks
Tape
Other Fun Found Objects

*Download the Slingshot Targets sheet and photocopy it onto cardstock.  Students will cut the targets apart and fold them to test their slingshot designs.

For this Challenge, students are tasked with building a working slingshot that will knock down the designated targets from a distance of 60 cm (24 inches). Students can work in pairs, but I like each student to design and build their own slingshot.  It shows more ownership and also results in each student having their own data to analyze later.

In addition to establishing a required distance to "fling" from, I like to also require other parameters based on age group (Everyone must use at least 4 different supplies.) or based on available supplies to increase the difficulty (Everyone must use a paper cup in their design.) Adjusting these parameters allows me to differentiate the challenge, even within the same classroom.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: Planning and Carrying out Investigations, Designing Solutions; CCC- Patterns, Systems and System Models

CCSS Math: Functions,Expressions and Equations

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Lilypad Launch

In this challenge, students are asked to design a mechanism that will hold a lilypad and help a "frog" jump up into your hand!

Materials
Plastic Eggs
Frog Patterns
Transparent Tape
Paint Stirrers (Wooden Rulers or similar)
Empty Water bottles
Other found items

Students work in pairs to construct a mechanism that will launch their plastic frog to a height tall enough that a student can catch it.  Students first construct their frogs by cutting out the pattern and taping it to the front and back of the egg.  They should bend down the frog legs so that the frog sits on the lilypad.

Using the supplied materials, students can construct their mechanism.  Most students design a sort of see-saw/catapult contraption using the ruler or the paint stirrer, but the items provided by the teacher may frame the challenge differently.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Planning and Carrying out Investigations, Designing Solutions; CCC- Patterns, Cause and Effect, Systems and System Models

CCSS Math: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Functions,Expressions and Equations

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Marble Madness

Students are used to challenges that ask them to do something the fastest, but how about the slowest?  In this scenario, students are challenged to create a marble run where the marble that reaches the end in the slowest time wins.

Materials
Marbles
Bathroom Cups (3 oz)
Sentence Strips
Foam Board (20x30)
Tape
Other Found Objects

This challenge is a great way to get kids thinking more deeply because the challenge is to complete the course the slowest.  Each team must create a course for their marble using piece of 20 x 30 foam board.  Students can use any found items that you provide, but I like to make sure to include sentence strips because they are thicker than regular paper and can easily be folded into marble tracks. I also like to provide some fun items like bathroom cups, cotton balls, cardboard tubes and paperclips to make creating the course more fun.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Developing and Using Models, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; CCC- Patterns, Cause and Effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

CCSS Math: Measurement and Data, Geometry, Ratios & Proportional Relationships

STEM Essentials- Developing Effective STEM Units

In this series we have learned how to plan and develop an effective STEM unit.  Planning a unit like this is very time-consuming if done right, but the outcomes and student progress will be well worth the effort!

Here are the basic steps in the process:

• Develop a Plan for your STEM unit
• Craft Different Types of Assessments for before, during and after your project
• Create a Rubric (at least one!) for assessing students throughout the project and at the conclusion of it
• Use the Engineering Design Process to plan the remaining lessons that fit with your curriculum objectives
• Communicate Results through written reports as well as oral presentations
• Redesign and Debrief to assess student understanding and any misconceptions

Each step contains a basic explanation...and a free handout to help you plan your own effective STEM unit!

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Derby Cars

For this week, I thought we'd explore the use of derby cars to teach STEM.  Not the pinewood kind that the boy scouts make, but a variation of that using a clothespin as the car body.  In this challenge, students will each build their own derby car, but will work with a partner for support.  Students are challenged to design the derby car that will complete the "track" the fastest.

Materials
Clothespins (one per student)
Buttons, Spearmint Lifesavers, Wagon Wheel pasta, etc.
Straws
Masking Tape
Thin Wire (such as twist ties, floral wire, etc.)
Foam Pipe Insulation (one 6ft length for every 2 groups)
Stopwatches (1 per group)


I like to use the foam pipe insulation as the track because it is inexpensive and flexible.  You can buy the non-stick kind in six foot lengths very cheaply at your local hardware store. Using scissors, cut it lengthwise to make two derby car tracks.  For more advanced students, you can require that their track involve a number or curves or loops.  For beginners, the track can be taped to a wall at a particular height.

Students can build their cars using any of the materials.  Generally, students will place the front axle in the hole at the front of the clothespin and the second in the back somewhere, securing it with tape.  However, there is no rule that the clothespin must be the body.  Students can construct their derby car however they like.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigation, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information ; CCC- Scale, Proportion and Quantity, Cause and Effect

CCSS Math: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data, Expressions and Equations

The Brown Bag Challenge II- Pringle Pod

I always thought that the Egg Drop was a really cool project.  You know, the one where you design a protective pod for a raw egg and then drop it from a balcony to see if it worked?  Fantastic...until you factor in the children and well, the actual raw eggs.  Then it all goes downhill rather fast.

So I've been thinking of ways to modify this activity so that it is more sanitary and less messy. Voila! Pringle Pod.

Materials
Found Objects such as paper towel rolls, bubble wrap, etc.
Measuring Tape, Seamstress Tape
Pringles brand potato chips (because they are uniform in size and shape)

Students work in pairs or teams to construct a protective pod for their pringle.  Students' designs must not exceed 3 inches in any one direction and they may not modify the chip or coat it.

Because this of modification of using a pringle in lieu of an egg,  it is not necessary to drop the pods from a very large height.  I like to have students drop their designs from increasing heights starting with 1 foot.  Once they reach a failure point, they can redesign to see if they can beat their best height.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: SEP- Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Defining Problems, Analyzing and Interpreting Data; CCC- Patterns, Cause and Effect

CCSS Math: Cause and Effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity, Measurement and Data,Expressions and Equations

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Perfect Parachutes

What could be more fun than designing the Perfect Parachute? In this STEM challenge, students will work to design the parachute that stays aloft the longest.

Materials
Tissue Paper, Paper Napkins, Newspaper, Wax Paper etc.
Kite String, Yarn, etc.
Masking Tape, Transparent Tape, etc.
Scissors
Stopwatches
Meter Stick, Seamstress Tape, or other
Individually Wrapped Candies

Students will work individually or in partners to design a parachute using the available materials. I like to provide different types of paper, string, and tape so that students can learn about how weight and other different characteristics (like canopy size, shroud length and apex vent) affect a parachute.  (Note though that using really thin string like fishing line or embroidery thread provides frustration for students as it tangles and knots easily.)

In this challenge, students will need to keep their cargo (one piece of individually wrapped candy) aloft the longest, so be sure to provide a surplus of materials to support multiple parachutes per student or pair.

Once students have finished a design they should test it and collect data.   I want my students to test their designs safely, so I don't allow them to stand on anything but their own two feet. As a result, I specify that they  test from the height of 48" (which is about how far my students can reach without standing on anything). I tape the seamstress tape to the wall and let them line up the top of the parachute with the correct height.

If you'd like to test these from a greater height, and don't have a handy stairwell or balcony, you can make or purchase a parachute dropper like this one.  This particular one clips to the ceiling matrix in most classrooms or can be attached to a basketball hoop.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: SEP- Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Planning and Carrying out Investigations, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information   CCC- Patterns, Systems and System Models

CCSS Math:Number and Operations, Measurement and Data, Geometry, Rations and Proportional Relationships

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Paper Rockets

This week's activity is a low-budget, fun way to launch rockets with students.  This challenge stresses data collecting, data analysis and is a good way for students to experiment with controls and variables.  No launcher is actually used, so it can be done in any space.

Materials
Straws (at least 2 per student)
Pencils (one per student, sharpened)
Transparent tape
Scissors
Paper (any kind, different types)
Tape Measures (I prefer seamstress tape)

Students work in pairs to design, build, and "fly" straw rockets.  Begining with a strip of paper that is about 11 in. x 1.5 in., students wrap this paper around a pencil, overlapping it as they go.  Once they have wrapped the entire strip of paper, students can then tape it at the ends and again in the middle (this is where having a partner comes in handy) and being sure not to tape it to the pencil.  Students then slide the "tube" off of the pencil and this creates the body of the rocket.

Once students have completed their rocket bodies, additional paper can be should be used to design fins for it. Teachers can opt to pre-cut the paper for younger students or give each student a full piece of paper and make that part of the challenge.  When this is complete, students can fold over the top and tape it shut. 

To launch their complete rockets, students slide their rocket onto a straw to launch it.  (I like to have lots of extra straws on hand in case student forget which straw is theirs, drop it on the ground, etc.)  Students launch their rocket and record the data. (As a side note, you might not thin these would go very far, but they do.  Average rockets will travel about 6 feet.)

I like this activity because it is so versatile.   Students can experiment with the diameter of the body, length of the body, weight (paper type) of the rocket, size and number of fins, and the list goes on.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: SEP- Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigation, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; CCC- Scale, Proportion and Quantity, System and System Models

CCSS Math: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data,Number and Operations

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II- Paperclip Airplanes

What a better way to learn than to disguise it as having fun ;)  In this challenge, students are challenged to design and build a paper airplane that will travel the farthest carrying the most weight.

Materials
Paper- all the same size and type
Paperclips
Measuring tape (I use one like this)


I usually have students complete this challenge individually because the project is very straight-forward to "build" and very accessible to younger students too.  I like this challenge because it is a very easy way to introduce and use the Engineering Design Process.

Once students have designed, built and tested their paperclip airplanes, hold a fly-off with each student throwing their airplane and calculating the amount of points they have earned.  Teachers can use any formula, but I am partial to the one below (but tend to change it throughout the day so that students from later class periods don't have an edge).

5d + 2p = total points

(where d=distance rounded to the nearest foot and p= number of paperclips)

As with any challenge that contains a competition portion, I like to work together with students to create the competition rules.  For one, it gets them thinking about strategy.  Two, it gets them thinking about fairness. Three, it gets them more invested in both the project and the rules (which is of the utmost benefit when students cry foul).

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: SEP- Planning and Carrying Out Investigation, Defining Problems, Analyzing and Interpreting Data; CCC- Patterns, Cause and Effect

CCSS Math: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data,Expressions and Equations

The Bown Bag STEM Challenge II- Building Boxes

Welcome Back to the Brown Bag STEM Challenge series!  We're beginning the series with a deceptively easy task- design and build a box that will hold the most volume.

Materials (per team)
1- piece of paper (size to be determined by the teacher)
12"- masking tape

I prefer partners for this exercise so that both students can be fully engaged.  The older students will most likely do some calculations to maximize the volume and then fold and tape their box.  As a result, I like to provide them less time than normal, making speed and careful decisions a factor.   Younger students will generally use a trial and error approach, so have lots of the same size and type of paper handy.

The paper can be any size, but I like to cut it to whole numbers for younger students to make the math easier.  So, if I use an 8.5" x 11 sheet for older students, I'll cut it to 8" x 10" for the younger ones.  Thicker paper like tagboard or construction paper seems to works better too.

I also like students to keep track of their different attempts chart-style as they progress through the challenge.  With older students, I use this as an introduction challenge and then challenge each team to come up with the container (meaning any shape) that will hold the most volume.  This variation is a nice review of different volume formulas.

A variation for younger students is to use centimeter cubes, popcorn or packing peanuts to determine the volume instead of having them do the calculations. If you choose to use popcorn, be sure to remind students not to eat it as it will fall on the floor, etc.

So, what did we learn? 
Next Generation Science Standards: SEP- Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigation, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; CCC- Patterns, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

CCSS Math: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data, Geometry, Ratios and Proportional Relationships

Other Skills- Team-building, cooperative learning, decision making, data-collecting

Welcome Back! The Brown Bag STEM Challenge II

For many of us, August is the start of Back to School and what better way to start a new year than with some new STEM challenges to help students learn to work as a team and focus on core content skills.

Back by popular demand is The Brown Bag STEM Challenge, where materials are low-cost, engagement is high, and everything (well, theoretically anyway) fits in a brown bag.  Join me next week for the first of this new series.  Thanks for all the emails to bring this one back!   Definitely one of my favorites!

Stay tuned...and Let the School Year begin!

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- 10 Project Ideas for Engaging STEM Projects

In the last ten weeks, I've shared some of my favorite "Brown Bag" STEM Challenges- activities and lessons that can easily be incorporated into a formal classroom or an informal learning setting.

All of these activities can be integrated for minimal cost, involve materials that can be found in almost any store and whose supplies are so simple that they fit in a brown bag (well, almost all of them...).

Here's a recap of the project ideas shared in the past weeks:

• Marshmallow Towers
• Pom Pom Cannons
• Paper Helicopters
• Roller Coasters
• Paperclip Sailboats
• Building Windmills
• Hovercrafts
• Zip Lines
• Solar Ovens
• Lunar Landers

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Lunar Landers

Lunar Landers is a NASA lesson from the On the Moon Educator's Guide and teaches students to design, build and test a lunar lander that will protect its astronauts. It is also one of my favorite activities for STEM professional development!

Lunar Landers allows students to experiment with the engineering design process while learning about force and motion.

Materials (per team):

• 8 straws
• 3 index cards (4x6)
• 1 3oz cup
• 3 rubber bands
• 10 small marshmallows
• 2 large marshmallows

"Astronauts" (large marshmallows)  are placed in their "cabin" (3oz cup) and are dropped from a pre-determined height.  Students must use the other provided supplies to cushion their landing and cause the astronauts to remain in the cabin. (Think about this as a version of an Egg Drop challenge.)

Here are the rules:

• No other items maybe inside the cabin with the astronauts
• The cabin may not have any type of lid, covering, or roof that intersects the vertical plane of the cup rim
• The astronauts may not be stuck together or stuck to the cabin

As students progress through the challenge, they test their designs and note the status of the astronauts.  Students should strive for a design in which both astronauts stay in the cup.  

When it is time to test designs, students will drop their landers from a height of 2 feet. The drop height can be increased for any additional rounds to determine the best design.


So, what did we learn?
National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, properties of objects and materials, position and motion of objects, motions and forces, transfer of energy, abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology, science as a human endeavor.

NCTM Standards:  Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Solve problems that arise in mathematics and other contexts, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.

Other STEM skills: Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, observation, collaboration, data recording, data analysis, teamwork

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Solar Ovens

In honor of summer (and memorial Day picnics), this week's Brown Bag STEM Challenge is designing and building a solar oven...and to test it out, what better than to make some s'mores!

Materials

• Pizza Boxes
• Construction paper- Black
• Construction paper- Other Colors
• Aluminum Foil
• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows (Large)
• Glue/ Tape
• Wax Paper
• Scissors
• craft sticks
• A sunny day! 

When preparing this activity, the teacher should make sure that all pizza boxes are the same size (I prefer the medium boxes- they are big enough for the kids to work with, but small enough to see decent results) and from the same restaurant.  For a class of 30, only about eight boxes are needed, so you might consider asking a pizza place to donate them to your classroom.

Students will work together to design the best (fastest working) solar oven from the materials available.  First, they will cut a flap into the top of the box.  Students will select a material to tape/glue to the inside of this flap.  They will also select materials to tape/glue to the inside (bottom) of the box.  Once this is done, students will make assemble a s'more (in this case a marshmallow on top of a graham cracker) and place it inside the now-lined pizza box.  Students will close the lid, but use some craft sticks to prop open the flap to the required angle.

When it is time to test, students can place their solar ovens in the sun. At the same time, assemble a s'more (graham cracker with a marshmallow on top) and place it on a paper plate in the sun to use as a control group.  After an amount of time, check the ovens and see the results.

For higher ability groups, students can place a thermometer inside each pizza box (and one with the control s'more) to log the temperatures at set intervals until the s'more(s) have melted to see which solar oven is the most efficient.


So, what did we learn?
National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, properties of objects and materials, transfer of energy, abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology, science as a human endeavor.

NCTM Standards: Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement, apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Solve problems that arise in mathematics and other contexts, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, and monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving

Other STEM skills: Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, observation, collaboration, data recording, data analysis, teamwork, practice identifying dependent and independent variables, and controls/constants.

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Zip Lines

It's almost time  for summer fun, so for this week's lesson, we'll construct a zip line that will drop a marble onto a target. In this exploration, students will learn about forces and motion while they explore the engineering design process.

Materials:

• kite string
• index cards
• marbles
• tape
• paper clips
• paper cups (any size)
• scissors
• bullseye target

In groups of 4-5, students will use available materials to construct a zip line that will drop a marble onto a bullseye.

For the zip line, students should use a length of kite string.  Construct the zip line by placing two chairs six feet apart and tying or taping the string to both chairs.  To achieve the correct angle, students will want to tie one side to the back of the chair with the other side to the seat of the chair. 

Students will use the paper cup as a gondola.  Students will attach a marble to it and then release it onto the bullseye. Generally, students will come up with one or two scenarios for attaching the marble: cut a hole in the side of the cup to dispense the marble or design a ledge for it.  No matter what creative solution students decide on, a length of string will need to be taped to the bottom of the cup so that as the cup approaches its target, the marble can easily be released.

In addition to designing a way to hold and then release the marble, students will need to find a way for the cup to slide down the zipline and will also need to determine when to release the marble so that it lands on the target.

So, what did we learn?
National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, position and motion of objects, motions and forces, transfer of energy, abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology, science as a human endeavor.

NCTM Standards: Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.

Other STEM skills: Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, observation, collaboration, data recording, data analysis, teamwork.

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Hovercrafts

In keeping with the theme of teaching STEM concepts through simple projects whose supplies fit into a brown paper bag (ok, with one or two exceptions ,but you get the idea...), this week, we're designing hovercrafts.  With just a few easy-to-find items, (and a bit of adult supervision for this one) students can construct hovercrafts to learn about forces, motion, friction,and variables.

Materials:

• Compact Discs (will be destroyed) or small diameter plastic plates
• Balloons, round
• 2-liter bottles with caps
• Hacksaw
• Drill
• Binder clips
• Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks

The teacher will need to complete the following prior to the lesson (or, depending on grade level, allow students to complete these steps themselves with adult supervision).

1. First, screw the cap onto the bottle.
2. Using the hacksaw, cut off the top of the bottle at the neck (leaving enough room for students to later stretch a balloon over it).
3. Drill holes in the cap. The holes should be the same in size, but should be different in number in each cap as students will compare their results with those of other teams.

Also, if enough old CDs cannot be found, small diameter plastic plates can be used as a substitute.  If this is done,  use a hole punch or other method to punch a couple of holes in the center.

Once the bottles have been cut and the caps have been drilled, students may begin building their hovercrafts. (The remainder of the bottles will not be used for this project.) Adult supervision may be needed to help with the glue gun.

In groups of 4-5, students can work to build their hovercrafts:

• Screw the cap into the neck. Then,glue the cap to the CD, centering the holes in the cap with the center hole of the CD. Be sure to get a good seal with the glue without covering any of the holes.
• Once the hot glue has dried, students should carefully unscrew the neck. Next, blow up the balloon to the desired fullness and attach the binder clip to hold the air in. Then, stretch the neck of the balloon over the neck of the bottle leaving the threads exposed.
• Last, screw the neck of the bottle to its cap (attached to the CD). When ready to test, release the binder clip and give the CD a small push.

With the hovercrafts built, students can experiment with the friction on different surfaces and also with the number of holes in each cap.


So, what did we learn?
National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, properties of objects and materials, position and motion of objects, motions and forces, transfer of energy, abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology, science as a human endeavor.

NCTM Standards: Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement, apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Solve problems that arise in mathematics and other contexts, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving, communicate mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others, create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.

Other STEM skills: Communication, critical thinking, problem solving, observation, collaboration, data recording, data analysis, teamwork, practice identifying dependent and independent variables, and controls/constants.

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Building Windmills

In the spirit of Earth month how about a Brown Bag STEM Challenge about renewable energy?  In this challenge, students use found and recycled items to build a windmill and test its effectiveness.

Materials:

• fan (any size should work, but I prefer the college-dorm-style box fans)
• straws
• craft sticks
• different kinds and weights of paper
• rulers
• tape/ glue
• paperclips/ binder clips
• index cards
• other  miscellaneous items to inspire student creativity

With students working in collaborative groups, each group will design a windmill that will generate the most energy (aka harnesses the most air and therefore rotates the fastest).   Students can experiment with the size and also the shape of the windmill blades.  To make the activity more challenging for older students, add a requirement that the total area of the blades can not exceed x. 

As students work through the design process, they will not need to design a foundation for their windmills.  While students are in the building process, they will need to mark one blade to make it easy to count revolutions when placed in front of the fan.  When it is time to test, each team can either hold their windmill or use a large binder clip to affix it to the back of a chair.  Windmills should be placed 60cm away from the fan set on high.

Once everything is in place, students can count the number of revolutions the blades make in one minute.  Students can redesign their windmills twice, each time testing and hopefully increasing the number of blade revolutions each time.  With their final design, teams will compete against each other to see which windmill blades competes the most revolutions in 2 minutes.

So, what did we learn? National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, properties of objects and materials , abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology.  NCTM Standards:  Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement, Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Solve problems that arise in mathematics and other contexts, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving.  Other Skills: Communication, critical thinking, observation, collaboration.

The Brown Bag STEM Challenge- Paperclip Sailboats

Paper Sailboats are a wonderful way for students to easily experiment with different design components.  In this activity students work with multiple variables including the size/shape of the boat and its sail and the payload it is able to carry.

Materials:

• fan (a box fan works well)
• card stock, tissue paper,  construction paper and other types
• index cards
• straws
• craft sticks
• glue and tape
• jumbo paperclips (lots)
• scissors and rulers
• other miscellaneous supplies to inspire student creativity

 For this activity, students will work in groups to design a paper sailboat with a flat bottom.  Once students are finished designing, they will build the boat from the provided materials.  (Building materials can be greatly modified depending on what supplies are available.) The fan will be placed on the floor with each team placing their boat at the start line (located on the floor just in front of the fan) and be allowed to travel as far as possible.  Students will record the distance their boat traveled and have a chance to redesign it for maximum distance.

After three trials, students will begin to test their designs carrying payload (jumbo paperclips) the farthest distance.  Students will start with one paperclip and conduct trials with an increasingly number.  Each time they will record the distance traveled up to five paperclips.  Then, using that data, students will predict the distance the boat will travel if it carried payloads between six to ten paperclips.

So, what did we learn? National Science Standards: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, understanding about scientific inquiry, properties of objects and materials , abilities of technological design, understanding science and technology.  NCTM Standards:  Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement, Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements, Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them, build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving, Solve problems that arise in mathematics and other contexts, Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems, monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving. Other Skills: Communication, critical thinking, observation, collaboration, data recording, data analysis, pattern recognition.