PUE5Quest

  Before Thanksgiving break, my gifted 5th graders tested their engineering skills by building Mayflower boats from foil, tape, and straws to see which could hold the most pennies. It was a fun, hands-on STEM challenge that taught them about design principles, like how a wide, flat-bottomed boat can hold more weight before sinking. The winning team maxed out the penny load by using all 140 pennies! We then had to use heavier magnets to load on the weight. The winning group ended up using 140 pennies and 21 magnets! 

Recently, Mrs. Moss's 5th graders competed in a VERY competitive challenge! Students had to create an apple carrying "hat" that could be worn upon their heads, and steadied without the use of their hands. Once all "hats" were complete, we traveled to the gym to compete in a team obstacle course challenge. The obstacle course was not easy! It stretched from one end of the gym to the other; and included items such as hoola hoops, cones, and stair steppers. If the apple fell from a student's head, that student had to go back to the beginning of the obstacle course. Whichever team got all of their teammates through the course first were the winners! This was a really fun activity!