With our mentors and the Ladybugs today we used half pipes and tape to create marble runs. The challenge? Create a run using elevation, having a twist and having the marble land inside a container. The difficulties? How to attach the top of the pipe to obtain adequate elevation. How to create a twist in the pipe that did not cause the marble to fall out or to lose momentum. How to have the marble land in a container that it would not pop right out of immediately. Creative feats of engineering were discovered by all.

 A wonderful field trip to Seattle! We saw Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, participated in a talk back with the actors, went to the International Fountain and had lunch.

 I wanted you to be able to see the amazing 3-D sculptures the bumble bees made because they will not be strong enough to make it home in a backpack. The children had multiple items to try to fashion their structures out of but found that the chenille rods and marshmallows were the most successful. They discovered that squares were strong but triangles were stronger as some of the cubes and  rectangular prisms collapsed but the triangular prisms and triangle based pyramids held strong. I was surprised and so proud at the successes of many of our little engineers!

 In a STEAM challenge this week Bumblebees, Ladybugs and their mentors used 40 cups and built the tallest tower possible. The tallest topped out at 37 inches before tumbling to the ground.

Next they combined teams and each half of the room worked to build the tallest tower possible. Students discovered the circular tower was strong and stable whereas the straight line tower fell easily and was not nearly as high. Students also noted that arguments within the groups were not productive and teamwork enabled a much more successful result.