Have you ever wanted a gem of a science activity, but you aren’t sure where to start? Or maybe finding all the materials is time consuming and not really your thing.
Sometimes even science girls like me feel that way!
This kit had me when I opened the box and saw all the wheels. Piles of wheels with sturdy axles. I pictured untold numbers of solid vehicles demonstrating principles of physics without falling apart and without falling off.
I’ve seen enough thread spool cars powered with rubber bands and match sticks to last me a life time.
Make STEM Connections with Gravity Jousting is an introduction to a fabulous physics kit that will last through all of your children- whether you are a homeschooling family of 3 or 10.
Sturdily wheeled vehicles for all home physics students! Rejoice!
Make Time for STEM Exploration
This kit is designed for classroom teachers, but it can easily be adapted for the home environment. One of the best things we have that classroom teachers do not is TIME.
Part of the exploration process is leaving large blocks of uninterrupted time devoted to this purpose.
Some of our best discoveries come from open ended problem solving.
When they can think for themselves, make connections between disparate bits of information, observe with interest, ask their own questions and unashamedly follow an interest in any direction, they are in league with some of the greatest scientists in history. -Free Range Learning
Experience the STEM Design Loop
Once you’ve got the time set aside, it’s time to get to work.
- Determine the problem.
- Brainstorm solutions to the problem. This step includes drawings of the designs and some conjecture as to how the designs might perform.
- Narrow down your ideas and build your best choice.
- Test the design. That means it’s time to joust!
- Gather the data by observation- this could be qualitative or quantitative.
- Improve your design- using information and observation you’ve gained from the test
Pro Tip: This is where the time comes in. My guess is that after a few rounds of jousting, your students will know how they want to try and improve their vehicles. Have them begin at the design stage again, this time armed with new information.
Criteria for STEM Problem Solving
Part of solving a problem is working within the parameters you’ve been given. Parameters are the limitations you have to work within for the solution to meet the criteria. Gravity Jousting sets up a problem and gives the students parameters.
- Sets the rules for the testing time- so that each joust is fair and roughly the same without interference
- Directions for the basic chassis of the vehicle- this part is brilliant, actually. Whatever other design students come up with, the frame of the car and the wheels are the same. It levels the playing field a little more between jousters. The materials for making the chassis are the same and the way they are constructed is the same.
- Materials are provided- so that what the vehicle is made of doesn’t decide a joust
- Balloon size- is given and the type of balloon is specified (and comes with the kit). Though we did find this problematic as the balloons kept popping before reaching the desired diameter.
- Construction criteria- there are other elements of design that must be followed regarding the balloon and the area in front of the balloon (such as an area of access to the balloon surface).
The vehicle criteria serves to present additional challenges to your design teams and it helps to make sure the lances can have a chance at success during the joust.
Pro Tip: In the homeschool environment, you can open this up a bit more and see how that changes the design and the joust. Sometimes, the criteria serves a classroom well, but is a little more dull at home. As a teacher, how would you change the criteria to increase a challenge?
STEM Curriculum for Gravity Jousting
The Gravity Jousting Starter Pack from Pitso Education comes with everything you need to get your own jousting tournament rolling.
- Materials for building the chassis of the vehicle
- Materials for binding the parts of the vehicle
- Items for constructing the rest of the vehicle
- Ramp for the jousting tournament
- Other items necessary for the joust
- Lab sheets- including the directions, the parameters of the activity, and places to design and record your exploration.
- Teacher’s Guide- with everything you need laid out and ready to go.
- Posters- on the engineering loop process
There are other things you might want to have on hand that are not in the kit:
- Clear tape
- Masking tape
- Cutting tool
- Balloons- there are balloons included with the kit and I suspect they were chosen for their pop-ability (water balloons), but these are tiny balloons and cannot seem to blow up to the required diameter. Be careful though! Bigger balloons can be thicker and more difficult to pop with the lances.
Pro Tip: Once you’ve used the items in the kit, your student might want to try other materials. This is a great way to encourage creative problem solving. See if you can meet the jousting vehicle criteria in a new way.
STEM Connections with Gravity Jousting
One investment in the Gravity Jousting kit will incorporate many STEM concepts. A starter kit will allow a family to use the activity for multiple years and to tackle many principles.
- Potential Energy
- Kinetic Energy
- Gravity- the force which powers to vehicle down the reamp
- Weapon & Defense Technology- in the historical context of the medieval joust
- Engineering Design- of shields, armor, chain mail, lances with metal tips, stirrups for horse riders, etc
- Velocity- calculated from a distance and time
- Determine Dimensions
- Calculate Area- of the shape of your vehicle
Pro Tip: If you have advanced students you can try calculations of kinetic and potential energy.
So, put those piles of wheels to work.
More STEM Posts at Blog, She Wrote
STEM is kind of our thing. Here are some more opportunities to enjoy STEM here at Blog, She Wrote
100 STEM Activities for Kids & Teens of All Kinds– Is a curated list of the STEM content here on the blog and some other sites we like a lot.
Science Quest Calculating Density– Finding the volume of an irregular object and calculating its density
How to Make a Marble Speed Trap with LEGO Mindstorms– Using Mindstorms sensors to measure the speed of a marble and calculating the velocity.