Grade 3 students enjoyed a STEM lesson that also worked on their creativity, teamwork and perseverance skills.  

The boys applied the engineering design process in a foil cargo boat experiment. They brainstorm, explore, and discover the best design for a cargo boat made from foil to hold the most pennies without sinking in a tub of water.  

“I think it’s cool because you get to try out different things and see which one works better,” Jackson ’32 explained.  

Lower School Science Teacher Beth Hughes said this experiment is a great way for our youngest Bears to learn the engineering design process. They can define a problem, design a solution, and test and improve the solution.   

“I learned that it’s good to make a wide base for the boat and spread the pennies out,” Zayd ’32 said.  

Daniel ’32 explained how he and his partner improved their design a few times before having the most success with their third. “The third one was great because it was baggy and we could put a lot of pennies,” he said.  

During this experiment, students also practiced the science skills of measurement, recording data, and analyzing results. 

Mrs. Hughes said hands-on STEM challenges are not just about fun and exciting classes.  

“They also help develop foundational science (and math) skills and concepts and foster creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration.  These will serve them well throughout their education and in fact their lives,” she said.