2020 Lesson #11 (STEM) Lego Engineering

Lego Engineering with STEM!

Engineers use a process when building. We talked about the steps to designing and building.

Step 1: Define the problem. Ask questions!
Step 2: Imagine/Come up with an idea
Step 3: Plan
Step 4: Create
Step 5: Improve

A lot of times Engineers design something that will solve a problem, like a bridge. As they work through the steps their design is imagined, planned out, created, and then improved upon. Just think about the car industry. Each year new cars are designed that have been improved upon from the previous year! Engineers are always thinking of how to make their creation better.

We used the steps to Engineering to build Lego cars that were powered by air (balloons)!

2020 Lesson #10-Waves

Waves

We talked about four types of waves: Longitudinal, Transverse, Electromagnetic, and Mechanical. In physics, a wave is a disturbance that travels through space and matter transferring energy from one place to another. When studying waves it's important to remember that they transfer energy, not matter. 

Sound is a type of energy made by vibrations. When any object vibrates, it causes movement in the air particles. These particles bump into the particles close to them, which makes them vibrate too causing them to bump into more air particles. This movement, called sound waves, keeps going until they run out of energy.

We had fun watching a candy wave machine and a slinky demonstrate how the vibrations ripple through and bounce back. 

Then we played with the Vortex Cannon. We were all amazed with the Vortex Air Cannon. It was fun to see the cups get blown over from across the room. Vortex cannons create a 'vortex' or ring of air that blows out as the air on the inside of the cannon is moving faster than the outside air. 

 

We finished up the lesson by creating a mini vortex cannon to take home!

2020 Lesson Nine-The Brain

The Brain was fascinating to learn about! Our brains are the operating system for our body and are part of the central nervous system. Our brain weighs about 3 pounds and contains billions of neurons (cells that send messages to our body). There are several areas of our brain that control different functions on our body. It's important to protect our brain so that our body can function properly.


We looked at "Larry's" brain and saw the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex.

We discussed the 4 lobes of the brain, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. We also talked about the jobs of each area of the brain. 

We learned about Phineas Gage who had an accident while working with explosives. An iron rod went through his head and brain, causing him to have a completely different personality than he did before his accident! Now doctors and scientists know the different areas of the brain affect different parts of the body, including behavior and emotions. 

Then we played some games, looked at optical illusions, and solved riddles to get our brains thinking!