Engineers’ Workshop
(For students entering grades 5 to 7) ~
The new 2-week curriculum will consist of the following activities:
Wind-Sail Cars!
Students will be handed the challenge of designing, building and testing a wind-powered vehicle. This vehicle
will be designed via an orthographic projection drawing, cut out of pine wood with wheels and axles. The sail-design will be the choice of the student’s
liking. Topic of aerodynamics, simple physics, and vehicle design, as well as, the use of simple tools will be a focus with this lesson.
Rocketry!
Students will design and build a water rocket using 2 empty soda bottles. Students will design and cut their own fins, glue them to the rocket, and test them with Minuteman’s pressurized water rocket launcher. (Students will
be asked to bring in the following items: an empty 2 liter bottle, an empty 1 liter bottle and 1 golf ball
for ballast.)
Magnetic Levitation Vehicles!
Students will design and build a vehicle that uses the repelling qualities of magnets to power an electric-fan powered chassis down a 16 foot mag-lev track. Student’s vehicles will be tested by
time with an infrared timing system.
Monster Trucks!
Students will build an actual electric powered monster truck out of a variety of materials. Following a step-by-step procedure, students will use a variety of hand tools, cordless screwdrivers, electric drills, socket wrenches and spring makers to produce a four-wheel drive vehicle!
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