This week at Girlstart, the girls took another shot at designing a vehicle. These “coffee cup drag race cars” were meant to go farther and faster than last week’s vehicles. The girls soon realized that while quicker and more durable vehicles are better, they’re also more difficult to produce.
Across the classroom at Pecan Springs Elementary, students carried a mix of frustration and determination as they tried to create a rubber band powered coffee cup car. De’Erica struggled to pull the rubber band through her cups.
“Experimentation is just a lot of failed attempts” Eugena, a Girlstart STEM crew member, told De’Erica.
Then it clicked. First, tape the cups, then deal with the rubber bands. De’Erica quickly assembled the car then placed it on the ground. It steadily trekked across the tile floor as the rubber band inside unwound itself.
“You’re like an engineer,” Eugena said with a smile. “Scientists have to go through a lot of trials in order to get their experiments to work.”
On this day, De’Erica learned failed attempts make successes that much more magical. Excited, she ran to show the other students her car’s power.
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