Force - Crash Cars

This was the second week of our science co-op, and we had a visit from the local university to talk to the group about force. After learning about the engineering cycle, the kids discussed the different safety features that are built into cars, and then tried their hands at making models out of wood, straws, cotton balls, Popsicle sticks, newspaper, and lots and lots of tape! The goals was to create a car that would keep a water balloon protected when it was sent careening down a ramp and crashing into a brick wall. What fun!!

Each team made very different looking cars, but they all did the job. At the end of the trials, not a single balloon was broken...until, of course, the kids got their hands on them and started hurling them across the parking lot!!

Physics was never so much fun when I was a kid!!