Valentine Challenge Sparks Students’ Inner Engineer

Third Grade students at The Episcopal School of Knoxville celebrated Valentines Day with a special museum of their own inventions called Valentine Delivery Systems.
“When the students come to third grade this is one of the things that they always know that third grade does, so even in the beginning of the year they are asking when do we get to study simple machines?” Third Grade teacher Megan Jenkins said. “There is a lot of built up excitement and anticipation. They are really excited to come in and show off their handy work.”
Students were charged with creating a Rube Goldberg type machine that combines at least three simple machines that interact to move a Valentine (either a letter, a piece of candy, a plastic heart, etc.) from point A to point B. Rules said no hands touching the Valentine during its conveyance.
The simple machines available for use were a level, wheel and axel, inclined plane (ramp), pulley, screw, wedge. Students have spent time over the last month studying each of the different simple machines including how they work and how they are used in everyday life. Their inventions had to work without batteries, electricity, or magnets, and to perform reliably and repeatedly.
Students designed their own outrageous delivery systems using household items for construction, including Lego cars, toilet paper tubes, wheels, spools, rolling pins, boxes, plastic water bottles, a pinewood derby car, and lots of duct tape.
“We talk about being realistic and how to narrow it down to something that is doable because they have really big elaborate ideas,” Jenkins said. “They start out with this grand idea and then they have to bring it down to real life.”
Jenkins, along with fellow third grade teacher Ashley Parham, prime the children each year by showing them how the different simple machines work and examples from years past as inspiration for the project. The classes also took a field trip earlier this month to the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Fellow students, faculty, parents and friends visited the Third Grade classrooms last Tuesday and each student had the opportunity to show others how their chosen simple machines combine to delivery a tasty treat.