Summer Science Camp: Slow Car Race

Students are each given a length of lumber (the size doesn't really matter, just make sure everyone has the same sized piece) and a matchbox car.  They need to create a ramp the car can travel down, but as slowly as possible. 

The students can position the wood in any way they wish and add anything to the wood to slow the car.  My only caveat is that they cannot ruin the wood - at the end of the "race" they need to be able to remove anything they've added and return it to me in the same condition in which they were given it (so it can be used again for another group). 

I spread out a variety of supplies:

• a variety of types of paper
• rubberbands
• masking tape
• glue
• yarn
• string
• thread
• toothpicks
• popsicle sticks
• straws

Students are welcome to ask for other supplies - if it's something I have in the lab, they're welcome to use it. 

The ramp construction must be completed within one session.  Even students who build quickly can remain busy by constantly testing and trying to improve upon their design.

Once construction is complete, all the ramps are set up.  The cars are placed at the top of the ramp and released at the same time.  The last car to reach the bottom is declared the winner.  Any cars that don't reach the bottom of the ramp (put a 5 or 10 minute time limit on the race) are disqualified from the competetion.

Summer Science Camp: Egg Drop

Egg drops are a classic science activity for a reason - they're fun!

The overall idea is this - you create some sort of packaging to protect a raw egg.  The protected egg is then carried to the top of a tall ladder or building and dropped to the ground.  The goal is to have the egg remain in tact. 

There are lots of variations....
...you can restrict the dimensions of the finished carrier.
...you can restrict the weight of the finished carrier.
...you can restrict the materials allowed in construction.
...or you can make it a free-for-all. 

A Google search will provide you with lots of ideas on how you might want to run your egg drop.  It will also provide you with grading guidelines and rubrics, if you're interested in using this activity during the school year. 

The younger the students, the fewer restrictions I'd place on the project. 

When we ran our science camp for elementary students, we had small boxes for each person/group to use as a starting point and then a whole variety of supplies, such as

• yarn
• fabric
• packing peanuts
• sponges
• cotton balls
• newspaper
• balloons
• straws
• popsicle sticks
• cotton batting
• anything else we could think of

Because the students were you, we didn't put any restrictions on their construction - anything, inside or outside the box, was fair game. 

Students had one session to build.  For testing, a custodian carried the eggs in their carriers to one section of roof and dropped them for us.  We dropped them onto a black-top surface.  The kids were really excited to see how each would fare. 

Make sure you have a way to wash away any raw egg (i.e. a hose or bucket of water) that may get on to things.