This week’s activities will be a series of fun family STEM challenges to try together at home. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM challenges encourage everyone to work together and think creatively to solve problems, whilst having loads of fun exploring and experimenting. So, let’s get started!
Challenge 1 – Tin Foil Boat
Who can build the strongest boat?
You will need:
Tin foil
Pennies*
Large bowl/tray of water (or use the bath!)
Step 1: Give each person or team the same size piece of tin foil
Step 2: Build your boat. Think carefully about the shape/size/length/width/sides.
Step 3: Before you put your boats in the water, first make a prediction. Which boat will hold the most and why?
Step 4: Place the boats in the water and add pennies one at a time to see which boat holds the most before it sinks!
Step 5: Was your prediction correct? Why/why not?
You can keep experimenting by unfolding the foil and redesigning your boat to see if you can make it hold more weight!
*If you do not have enough pennies, you could use a collection of other small objects such as marbles, gems, buttons or beads. Remember that all objects must be the same size and weight to keep the experiment fair.