Air Mail Challenge

During Week 2 of After School To-Go, students participated in an activity based on the skills used by Manufacturing Engineers! Have you ever considered what goes into packaging your mail? Students were challenged to create a mailing container that could withstand the trip to the Pacific Ocean and the drop into the water. They took into account the mass and density of the packaging, whether or not it was waterproof, and its ability to protect its contents from breaking. Before thinking about their prototype designs, girls conducted tests to measure all of these important qualities in a foam cup, a plastic cup, and a paper cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls then got to work building their prototype designs, using cups and other materials such as bubble wrap, cotton balls, packing peanuts, and duct tape. After their initial design was complete, students tested how well it protected a single Pringle chip by dropping the package to the floor from hip-level. Students then made the necessary modifications to their designs.

Underwater Flinkers

Will it sink or will it float? At Week 2 of Girlstart After School, girls planned and built a “flinker” device that does both! Before students began sketching their prototype designs, they reviewed important concepts, including mass, density, buoyancy and solubility. Students would find all of these terms important while creating their flinkers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 2 was based on the careers of Marine Engineers. Girls were asked about the difficulties that Marine Engineers encounter when recovering samples from the bottom of a body of water. Answers included the weight of the object, the strength of the line or chain, and water currents. By sinking slowly to the bottom of a body of water, flinkers can help Marine Engineers overcome some of these obstacles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each group received a hodgepodge of materials, such as pool noodle slices, packing peanuts, cork, washers, and binder clips. Girls got to work building a prototype flinker, then tested their first designs in a pitcher. With the help of their STEM crew leaders, girls observed and recorded the length of time their projects “flinked” in the water. Girls then revised their designs, adding or removing different materials, and tested it once again. Week 2 of Girlstart After School was a swimming success!

Pop Fly!

 

For the first week of After School To-Go, students designed catapults and started the year off with a pop! Students were excited to get the ping pong balls flying. Before brainstorming their catapult designs, girls talked about their expectations and excitement for the new semester of Girlstart. Students went over the Engineering Design Process – a set of never-ending, always-improving steps that include asking questions, brainstorming and researching the possibilities, building a prototype, testing the design, and revising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the catapult, girls learned about levers. Levers are simple machines which make work easier by utilizing pivot points to convert a small amount of input into a lot of movement! Using this knowledge, the students got to work designing and planning their catapult prototypes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to test their catapults! Each catapult launched a ping pong ball, and girls evaluated the success of their designs and made adjustments. After School To-Go is flying into this fall semester and even more exciting activities are to come!