At the end of Term 1, the PS STEAM Team designed, built and tested water balloon launchers. They spent some time talking about energy; potential and kinetic and how energy can be transferred from one object to another. They then looked at a few examples of catapults and launchers before using recyclable materials to make their own launchers.
The teams decided to make a three-man launcher using elastics and a cardboard container to hold the balloon. Two team members acted as the struts to hold the elastics and the third team member loaded the balloon in the container and pulled the elastic back, ready for launch. During the testing stage there was a lot of debate about how their launcher could be improved and what adjustments needed to be made to better launch their water balloon. Collaboration and problem solving skills were in full swing.
They ended the lesson by pairing up and ‘coding’ each other through a water balloon maze. One partner closed their eyes while the other explained to them how to navigate through the maze without stepping on and popping a balloon. When electricity is unpredictable and computer coding is not available, there are so many fun and exciting ways to code and create without technology.
Read more about STEAM and other extramurals on offer by clicking here. Click here to watch an Instagram reel.