SEPTEMBER STEM CHALLENGES

Design and build a boat out of straws and plastic wrap that can hold 25 pennies for at least ten seconds before sinking.

Constraints:  You must use no more than 15 straws and 1 foot of plastic wrap.

Materials:  25 pennies, 15 straws, 1 foot of plasticwrap, 2 inches of tape 

Design and build a table out of newspaper tubes. Make it at least eight inches tall and strong enough to hold a heavy book.

Constraints:  None

 Materials:   Newspaper, masking tape, heavy book 

Construct  a roller coaster that will carry a marble from the top to the bottom

Constraints:  You may use no more than 8 cups total

 Materials:  6 Large paper plates with a raised edge (not styrofoam), 4 lg plastic cups, 4 small plastic cups, tape, scissors, 1 marble 

Create your own perfect bubble solution by mixing water and dish soap.  (you may want to try different amounts of water/soap).  Blow the bubbles onto a sheet of dark colored paper.  Once the bubble has popped onto the paper, quickly trace the outline and measure the diameter.

Constraints:  None

Materials:  dish soap, large plastic bowl, water, pipe cleaners (to make bubble wands) large sheet of dark colored construction paper, light colored crayon, ruler 

Build the tallest free-standing structure that will hold a marshmallow on top

 Constraints:  20 minutes to construct, only allowed amount of materials, marshmallow can not be deformed in any way.

 Materials:  20 Uncooked spaghetti noodles, 1 lg. marshmallow, 1yd. of string, 12 in. tape 

To construct a tower as high as possible using spaghetti and mini marshmallows

 Constraints:  only materials listed may be used

 Materials:  20 Uncooked spaghetti noodles, 30 mini-marshmallows

Design a mini marshmallow catapult, measure the farthest distance you move the mini marshmallow

 Constraints:  None

 Materials:  9 wooden craft sticks (popsicle sticks), 3 rubber bands, plastic spoon, 1 mini marshmallow, measuring tape 

Design a leaf sculpture that is greater than 6 inches tall

 Constraints:  None

 Materials:  a ruler, wikki stix or pipe cleaners,  leaves you have collected from your yard 

Design something that would hold an apple on top of your head as you walked from one side of the room to the other.  (Bonus: Measure and record the area and perimeter of the room)

Constraints: None

Materials: 2 pieces of 8 ½ x11 paper, 6 in. tape, (optional: tape measurer)