Can a bridge made of paper support three large elephants?

Every class @KSL starts with a question that motivates and excites students to begin to think critically about the science we see everyday. Whether in Chicago, Seattle, or D.C., bridges are a critical part of how our cities work to transport pedestrians, wildlife, vehicles, and goods safely to their destination. So on this day in Builder’s Paradise, we used everyday innovations to better understand how to make bridges stronger with shapes and durable materials, how to protect them from both physical and environmental damage, and how to customize them to meet the needs of any unique situation in our city.

Students performed problem solving experiments along several dimensions to better understand Civil Engineering and Bridge Infrastructure:

• How do we make a paper bridge stronger by changing its shape and bundling (stacking paper together to improve its density)

• Why is it important to test maximum loads of each type of material on a bridge during and after construction

• How do environmental conditions (wind, humidity, heat, water) affect bridge designs

• Where may the certain types of bridges be most useful (beam, truss, suspension, arch)

Our older students may also have looked at what can go wrong in bridge design and discussed some of the issues in our U.S. infrastructure issues with bridges that are 100+ years old, that were designed before we had cars, trucks, and massive transportation infrastructure.

For more advanced learning, please show the following video or watch it alongside your child to build problem solving with bridges

What if the Burj Khalifa was made of bundled spaghetti?

Our students tested and evaluated the effects of real science in the city, by testing and evaluating various materials and their impact on stability and structural integrity for tall towers. When we think of our city, we mostly see wood, brick and steel, but what would our cities be like if they were made of marshmallows, plant fibers, or environmentally sustainable materials like corn. We challenged students to really ideate solutions for using new building materials and techniques applied to tall towers, if we ran out of iron or could no longer afford to use wood.

On this day, we used hands-on science and STEM experiments to explore:

• The ability of everyday materials to sustain load (Load-bearing capacity)

• How to improve stability of tall towers by using strong foundations

• Evaluating the impact of different building strategies on their impact to create stable, tall, and sustainable towers.

Inside your child’s Innovation Box, you will find additional building materials for thinking of unique and creative problems for the issues that arise just experiencing Science in the City with our builder’s paradise at Kids Science Labs!

As members, please take advantage of our KSL Rewards Program that offers benefits to our entire community. Call us at (773-798-2012 or email support@kidssciencelabs.com) and mention “KSL Blog”

• 20% off any new program registration (parties, camps, group events, field trips) after this camp

• Free access to KSL Academy Programs for gifted and enthusiastic young scientists

• Social media raffle for members to win birthday party giveaways at Kids Science Labs

• Exclusive members-only Youtube content that powers kids to outperform in STEM long-term and on NGSS tests in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade!

  ….Watch below with your child to advance their learning of how the tallest buildings in our cities were designed and built!

Seattle Summer Camps that motivate, inspire and create opportunities for Kids to learn

Designing Roads is just one thing kids love in Seattle Summer Camps @ Kids Science Labs

A summer camp for our Seattle students should always start with a question to motivate and focus the learning environment. We know that roads need to be smooth, strong, durable, and maintained or else we are going to hear about it as civil engineers. Kids however want to know ‘Why are their so many potholes? In seattle. Roads also have to fit pipes, wires, and sewers underneath, however the constant temperature changes, as well as the use of chemicals to prevent icy roads, can cause havoc on our road ways! In a recent Seattle Summer Camp called Builder’s Paradise, our innovative students at Kids Science Labs investigated

• How to make concrete with various pebble-like textures for added friction in Seattle Summer Camps

• How potholes are created and how to use science to prevent environmental damage to roads

• Which materials would be best for building roads, and then customizing our very own yellow brick roads

• When changes in road designs are necessary based on geographic and climate variations that impact safety

Building Critical Thinking and Problem Solving is essential in any Seattle Summer Camp for Kids

Students engaged in problem solving on how to manufacture concrete and to keep each level of the earth flat, when pouring their own custom concrete aggregate. Each child at KSL explored the science in our city layers under the surface, including rocks, soil, clay, and minerals, as well as what happens when concrete (plaster) is poured with varying aggregate materials.

Show the video below to your child to learn more about roads or watch it with them to build more confidence in understanding how roads are built in Science in the City!