Lego Challenge: Solving STEM problems in Lower Elementary Science

photo 3 photo 2 photo 1

The Lower Elementary students took a break from their vertebrate studies this week to do a Lego challenge. Each student had to build a Lego model from a limited number of pieces that fulfilled certain criteria. Much counting and planning was involved in trying out solutions, and we discovered that although the challenge seemed simple, meeting all the criteria at once was surprisingly hard.

During our activities, we discussed how our Lego experience was very much like working as an engineer at a technology company, building a product that has to meet a customer’s specifications. Students had many thoughtful observations, such as the fact that when the building criteria were met the structure was almost impossible to move without it falling apart, and that when eleven people were all counting different things at once while sitting at the same table, everyone tended to lose count. We talked about how you might address these problems if you were running a company. It was a great discussion, and everyone had a lot of fun.

This entry was posted in Lower Elementary, math, science. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.