Animoto Vocab Movies

What does a chair, a bbq grill, and a bridge have in common? They are all examples of a deck. Dig in deep to this unit's vocabulary by watching these student-created videos.

Tunnels and Dams

Students explored the engineering feats of tunnels and dams today and had a chance to create models and face some life-like challenges. Check out their progress in the video!

WeDo Giants

Did you know that even before electricity was invented, people were imagining "robots"? Stories in Greek mythology refer to a giant Metal monster named Talos who protected the island of Crete. Today third graders designed their own giant and programmed it to scare away possible attackers. Some students even had a chance to add motion sensors. Check out their work - if you dare.

WeDo ArtBots 2.0

Fourth graders had a very challenging engineering task today! They designed a robot that can be programmed to create art. There were no plans to follow - they used their knowledge of gears and Lego mechanics in order to build a unique robot. We actually focused on our mistakes today and used what didn't work to figure out and re-design. Check out our "reflect and re-design" projects by watching the video!

Dome Day!

Fourth graders continued their exploration of architecture and engineering today as we examined and built domes. Ever wonder how strong an egg is? You might be surprised at how the shape strengthens the brittle shell. Check out the busy, teamwork-filled day by watching the video.

Vibrobots!

Fourth graders really had an "educationally amusing" challenge! We definitely had to have a growth mindset by figuring out what wouldn't work in order to get things to work! After all, we are hear to learn from our attempts! Students engineered robots out of some basic materials. The question this science experiment asked was "How does changing the counterweight on the motor effect the performance of the robot?" Most predicted a balanced weight (3 cm) would create the best performance (art). Watch the robot performances as they create art with the counterbalance at 1 cm, 3 cm, and 5.5 cm.

Valentiny Express

3rd graders have a design challenge for to prepare for the busy Valentine season! They need to design a balloon-powered vehicle that can carry candy hearts quickly to their destination. Check out the pictures and videos of them working together to problem-solve.They are ready to design and re-design to make this work! Way to have a growth-mindset!

Skyscraper Documentaries

Learning is reaching new heights as students research skyscrapers! Check out these documentaries to learn about some amazing architecture and engineering feats.

Skyscraper Explorations!

To start off our unit, we explored skyscrapers! Students figured out what it would take to have strength and stability. Then that was put to the test as "hurricane winds" approached the towers. Check out a bit of this awesome day in the following video.

Fred Sails Around the World!

Fred learned from his mistake! Now he always wears a life preserver around water! Fred has decided to sail around the world. Watch the video to see his big adventure! BEHIND THE SCENES EXCLUSIVE! Check out our third graders hard at work preparing Fred for his journey. To be successful they showed problem-solving skills, collaboration, attention to detail, and creativity as they build, modified, and programmed our Lego WeDo robots.

Coaster Craze

Check out our young 5th grade engineers! They had to design a coaster that they think will be able to come to a stop at the end of the track without flying off.They tried their plan on a coaster simulator and will then be creating 3D models - all while staying under budget! Coaster Craze part 2 Using the design from the coaster simulator, students created 3D models. The challenge: Create a coaster with just enough energy (kinetic/potential) to have the train (marble) make it to the end of the track without going over. Safe brake systems and energy manipulation had to be used to survive this challenge.

Monster Robots!

Today students built robots from a plan,modified monsterfied them, and programmed them. Check out the crazy monster robots!

Coaster Thrills!

5th grade engineers designed roller coasters today to test some physics. Take a peek!