Learn about physics and engineering as you design, build and test a Rubber Band Car! 4-Hers living in these North Florida counties can participate in the STEM Challenge held at the North Florida Fair during 4-H Day at the Fair, on Saturday, November 16, 2024. After the contest, enjoy the exhibits and midway.
This site contains resources to help your team prepare for the contest. If you are a parent, volunteer, or 4-H employee, please check out the getting started page first. Questions, contact Heather Kent at hckent@ufl.edu.
Navigating this site is simple, but it will look different depending on whether you are viewing it from a phone or a computer. If you don't see a navigation menu, then click the ellipsis (also known as a hamburger). It looks like three vertical lines stacked on each other and will be in the top left of your screen.
There are four basic lessons and each of them have age appropriate activities and resources to support learning. Each lesson includes explanations, videos, simulations, and activities to practice the concepts. A couple of tips for volunteers and coaches:
Flipped classroom- You share the links with families, and ask the youth to view the videos and simulations before you meet to practice. During practice, you can do the activities with them, and clarify any concepts.
Problem based learning- If you are training multiple age groups, start with the youngest age group activities, and as teams complete them, give them an activity that is more challenging to keep them engaged!
A great companion resource to this curriculum is the 2015 National 4-H Science Day Motion Commotion Experiment. Ask your local Extension Office if they have an experiment kit you can check out for your club or team. It's also a great review of the three laws of motion! If your office does not have a kit, you can download the leader and youth guides below (most supplies can be found at a dollar store or big box store).
Don't forget to start your STEM Challenge practice with 4-H traditions to help promote a sense of belonging! If you have new youth (or youth from several different clubs in your county), then try a few icebreakers or teambuilding activities too!