Fourth-grade students in The Hive have been learning about plant and animal structures and functions and how their internal and external structures function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. We took the topic a step further and asked students to explore its meaning and relevancy as it pertains to humans and the world around them.
Learning about the basic structures, functions, and adaptations of the human body (like opposable thumbs, skin, and the heart for example) was the perfect introduction to this topic. Students learned about the functions of these structures and how they support our growth and survival.
Students also participated in a honeybee exploratory lab to learn more about the structures of honeybees and how they function to support survival, growth, and reproduction. There was so much to see and understand about the internal structures of these important organisms. This activity lent itself perfectly to building a basic foundation of knowledge about the importance of bees in our ecosystem and how the pollination process is an essential part of plant reproduction.
The relevancy of this topic rested on our next exploration which was a deep dive into biomimicry (using the structure, systems, and elements that exist in nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems). Students took some time investigating the construction of basic garden bird nests. They studied the characteristics and use of these types of nests and the various materials birds use to build them. Ultimately, students determined that they were sturdy but flexible, camouflaged to hide from predators, bowl-shaped to hold the eggs and babies safely in the nest, and shock-absorbing - after all, those eggs need a soft place to land. So, what can we learn from bird nests? Probably more than you thought! We offered students an opportunity to practice the design engineering-build process by presenting them with a real-world problem that our friends at 'NASA' needed help solving. Enter Hive-X.
Students learned about the Orion space capsule mission and the need for space engineers to design a landing pad that future shuttle explorations could land on upon their return (rather than landing in the ocean). Our Hive-X space engineers put their knowledge and understanding of biomimicry to the test as they used the design of bird nests as the inspiration for their plans and prototypes. Design-build teams utilized a variety of materials, constraints, and the engineering design-build process to construct their landing pads. Their small-scale, fully functional prototypes were put to the test during a Hive-X Shuttle Landing Test Experiment (the shuttle being an egg). RESULTS: Fifteen of the test landings were successful and four were "not successful... YET". The experience reminded us that failure always offers us an opportunity to grow and when we take advantage of those moments and look at a problem differently, are patient with ourselves, and lean into the challenge, we can do anything.
This week's guest bloggers reflect on our biomimicry engineering design-build challenge experience. Enjoy.
When my partner and I designed our landing pad, we used our knowledge of bird nest construction to inspire us. For example, we used two layers: an outer layer made of cotton balls and packing peanuts; an inner layer of just cotton balls and cloth for padding. This resembled a bird's nest because many birds build nests with more than one layer for warmth, structure, and support. @ Seafoam-da-Seawing
Biomimicry is important because before there were cars, trains, and McDonald's, there was only nature. If there weren't inspiring ideas from nature, we wouldn't have a lot of things we now have. Take a plane for example. Did the idea of an airplane just pop into someone's head? Of course not. Someone was inspired by the flight of birds. Biomimicry solves many human problems and challenges. @WritingGod
I would improve the design of our landing pad in two ways. First, I would improve the "final slowing stage" by adding pine needles to help slow the descent. Second, I would have finished the parachute system which would have helped slow the re-entry module and kept it in place without moving it. I would have built one main chute and two side chutes. @TheScienceGeek
If we had more time to design our landing pads, I would have changed a few things. One thing would be to make the landing pad have sides because we noticed that the "shuttle" fell off our pad and having sides would have kept it on the pad. Another thing I would have changed is some of the materials we used. @Burt
I used my knowledge of bird nest construction to design our landing pad. We made our structure soft on the inside and sturdy and strong on the outside. The soft layer helped to cushion the impact so that the "shuttle" wouldn't break. The round, sturdy structure helped make sure that the shuttle didn't fall off the landing pad. The strong outside of the structure helped it stay together. @PotatoMonitor
If I had more time to work on our landing pad, I would have managed my time differently and would have spent more time on the plan. I had to start over at one point because my original plan did not work well and I did not think it would be a success. I had a ton of fun with this project and hope to do another engineering challenge like this again. @SoftballPiggy
If we had more time to improve the design of our landing pad, I would have made a parachute because it would have helped slow down the shuttle's landing so that it wouldn't have cracked. I would also like to have added a little more cushion to the pad. And finally, I would have liked to add some walls so that the shuttle stayed on the pad. @ChickenNugget
I used my knowledge of bird nest construction to design and build my landing pad by using cotton balls to make "underwear" (a basket-like cushion) to keep the shuttle safe on landing. ☺ @SoccerPro1
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