Grade 5 Students Engineer Solutions to Safe Halloween Candy Distribution

The students were tasked with using simple machines such as pulleys, inclined plane/ramps, wheels and axles and levers to make the distribution of Halloween candy safer. 
St. Margaret’s grade 5 students embraced the challenges of continuing a beloved holiday tradition while adhering to physical distancing guidelines last week, putting their engineering creativity to work for a fun STEAM project.

The students were tasked with using simple machines such as pulleys, inclined plane/ramps, wheels and axles and levers to make the distribution of Halloween candy safer. 

The assignment required the use of a simple machine that could reach six feet and keep children in mind regarding safety and ease of use. 

Students brainstormed, planned and designed their projects, going as far as measuring and evaluating their home space where candy would be distributed to factor in driveway slant, number of steps and other unique circumstances. 

The results included a pulley system that delivered a bucket of candy six feet, a vehicle attached to a rope that rolled candy down a driveway, ramps/shoots that slid candy great distances, catapults that launched candy safely into baskets, and various other ideas—many of them functional and ready for use on Halloween. 

The unit, led by Lower School science teacher David Beshk, was a relevant way to practicing engineering concepts for grade 5 science and STEAM, which include defining simple design problems reflecting a need or a want, generating multiple possible solutions, and planning and carrying out tests of a prototype and seeking ways to improve on it. 
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An Independent Preschool Through Grade 12 College-Preparatory Day School in Orange County California

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