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Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be stranded on a deserted island? How would you survive? In this set of explorations we will look at different ways to solve problems with only your wits and what you have on the island for materials and tools.
Read the book Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. The story is about a boy who is washed overboard and comes ashore on an island in the Pacific. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/ArsalAhmed4/kensukes-kingdom-64280180. There are many survival stories suitable for students. Some on this list maybe available at your library or in electronic format.
Information about how to read stories with young people is located here. Since this is a book-length story, reading and reflecting on it in sections would be helpful for asking questions and considering the characters.
Information about keeping a STEM Notebook is located here. We always encourage students to write about their explorations.
After reading the story, students may have questions about the people, places and events related to the story. This is an excellent opportunity for pursuing these questions. In addition to the literature (keeping a journal, mapping the changes in the characters), art (drawing and painting), and social studies (geography and Japan in WWII) aspects of the story, several explorations have a STEM focus. Students can do any or all of these explorations with materials found around the home. They can be done in any order.
As in the film, "Castaway", many things might be found on shore. In this exploration, we will assume there is some aluminum foil in the flotsam on the beach.
Students make a flotation device for a can of soup!
Using soda bottle that float onto shore, make a fish trap to collect food from the ocean!
How would you get coconuts down from a palm tree?
Now that you have some seafood, coconut meat and milk, how can you cook your dinner?
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