![]() A thick rubber band works the best but you may find your smarties solve it with other materials like pipe cleaners, string or even a tape braid. Remind students to test their helmet fit on their egg player while designing.Ī secure fastener or chin strap is a challenging part of this activity for younger students. Allow students to explore the materials and struggle with the initial design. You could even see how the helmet process begins and then share the helmet instructions with teams as needed.ĭon’t share completed examples in the beginning. This will allow you to cover a wide range of ages and ability levels and to use this activity across multiple classes.ĭecide if your students will use the helmet step-by-step instructions provided or create from scratch. Our guide includes varying levels of helmet creation, from step-by-step building instructions (with picture how-to’s) for younger students to easily follow, all the way to freeflow helmet creation ideas for older students. Then share available materials and have students brainstorm designs for their football helmets. This activity can also be completed individually so each student can take home their helmets.īefore building, discuss shock absorption and brain safety with students using the great videos or instruction sheets provided in the teacher notes section of this activity. Larger teams are difficult as not everyone will be able to actively participate. Grades 3 or above can work with up to teams of 3. For grades K – 2, students work best with just 1 partner. When eggs are dropped, students can point out what part of the brain might have been affected during impact (visible by a crack) and how this could hinder their egg player’s game performance. If someone falls backwards and bangs their Cerebellum, they may all of a sudden run into things, lose their depth perception and not be able to skip.ĭuring the STEM activity, have students draw the different areas of the brain on their egg’s head. Since the Prefrontal Cortex is in the front of the brain (the forehead area), if someone is hit and receives an injury to the front of their head they may experience an increase in impulsivity and begin spending all of their money on ice cream or blurting out the answers to every question a class is asked. ![]() The Cerebellum (C) governs motor skills and coordination. Our Hypothalamus (H) controls our body processes like temperature and blood pressure. Our Prefrontal Cortex (PC) is in charge of our attention span, impulse control and memory. Science Xplained: The (Bubble) Wrap on Football HelmetsĪ Mechanical Engineer who Protects Kids HeadsĬan a Football Helmet Diagnose a Concussion?Ĭonnect this challenge to the brain, concussions, and the study of neuroscience! Here is a brief background: Different parts of the brain perform different functions. ![]() To see this challenge in action, head over to the PBS Learning Media for a video of a 6th-grade teacher completing a similar activity. We recommend at least a 90-minute session to have enough time for each step of the engineering design process including fun video introductions, reflection, and sharing at the end. How long does the challenge take to complete? The basics of this activity can be completed in an hour-long class or you can utilize multiple hour-long classes to thoroughly incorporate the challenge and all of the extension activities. ![]() In the culminating egg drop, all would feel success in their teamwork participation! How cool would it be to turn this into a multi-grade level cooperative STEM challenge! The older grades could create the outer shell helmet and then work with the younger grades to incorporate the shock-absorbing material and the helmet fastener. What age is best for this challenge? This challenge is geared towards upper elementary to middle school students, yet could be leveled down to include students as young as Kindergarten.
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