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Spring STEAM Challenge - Floating Flowers
It's time for the next STEAM Activity of the year!
Springtime means flowers!
In this challenge, students will use whatever materials you wish to provide (or that they bring) to create a flower that floats on water. The flower must float for at least one minute, the petals must remain dry and intact, and the flower must have a stem and a leaf. Let's get floating!
Possible Materials:
Colored tissue paper and/or construction paper
Straws
Pipe Cleaners
Plastic Baggies
Tape
Rubber bands
Bucket with water (to test floating flowers)
Scissors
Ruler
Foil
String/Yarn
Craft Sticks/Coffee Stirrers
Cardboard
Paperclips
Brass brads
Small cups
Timer
Where can you get materials (other than purchasing it all yourself)?
Ask students to each bring in something
Ask parents to donate items
Science Center - I can give you rubber bands, Coffee Stirrers, tape, cups, and straws! I can also get you a pack of colored tissue paper (I'll need a bit of notice)!
See if anything is already in your school's STEAM Lab
How will you make your flowers float?
Purpose: Design and build a flower (including petals, a stem, and at least one leaf) that will float on water for at least one minute with the petals remaining dry.
Questions to think about:
What materials will be the most effective?
Will there be a need to research different petal shapes?
How do things float?
Helpful things you can use:
Constraints can be added:
Give each student or group a set number of materials and they may only use those materials.
Give them a set amount of build time (ex. 30 minutes) before testing.
Require a specific set of dimensions for the flower (ex. no larger than 12 in. x 6 in. x 6 in.)
Don't forget about the Engineering Design Process! Give them time to IMPROVE their designs, to TEST them out, and SHARE their results!
Engineers and scientists and many other people in multiple industries do this all the time!
This is also a great time to talk about FAILURE!
Failure is part of life! Failure is OK and good for us! Famous people, inventors, heroes, and more FAIL all the time! We would never improve if we didn't fail!
Extensions:
Make it a budgeting activity - each material is a cost (like in real life!)
Use the constraints listed above.
Have the time limit longer (a minute and 30 seconds, 2 minutes)
Look into some careers that would work with this field such as floral designers/florists (use flowers to create interesting arrangements and own flower shops), gardeners (grow the flowers), or even floriculture (the study of how we use plants for the human environment).
Share with parents or during STEAM Night! Have students show how they made their flowers. Maybe even set up a station for the families to try to make their own!
Invite younger students in to show them their flowers or maybe make some with them.
Don't forget to REFLECT!
Don't forget to REFLECT!
Questions to ask the students:
What was the most effective design? Why?
Was there a pattern to what worked well for each group?
Is there a material that would have worked well that we didn't have?
What frustrated you about this challenge?
If we did this challenge again in a month, what would you do differently?
How well do you think your group collaborated, cooperated, and communicated to each other?
How was this challenge about perseverance?
Why Reflect in STEM?
Why Reflect in STEM?
Reflection in STEM is essential to both student understanding and teacher evaluation of students’ learning. Reflecting helps students make connections, understand their successes and failures, and become aware of their learning. Reflections help teachers identify where different students are in their learning process.
MOST IMPORTANTLY - HAVE FUN!!!
Adapted from: Floating Flowers STEM Challenge by Kerry Tracy
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