How do you successfully engineer a ghost, made out of tissue paper and various other materials, so that it can successfully reach its destination?
What happens if you add or take away mass from a scarecrow made with recycled materials before you send it down a zipline?
These were just a few of the various activity centers that were part of Cannon Elementary School’s second annual STEMapalooza day held on Friday, October 21. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
“The purpose [of the event] is to align with the STEM mission of problem solving and working collaboratively to critically engineer a solution,” said Cannon Elementary School Principal Tina Garrett.
At the scarecrow station, students carefully decided what materials would add more mass to their scarecrow’s body, which was a recycled water bottle. While one team chose to fill it entirely with popcorn kernels, another group of students chose to fill it with trail mix. Both scarecrows successfully completed their zipline trek at relatively the same speed.
Over at the ghost landing design challenge station, first grade teacher Ha Dinh, explained that students were also using the engineering design process.
“The objective is to see if they can create a ghost to land it at the bottom of the steps inside the area of the hoola hoop,” she said.
Cheers of joy echoed as ghosts continually landed their target.
At a third station outside, students were designing pumpkins based on book characters.
Prior to the event, students also read the book “What Do Scientists Do All Day” as part of their fall STEM book challenge. Students then had the opportunity to collaborate with their families at home to engineer an artifact aligned to their grade level that is based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The artifact could be based on the tools that they used or the scientific field that the scientists study.
In the evening, the school is hosting a fall festival for all students and their families to visit and view the many artifacts and their students’ STEM projects.
Cannon Elementary is a STEM-focused campus. The program emphasizes engineering and design thinking.