Cottonwood Elementary 6th grade students were recently assigned a science project that was taken to another level, in a literal sense.
Cottonwood teacher Emily Lehnardt assigned her students the task of designing a product that would make it easier for astronauts to live and work in space. Mrs. Lehnardt is also a NASA ambassador, and her students’ imaginations took them places she never would have thought.
She reminded her students that there are no bad ideas, and to think outside of the box. Failure can be helpful–just because it didn’t work right away here is still room to improve and learn to work through some problems.
One student designed a project that melts and heats polar ice using a series of chambers, along with a small shower for astronauts to use after working out. Another group designed a small water heater to use in space.
Another student created a solar panel to heat up water. The solar panel/spinner was the energy holder and was connected to the water tank.
This project took around a week and half, and Mrs. Lehnardt saw engagement in every student. Her students really enjoyed this project and worked hard with excitement.
Students were able to put their ideas to life and create the ideas they had. They were able to understand why they were doing this assignment and see how it really could be used in the real world.
Plus, the whole activity fit in perfectly with a specific standard, and her students soared from there.
Awesome work, to Mrs. Lehnardt and her students!