Rehoboth fifth-graders showcase engineering projects
Rehoboth Elementary families, classmates and staff recently gathered in the cafeteria to admire engineering expo projects fifth-graders had created over the course of several weeks.
“We were tasked with identifying a problem and then had to design and present a creative solution for that problem,” said Fletcher Houck.
Students were required to research issues they commonly encountered in their daily lives.
“I was very impressed with all of the projects our students put together for this year’s expo,” said Oliday La Ragione, the Spanish immersion teacher who coordinated the expo. “They had an incredible variety, from self-watering dog bowls to modern-day projectors. I am certain that we have some future engineers in this class!”
“It was cool to see the different types of problems everyone selected,” said Everly Otens. “Some people showed pictures of the problems and their solutions because it was at their house, while others were able to share actual prototypes of the solution they designed.”
Students also had to get creative when it came to materials used to build their prototypes. “Several projects used wood as their main material,” said Ava Kaskey. “But other materials were things like pool noodles, popsicle sticks, plastic jugs and other common household items.”
Students had roughly six weeks to identify their problem, test their theories on what would solve it, and create a poster board or digital presentation to share with judges. Points were given for eight different criteria: ability to describe the problem, ability to explain a solution or possible solutions, the plan/design of the solution, the prototype created, whether or not it worked, their ability to describe an aspect of the design they had to improve upon, the follow-up test after the improvement was made, and overall creativity.
Caroline Feist selected a problem many Sussex County residents might relate to. “My family has really bad allergies, so my solution was to create an air purifier,” she said. Caroline’s first prototype included a fan and one air filter, but she soon came up with an improvement. “I quickly realized that attaching four square air filters to the box fan was going to be way more efficient than using just one air filter,” Caroline said. She did more research on specific filters and experimented with placement of the unit to reach her final design and assess the results.
Mia Barnes identified a unique solution to a common problem. “My problem is that my markers dry out, and it happens to me a lot,” Mia said. “My solution was to create a refillable marker called the Re-Inkable.” Mia’s marker is a small tube-like canister with a sponge inside to soak up the ink, a hole in one end, and a cap on the other. When it’s time to refill the marker, she simply opens the cap and drops ink into the tube. “I also made a holder for the marker, kind of like a cap,” she said, “but I used a small box and created a holder for the marker instead.”
Other projects showcased included the Purr-Tect, by Everly Otens. Her research into the problem of her cat scratching and damaging their couch led to three solutions. The most effective was using vinegar spray to keep the cat away from the couch.
Ava Kaskey designed a modern-day projector using a cardboard box, flashlight, magnifying glass, clear paper, and black paint and paper. “I had to do a lot of research to figure out the best way to put a projector together,” Ava said. She said she learned how to choose the proper size box and position the flashlight in the right place for it to fully project the image.
Fletcher Houck focused on a simple problem. “My dog drinks a lot of water,” he said. “I was always having to refill his bowl, so I decided to use a plastic container and an old lemonade jug to create a water dish that refills as he drinks.”
For expo details, more photos and a list of medalists, go to tinyurl.com/3x2rntju.
