After reading the story "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary, students build an alarm system for something in the classroom as the main character, Leigh, does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students learn about alarms and use their creativity to create an alarm system to protect their lockers, desk, or classroom door. This activity uses a…

Rube Goldberg is famous for his very complex machines that accomplish everyday tasks. In this activity, students design and build a Rube Goldberg machine that will accomplish a simple task in no less than 10 steps. This activity requires a 120-360 minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

When asked to list some strong materials, people think of steel, concrete, and wood. In this activity, students learn about the force of compression and how it acts on structural components through a hands-on group problem. Using everyday products such as paper, toothpicks, and tape, students construct a structure that will support the weight of a…

After a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works, students create a parachute using different materials that they think will work best. They then test their designs, which is followed by a class discussion to highlight which paper material worked best. This activity requires a 60-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

In this activity, students build a city out of sugar cubes, bouillon cubes, and gelatin cubes. The city is then put through simulated earthquakes to see which cube structures withstand the shaking the best. This activity requires a 50-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

In this activity, students reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation so that it can withstand a 480 N-cm bending moment (torque) and a 280 N-cm twisting moment (torque) with minimal deflection. One class period is used to discuss the problem, run the initial bending and torsion tests, and graph the results. The second class is used for…

Working in teams of four, students build a tetrahedral kite following a specific set of directions and using specific provided materials. Students use basic processes of manufacturing systems-- cutting, shaping, forming, conditioning, assembling, joining, finishing, and quality control--to manufacture a complete tetrahedral kite within a given…

In this activity, students work with specified materials to create aqueduct components to transport two liters of water across a short distance in the classroom. The goal is to build an aqueduct that will supply Aqueductis, a Roman city, with clean water for private homes, public baths, and glorious fountains. By introducing various ideas and…

Earth is running out of space in landfills and non-renewable resources are being depleted. In this activity, students address the question, "How can we reuse some of our garbage so that we begin to throw away less?" Students brainstorm ideas for an effective board game format and design a game in which players try to come up with alternative uses…