Rehoboth Elementary students solve engineering problems
In place of the traditional science fair platform, Rehoboth Elementary fifth-graders piloted a new engineering design program that allowed students to create problem-solving projects.
Science teacher Jacquie Kisiel said she and her Love Creek Elementary counterpart, teacher Kelly Hynes, decided to try the new program so students could explore and demonstrate their emerging design skills.
“We are hoping to expand our timeline of events to the other schools next year,” Kisiel said. “The students’ prototypes are on display as well, and they are amazing. I see lots of budding engineering careers on the horizon.”
Students had to defend their projects to judges, who evaluated them on planning, design, construction, testing, improvements made and creativity. Immersion students presented their designs in Spanish.
Morgan Ryan tested different products that could help make cut roses last longer, and Apple Wang constructed a wind-powered moving scarecrow made of recycled materials to keep birds away.
Meryl Smith created the beach sortanator to help her sort recyclables from trash during beach cleanups, and even drilled holes in the bottom of the bucket to filter out sand and water.
Harrison Hayes created the water saver strainer to help prevent spills when his mother is draining vegetables or fruits from a can. The strainer collects 99.9% of water from the can, which can then be used to water plants, he said.
Adeline Bekeshka said she loves throwing paper airplanes, but doing it too long can make her arm sore. So, she created a paper plane launcher with a shoebox, popsicle sticks and rubber bands.
Callie Kupa loves panda bears, so she constructed a hydraulic crane prototype powered by the pressure of water in syringes that could be used to rescue pandas in the case of a fire.
Because her mother likes listening to podcasts while cooking, Raina Passwaters crafted a speaker to magnify sound from her phone.
Delaney Keating made her plant-watering chores easier by creating a multi-watering can with different-sized nozzles to help her reach big and small plants, as well as those up high.
