Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Engineering Challenges -1st Grade




The end result might look like a free play time with weird materials.  I assure you that your children learned much more than how to make something that makes you say, "hmmmm?".  They used the Engineering Design Process to Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve this creation.  They had to work in teams and compromise to solve problems that arose.  They had to not always get their own way.  They had to learn how to handle disappointment when things didn't work as planned and find the strength to try it again.  Many mistakes were made along the way, but we shared those so that they could be learning experiences for everyone.  I'm so proud of how well they worked together toward a common goal using high level negotiation skills.  They are natural problem solvers!



These photos are early in the process of Create.  Note the journals opened so that they can refer back to their original plans. 





And here are some photos of their presentations where they explained their process to the class:
A ketchup and mayonnaise snake zoo


A tornado sucking up flowers in the vortex

A monster angler fish that doubles as a bracelet


Fairy boats that bring materials to each other

A tunnel that was "very challenging to build" and leads you to a park. 



A magic tree that takes you to different places and has a solid root system. 

This is a keychain that was a challenge because we learned how to put all of our ideas together into one thing. 

A bridge, a phone, and a beanstalk all in one!  The bridge leads to North Carolina

Swimming pool with a water feature that filters the water as you swim, a tower, a tree, and a playground. 

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