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St. Paul
MN
55117

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Engineering Lab

OVERVIEW

Kindergarten and Children's House

We started the year in Kindergarten learning from some of the best authors who have written about what engineers actually do! These books are Engineering Elephants, If I Were an Engineer, and Rosie Revere, Engineer! We're quickly learning that engineers have greatly influenced our lives, designing things that make our lives simpler and better.  We focus on natural vs. human-made objects. Kindergartners then quickly jump in and learn just how important engineers are in our lives!  After reading some great literature, they begin a simple classification system (sorting) to identify what engineers have designed and what they have not designed.

The kindergartners are partaking in their first engineering design challenge.  For this challenge, we read The Three Little Pigs and identified the problem they were having.  We then came up with a solution to help The Little Pigs, designed our solutions and created them. 

Problem:  The wolf blew down the pigs' houses. 

Solution:  Make the pigs a strong house that the wolf cannot blow down.

Design:  A strong house. 

Build:  Students are given materials to build a house. 

Test:   

 

Big Smelly Bear Backscratcher

 

 

For the kindergarteners kindergartners'second engineering design challenge, we read Muncha!, Muncha!, Muncha!. The student had to identify the problem that Mr. McGreenly was having and think of ways they could help him with it.  The students also had to make sure that the garden would get everything it needed so the plants could grow (water, sunlight, warmth, air, and love.) 

Problem:  The rabbits are eating the vegetables in Mr. McGreenly's garden. 

Solution:  Make something to keep the rabbits out of the garden. 

Design:  Some of the ideas the students came up with were to build a wall around the garden, create a dome over the garden, have a laser system that would detect the rabbits, and build a moat around the garden. 

Build:  Student were given craft sticks, cardboard (6"x6" for the garden), pipe cleaners, straws, construction paper and tape to create their solution.

 

Muncha!
 

 


Montorssi E1, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades

 

 


4th Grade

I’m excited to share with you that your child will be participating in the Minnesota Zoo ZOOMS Design Challenge. This integrated STEM program offers students a chance to develop a solution to a real problem faced by zookeepers and staff at the Minnesota Zoo.  During classroom implementation, students will be challenged to apply their science and math knowledge, creativity, teamwork, problem solving and research skills to best solve the problem and present a solution.  The selected projects will be invited to showcase their design challenge solution at the ZOOMS Design Challenge Exhibition in March at the Minnesota Zoo for a chance to win an animal backstage pass experience with a zoo naturalist, a zookeeper and an opportunity to pitch their design idea!

Enrichment Design Challenge:

Amur Tigers Enrichment Design - Design a durable and engaging enrichment device to encourage the natural behaviors of the three Amur Tigers at the Minnesota Zoo: Putin, Dari, and Patricia.

Enrichment Design Challenge Guidelines

Here are some students' enrichment designs.

 

Enrichment
Enrichment Design
Enrichment Design
Enrichment Design

 

Here are some of the finished enrichment designs that will be submitted to the Minnesota Zoo.  The zoo will ask some of the groups to present their enrichment design at the Zoom Design Challenge Fair in March.  

 

Sheep
Snowperson
Enrichment

 


Montorssi E2 and 5th Grade

I’m excited to share with you that your child will be participating in the Minnesota Zoo ZOOMS Design Challenge. This integrated STEM program offers students a chance to develop a solution to a real problem faced by zookeepers and staff at the Minnesota Zoo. During classroom implementation, students will be challenged to apply their science and math knowledge, creativity, teamwork, problem solving and research skills to best solve the problem and present a solution. The selected projects will be invited to showcase their design challenge solution at the ZOOMS Design Challenge Exhibition in March at the Minnesota Zoo for a chance to win an animal backstage pass experience with a zoo naturalist, a zookeeper and an opportunity to pitch their design idea!

Design Challenge:

Amur Tigers Exhibit Redesign - The Amur Tiger Basecamp exhibit needs to be brought into the 21st century with a new immersive design that balances keeper, animal, and visitor needs.

Exhibit Design Challenge Guidelines

Here are some students' exhibit designs.  We are in the early stages of designing.

 

Basecamp Design
Basecamp Design

 

The students are coming along nicely with their exhibit models. Soon they will start working on their tri-fold presentation poster.  Once they have everything finished, their projects will be submitted to the Minnesota Zoo.  Some of the groups will get the opportunity to go to the zoo and present their project to the zookeepers and other staff at the Minnesota Zoo.  

 

Tigers Exhibit
Tiger Exhibit 1
Tiger Exhibit 2
Tiger Exhibit 3