There are so many fun ways to explore science concepts! Here's a science challenge that Alena's Grade 2/3 class took on in early 2020:

During the Strong and Stable Chair STEM challenge, students were asked to make a chair out of newspaper.  The class learned about structures including strengths, stability, shape, material, size, forces, etc. 

The class first brainstormed, planned, and worked through the design process. The students then worked as a group to create functional chairs with rolled newspapers using all the knowledge they had gained. Finally, they did their test -> 1,2,3…. 30 seconds, it held Alena :) 

What came out of the project? Students....

• worked cooperatively together as a group

• had to think through all of the elements of stable structures

• had to think outside of the box

• had to re-designed the chair a few times to make it work

• had to use their knowledge in a creative way in a real-life situation

• got to be creative

• had a lot of fun

The students were especially excited that "WOW! It worked! It is holding Alena!"

Date: 2020

Tags: Cooperation and teamwork, creativity, experiential learning, innovation, Innovative approaches to teaching and learning, perseverance