Fourth-grade students in The Hive have been learning about plant and animal structures and functions and how internal and external structures function to support its 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 external 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: Seven of the test landings were successful and 25 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.
I used my knowledge of how warblers create their nests to help design my landing pad. I know that leaves and grass are amazing materials to help cushion eggs in a nest. The smooshy leaves absorbed the shuttle on impact, leaving my shuttle unharmed on landing. - @BlueBear
Using the idea of how birds construct their nests and applying that to designing a landing pad is harder than it sounds. If I could improve one things about my landing pad construction, it would be to make it bigger, stronger, softer, and taller. The shuttle missed our landing pad, so bigger would have definitely been better. Biomimicry is important because a lot structures we have are based on biomimicry designs. It helps us figure out how to build things better. - @McSecret
I used my knowledge of bird nest construction to help design my landing pad. First, my partner and I thought that we needed our landing pad to be big so that the shuttle wouldn't miss the landing pad. Next, we needed extremely good padding - we used fabric, crumpled styrofoam, and packing peanuts. Finally, we decided we needed siding so the shuttle wouldn't bounce out and crack. We used wooden sticks for the sides. Our landing pad turned out to be very successful. - @Ribbet
If I had more time to improve the design of my landing pad, I would have made a smaller size pad, so that I could focus more time on the actual padding part. I also would have added more structural integrity to my pad. - @ApplePie
I used my knowledge of how warblers build their nests when my partner and I designed our landing pad. Since I knew that the nests have two layers of padding, I used that same idea on our landing pad. We used a light layer of styrofoam on the bottom, added some bubble wrap, and then a few pieces of fabric. The softest layer was put on top just like a warbler's nest. - @YesSir
I would have improved our design of our landing pad by adding more supports on the sides. My partner and I thought that the packing peanuts would cushion the landing of the shuttle, but it didn't. It actually acted like a trampoline. I would also add more sticks to the sides as well as fabric. If we had done this, our shuttle landing would have probably been a success. - @PotatoPie
If I could improve the design of our landing pad, I would have made the walls a little taller so that the shuttle didn't fall off. Another thing I would have done would be to use softer materials and not bubble wrap because it only made the shuttle bounce. Lastly, I would make the pad a little longer so that there was a bigger target for landing. - @Oreo18
I used my knowledge of bird nest construction when designing our landing pad. First, we knew that it needed two layers, like a warbler's nest. We used foam and sticks for the outer layer and packing peanuts and fabric for the inner layer. - @Rosita
If I had more time, I would have made my landing pad taller and wider. Why? Because when I dropped my shuttle, I missed the landing pad. Also, I realized that the shuttle would most likely break, even if it landed on the pad. It wouldn't have had enough time to decelerate slowly and safely. The force exerted, caused the shuttle to crack. - @PizzaPie
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