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Engineering Activity Ideas
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Page Number |
Engineering/ Science Reference |
Activity Idea |
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1 |
Farmer carrying an axe |
Simple Machines:
Life on the Farm - how Farmers use simple machines
to go through their daily chores
axe - wedge (page 14 - list of barnyard tools) |
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8 |
Wilbur needs a new crate |
Sturdy Structures:
Build a new home for Wilbur - how could you create a
crate that could change its size as Wilbur grows? |
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13 |
Description of Mr. Zuckerman’s barn |
Sturdy Structures:
Design and build a barn that can fit all the animals
on the farm |
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17/ 23 |
Wilbur escapes under the fence because of a loose
board - screw/ bolts/ hammer and nail to fix it |
Simple Machines:
Life on the Farm - another example of how farmers
use simple machines |
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36-39/ 55 |
Charlotte builds her web |
Engineering Design Process:
How does a spider engineer her web to fulfill its
purpose? What strategies does a spider use to ensure
the web will not break?
Build a spider web using popsicle sticks, tape and
string.(build a support beam for it to hang on) |
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55-60 |
Examining the structure and function of Charlotte as
a spider
Queensborough Bridge - “Web-like design”
page 60 |
Engineering Design Process/ Purpose and Function of
Design/ Biomimetics:
How is Charlotte herself designed to be good at
catching flies and spinning webs? Why is Charlotte
able to spin a web and Wilbur cannot? How are all
the barnyard animals designed to fulfill their
purposes and their methods of survival - Templeton
the rat, Wilbur the pig, the goose, etc.? Engineers
often examine nature to get ideas on how to design
things (biomimetics) - using spider’s strong and
waterproof silk strands to design synthetic silk
fibers without toxic chemicals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/jul/31/sciencenews.biodiversity |
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51/ 64/ 67/ 77 |
How can Charlotte save Wilbur from his fate at
Christmastime?
Charlotte’s Engineering thought process
p. 64 “Never hurry and never worry.”
p. 67 “She felt sure that if she thought long enough
about Wilbur’s problem, an idea would come to mind.”
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Engineering Design Process:
Define the Problem. - analyze what must be done
Brainstorm possible solutions.
How does Charlotte’s way of thinking represent the
mindset of an Engineer? What do you think Charlotte
can do - brainstorming session/ potential building
lesson.
p. 77 How does Charlotte use her resources to help
Wilbur?
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68-70 |
Mr. Zuckerman’s Rope Swing |
Potential and Kinetic Energy, gravity, acceleration,
velocity, a pendulum |
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92-94 |
Charlotte Weaves “Terrific” into the web |
Examining the structural and aesthetic values of how
the web was able to stay together, even though many
of the middle threads were missing - support systems |
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96 |
Lurvey must build a new crate for Wilbur |
Sturdy Structure:
another building project to make a sturdy crate for
Wilbur |
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108-109 |
Dr. Dorian says that Spider Webs are Miraculous |
How did spiders learn how to make their first webs?
Examining and taking a closer look at nature to see
what we can learn from its well designed, efficient
processes |
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116-117/ 144 |
Charlotte the engineer - building an egg sac
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What are the characteristic features of the egg sac
that Charlotte made to protect the eggs? - strong,
waterproof, so eggs stay warm and dry |
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132 |
The Fair - Ferris Wheel |
How does the Ferris wheel represent a turning point
in Fern’s life? What is symbolic about the wheel?
How does a Ferris Wheel work - looking at the
mechanics behind a Ferris Wheel. |
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184 |
“It is not often someone comes along who is a true
friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” |
We should add ... who is a true friend, a good
writer, and a clever engineer...Charlotte was all
three |
Learning about Engineering through the eye of a spider
Engineering our way through Charlotte’s Web
BIOMIMETICS: FROM:
http://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=http://www.teachengineering.org/collection/cub_/activities/cub_lifescience/cub_lifescience_lesson03_activity2.xml
Background
Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature's best ideas
and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human
problems. Studying a leaf to create a more efficient solar
cell is an example of nature-inspired design. The premise is
that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already found
solutions to many human design challenges.</¶>
As an approach to problem-solving and design, biomimicry is
impacting the way engineers design our products and systems.
More and more, engineers are consulting nature's genius to
answer pressing questions such as, "How will we harness
energy?" or "How will we make our materials?" and "How will
we come up with new product designs to compete in a global
marketplace?" We are discovering that for every human
challenge, nature has a time-tested solution.
is a list of innovations inspired by animals and plants:
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Airplanes modeled after birds (wing and body shapes)
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Swimsuits worn by Olympic athletes that imitate dolphin and
shark skin membranes
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Radar and sonar navigation and medical imaging inspired by
the echo-location abilities of bats
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Re-usable adhesives inspired by the powerful adhesion
abilities of geckos and lizards
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Super-strong and waterproof silk fibers made without toxic
chemicals by spiders
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A better ice pick for mountain climbers designed after the
woodpecker
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Glow sticks made with light-up chemicals, just like
fireflies
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Very efficient pumps and exhaust fans applying the spiraling
geometric pattern found in nautilus sea shells, galaxies and
whirlpools
Example inventions inspired by plants:
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Hook and loop material (Velcro®) inspired by cockleburs
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Solar cells inspired by plant leaves (photosynthesis,
capturing energy from sunlight)
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A wind-driven planetary rover design that maximizes drag,
learned from the tumbleweed
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Self-cleaning exterior paint, tiles, window glass and
umbrella fabric inspired by the slick leaves of the lotus
flower plant and its natural ability to wash away dirt
particles in the rain
At the core of these biomimicry applications lie
fundamental, intuitive concepts. Derived from bios, meaning
life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate, biomimicry is not a
new way of thinking — we have studied nature for solutions
since the beginning of human history. Early human
civilizations evolved by play, imitation, and trial and
error. If you watch animals in nature, or even small
children, you see that they, too, learn by play, imitation,
and trial and error. Many indigenous cultures still engage
in a more connected relationship with the natural world.
They observe animals and birds to learn the best techniques
for stalking prey, identifing edible foods, and predicting
weather changes. Some of our early inventions were
discovered by watching nature; for example, the airplane
(inspired by birds of flight) and Velcro® (invented in 1948
by a Swiss mountaineer who returned from a hike covered in
burrs).
In essence, biomimicry provides a holistic framework for
engineering design that challenges us to look beyond what we
see in the human-made environment to the more subtle designs
found in nature. These subtle designs can lead to innovative
materials and products that have never before existed.
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