Over the past month, the School-age 1 children have been showing an interest in engineering and design as they use resources within the program to create their own inventions. We have seen machines being built, characters in games, along with houses and varying modes of transportation being constructed. During March Break camp, Keri and Josephine decided to scaffold on this interest and introduce an activity to the group that would encompass all of these areas of interest. The group was divided into 4 smaller groups, and were all provided with the same materials. The groups were then provided with the single objective of using these materials provided to them to construct a structure that would protect an egg breaking from a height. The excitement in the program was evident right away as you could hear conversation growing surrounding ideas.
Groups raced to their assigned tables and began piecing together their combined ideas. Some children began working on the structure that would hold the egg, while others worked on the overall design and artistic side of their structure. Once complete, Keri invited each group to provide on overview of their structure. From here, an egg was placed inside and the structure was dropped from a height. Two of our eggs completely broke, while two others stayed intact! Needing a tie breaker, the eggs were dropped from higher up. Again, the structures held up and the eggs remained unbroken.
The sense of community that was felt throughout this experience was evident as you could hear the cheering and encouragement from each of the teams from down the hallway. We can’t wait to see what other STEM experiences we get involved in!
