Solar Sails: The Future of Space Travel
Teams of students in grades 7 to 9 follow the engineering design process to create, construct, test, and improve model solar sails made of aluminum foil to move cardboard tube satellites through “space” on a string. During the process, they learn about Newton’s laws of motion and the transfer of energy from wave energy to mechanical energy.
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Solar Sails: The Future of Space Travel
Tags: Aerospace, Class Activities, Design, energy transfer, Engineering Design Process, forces and motion, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Newton, Newton's Laws, NGSS aligned activity, solar sails, space exploration, spacecraft, teachengineering
Kids love exploring the world around them, and Earth Day offers a great way to introduce them to environmental science and engineering. The following sampler includes activities, lessons, and resources that promote green engineering and science learning.
Plant a tree. Calculate your carbon footprint. Organize a community cleanup. There are countless ways that individuals — including students and teachers — can celebrate Earth Day and have a positive impact on the planet all year. Check out these Earth Day events plus activities, energy challenges, teacher professional learning, and other ideas for making an environmental difference all year ’round,
Students in grades 3-5 brainstorm ideas for board game formats. They then work in teams to design, create, and test games in which players must think of alternative uses (recycling) for used products.
Students in grades 3 to 5 learn about basic principles of engineering through a series of 12 hands-on activities and lessons related to the Olympics and sports, including designing venues and protective gear.
Students in grades 5 to 7 learn about how muscles work and follow the engineering design process to create their own biomedical device to aid in the recovery of a strained bicep. They discover the importance of rest to muscle recovery and that muscles (just like engineers!) work together to achieve a common goal.
Students in grades 7 to 9 explore mathematical algorithms and geometric concepts to devise possible solutions to how a robotic vacuum should move to best clean a floor of unknown shape and dimensions. They brainstorm, analyze, and present the best of the generated ideas before being introduced to an elegant solution that involves a random number generator determining which direction the robot will take when it hits a barrier. Note: Activity uses LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot and software. 
Celebrate National Robotics Week April 3-11 with robot videos, family code night, or other fun virtual activity designed to inspire the next generation of engineers and roboticists. 
Broadway tech, robotics, and racecar engineering are among dozens of engaging, interactive sessions being presented at Awesome Girls: National Girl Scout STEM Festival, a free virtual showcase for K-12 girls – including non-Girl Scouts – and their families. Register by April 9 for the Saturday, April 17 event. 
