Gloved Hands Apply Principles of Engineering and Design

Lower School Science teacher Todd Webster once again seized an opportunity to use nature as his classroom as he and a group of fourth and fifth graders trudged through the snow in frigid temperatures, armed with snowsuits, hats, gloves, and tupperware containers. Their task? To build an igloo by packing snow into large plastic containers to form the igloo`s bricks and then arranging those bricks to form the structure of the "building." While this project undoubtedly raises questions in young minds about how Eskimos managed to survive and thrive under these conditions, the project was more scientific in nature. It is part of a Models and Design unit from fifth grade science, a unit that explores how engineers design bridges. In the past the class has explored the arch bridge by building model bridges out of marshmallows and pasta. When Mother Nature cooperates, Mr. Webster uses snow to help the children understand the principles of arches and domes. This is the fourth year in a row that the weather has complied - and this year, the snow stayed around long enough for Mr. Webster and his students to create an additional free standing arch structure, an eleven brick structure complete with a keystone in the middle. They built steps on each side and will soon test the structure to see if it will support their weight as each student tries to walk across it. "Students can really understand the strength of an arch design when they get to build it and then walk across it," Webster explains. And clearly, they have fun in the process!