Eggcellent+Ride

A main focus in my classroom is to incorporate engineering activities. I aim to give the students a problem and allow them to propose a solution. It's about trying, and trying agin. And thats exactly what these students got to experience.

We have begun discussing force and motion in relation to speed. We have also discussed the 6 simple machines and what their purpose is. Many of the students had never heard of some of the machines and it was really neat watching them learn what they are and be able to apply them to a project. We incorporated this content into an engineering project that the kids loved!

Activity: Students were to design a car (in small groups) that held an egg and kept it in one piece during a crash. The students first had to figure out how to solve this problem. They then designed a sketch of what their car would look like. After the creation of a vehicle, they could test their construction with a plastic egg. Their car was to roll down a ramp and hit a blank piece of wood. The egg must stay in the vehicle and survive the crash. They then tested their vehicle with a real egg. They then had to answer some reflection questions relating this activity with the 6 simple machines, force and motion.

We only had one successful trial, but the students really enjoyed the activity and grasped the content really well. We had lots of giggling and laughter when cars were unsuccessful - but we had lots of fun discussing ways we could have made the cars safer. Many of the kids came up with creative names for their egg friend. They always know how to make me laugh :)

I attached a few pictures of the car that I created to demonstrate to the kids. My car kept my egg friend alive.

Below is the attached lesson plan, the activity packet, and the note guideline for your view. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Feel free to email me at: skow@uga.edu.

Lesson Plan: Notes: Activity Packet: