Our Engineering & Design Camp for Girls allows students to spend eight days with Holton-Arms faculty designing bottle rockets, paper roller coasters, 3D printed designs, art-bots and other fun engineering projects. Students will use the design process to problem-solve, create, and revise solutions to engaging problems. Who's ready to build?
DAY: 7
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center was a very educational and fun experience. We learned and saw many things including the clean rooms [a place where engineers test equipment in a controlled environment before heading into space], the projected sphere [see video below], and the engineering facilities! In addition, we saw a life-sized rocket!
3D Printing
3D printing can sound scary and really complicated, but with all the great websites, it becomes easier. You can use websites such as Tinkercad to easily combine shapes to make your product, and upload it into programs such as Cura to transfer it to the 3D printer and print!
Students work in groups to complete the challenges of Ms.Hassell. They were: Build a house, then, make a chimney, put a hole in it, add a doorway, hollow out the house, and lastly, make a second floor.
Sphero Art
Today we used Sphero robots to create abstract art pieces. A Sphero is a robot that is shaped like a sphere and connects to devices through bluetooth. We made art by dropping paint on a large piece of paper and driving the Sphero around in the paint by controlling the robots through an iPad.
Here are photos from the museum!
Balloon Jousting
3D Bookmarks
Today we also got to design our own 3D printed bookmarks. We first drew our bookmark on a piece of paper, and then sent it to the computer to 3D print.
"The process of 3D printing is long, but it's worth it because the result is so cool." - Becca B.
Watch this cool time lapse of a Harry Potter design being printed.
Here are all of the bookmark designs we created.
" It was so much fun because you got to interact with the art by moving your limbs." - Molly W.
" This was the best museum I've ever been to! It was cool to experience something brand new. It makes you feel special. I liked being able to interact with everything because other museums don't do that." - Michelle C.
DAY 2: Paper Roller Coasters
Today we continued to construct and add design elements to our paper roller coasters, based on each group's theme. We also reviewed and modified our group's goals. It is exciting to see the transformation from paper and tape to these creative, final products. Our roller coasters have come a long way. -Sophie B., Becca B., & Ms. Hassell
Construction is almost complete!
DAY 1: Welcome & Intro Activity
WHAT'S IN YOUR CELL?
After the Name Game, we flexed our creative skills by drawing our own cells. Each cell was a creative representation of our interests and passions. Then, students shared their personalized cell with a neighbor and presented at least two details about their new friend to the class.
"Today I learned that when you collaborate with your team, it helps you work together in an efficient way. Plus if someone generates an idea, it can also spark new ideas for you."-Kimora V.
"Today I learned about innovation and grit. I know it will help me in the future because if I persevere and keep trying I can go a lot further in life." -Mallory V.
CAN YOU GUESS WHICH CELL BELONGS TO YOUR DAUGHTER?
DAY 1: Paper Rollercoasters
After lunch, we broke into groups and began our large project of the day - building paper roller coasters. We will finish them tomorrow, attempting to earn the most points for length, speed, and overall design. Teams have the added challenge of trying reduce "cost"by using the least amount of materials possible, while still meeting the challenge requirements. The only materials used are paper, tape, and a foam board for the base.
"First we plan, then we fold, fold again, and fold some more...😊" -Ms. Hassell
DAY1: Student Reflections
Students reflect on what the they learned and enjoyed on the first day of STEM Camp.
"The above quote is relevant to STEM because it says that if you don't succeed the first time you do something you can always keep trying. That is a lesson that you should always have in your mind when doing experiments." - Chelsea T.
"Starting paper roller coasters was really fun! My group's goal for tomorrow is to finish attaching and decoration our roller coaster parts." -Ayleen A.
Credits:
Ms. Hassell & Mr. Howard