Quick- What movie is this a line from –

“It’s the best of the best…..”

Can’t decide? Keep thinking about it and I’ll let you know later.   In the meantime, this post is about the best of the best! About two weeks ago I added a post about the favorite STEM challenges in my classroom- according to the kids! You can read that post right {HERE} Today I have a new list and it’s all about the favorites in my classroom- from my point of view!

In this post, for your convenience, you may find Amazon Affiliate links, which means Amazon passes tiny amounts on to me- if you purchase something through that link, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep this little blog running!

Don’t get me wrong, I love all the challenges students picked for our top 5! But, if I have to pick the top five, my list is entirely different than the kids. Their opinions tend to be swayed by the fun factor….. just sayin’ .  So, here are my top FIVE best STEM Challenges and reasons I love them the most!

Building Boxes

So, kids have this task:  “Create a cereal and its box. Using a piece of poster board make your own box, with the goal of having the largest possible volume.”    Every group has the same size poster board. You might think that all the boxes will be the same….nope!

In the end, each team presents its box and a commercial they have written. All the boxes are measured for their final surface area and volume and a winner is declared. This STEM activity is just jam-packed with stuff! It makes kids think and plan and work together! (On a side note, the materials are just ridiculously easy: poster board, tape, empty cereal boxes, and markers!)

Mystery Build

This is such a crazy good challenge for so many reasons.  The structures the kids built were amazing, but the best part for me was watching them plan. They drew elaborate sketches and then checked the materials. I listened as groups tried to decide what was needed and then bargain with each other for items, like this: 

“Okay, I do think we need craft sticks, but not as many as you think. And I think we need three feet of tape, so let’s try this. Let’s get 5 craft sticks and 2 feet of tape. That will cost less and we get both things.” 

You can read more about this challenge right {HERE} (By the way, this challenge is a freebie in my TpT store!)

Build a Pipeline

The main problem is not just the journey to get the water, but the fact that the water is often contaminated by the faulty pipe system. I found images online of pipes and drainage systems that were quite startling to my students. They, of course, think the source of all water is the tap in their kitchens or bathrooms. It has never occurred to them that water is not sent to people like this all over the world.

This challenge was eye-opening for my fifth graders.    The design challenge was to work as a charitable organization with a plan to create a safe pipe system for remote villages. Each group built a model of their pipeline to present to the charity hoping it will be adopted. The goal of making better piping systems for disadvantaged communities is the focus.   Kids had specific design constraints for their pipelines. The demo of their systems did not use real water! We made a ping pong ball travel through the pipe system! I love this challenge!

UPDATE: I also have this same challenge available in a water version. Students use cups and straws to create a water-bearing pipeline! You can find it here>>> Water Pipeline

Rescue Devices

I had no idea how this would work, but it was spectacular. The two smaller groups conferred and kept talking as each separate part was being built. They measured together and made sure pieces fit together. They tried out preliminary parts of the devices to make sure they would work together. It was awesome!  

We tried three different versions of this format, but my favorite was the rescue challenge. Teams had to build a platform and the cranking device that would raise the platform from the ground to a three-foot height. The scenario was that the teams had to rescue a friend that has fallen off a cliff-side.

I love this challenge purely for the teamwork I saw as kids completed it! (You can read more about these tasks right {HERE}.   On a side note, you may notice we use a lot of craft sticks. I really use both sizes- the narrow and the wide. Two tips: Re-use them! We take structures apart and save materials that can be re-used. And the second tip is to buy large quantities to save money. I buy giant boxes of craft sticks, like these: 

Ramps

This produced so many extra design opportunities. Kids wanted side rails on their ramps, the transition from the ramp to the floor was a problem, some wanted free-standing ramps, and some cars just would not stay upright. So many things to consider, but it was amazing to see. We stopped often to talk about why results were not what we expected and what could be going wrong. Total fun and all you need is a lot of cardboard and a bunch of little matching cars!  

Alright, STEM Friends, that gives you a little more information about my favorite STEM challenges. How does this compare to the choices students made? Their choices and mine are all different! All ten of the challenges are just super. Try one of them from each list and decide for yourself. 

KIDS:   

• Roller Coasters
• Pancakes
• Boats
• Bungee Jumping
• Catapults

  MINE:  

• Building Cereal Boxes
• Mystery Builds
• Pipelines
• Rescue Devices
• Ramps

By the way, did you remember the name of the movie yet? It’s Top Gun!  That quote is from the very end of the movie! The best of the best easily describes the ten STEM challenges in this post!