And, in the blink of an eye another school year begins…

After two days of adventure, building relationships and laughs and smiles, the 7th and 8th graders began the work of “doing” science and engineering.  Several of the 7th graders asked me if the class to do an Egg Drop Challenge in which they have to design and construct an apparatus that will prevent an egg from breaking as it free falls from the window of the building.  What?  Kids excited and interested in an engineering challenge…game on!  I was happy to make it happen :).  The drop is on Monday so stay tuned for the results.

Meanwhile, the 8th graders were challenged to manipulate the variables of a soap boat system with the goal of making it go the farthest.  Students changed the boat shape, boat size, amount of soap and many other things to see what might work best. 

Throughout these days, I was reminded how “fast” students like to go.  So many of them get lost in the excitement of the challenge that they forget to slow down and really plan and think through a challenge in a systematic way.  This was a good reminder of how important it is for me to provide a framework that slows students down and encourages deep, critical thought while still allowing for free thinking and development of ideas.  Ask your kids about their challenges!