Stranded

If you were stranded in a remote location, what problems would you face? What would you make to help solve one of those problems? Designers need to think deeply about the problems they are trying to solve. And, they often have to make do with a limited set of materials. This activity asks students to detail a compelling problem and solve it with what they have on hand.

downloads

activity video:

Stranded

subject

age range

duration

materials

• Scissors

• Markers

• Tape

• A wide variety of materials that can be cut, shaped and connected (cardboard, foil, straws, chopsticks, string and pipe cleaners work well. Other useful materials are cereal boxes, popsicle sticks, wire and felt.)

• Index cards or tags to label

safety issues

keywords

design challenge, design challenge learning, ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve, engineering, problem-solving, problem-finding, habitats, story-telling, imagination, adaptation, making, crafting, designing, real world problems

source

New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)