Chadwick Grade 8 students participated in the annual cardboard boat races putting their design thinking to the test. Students have been working in teams for the past six weeks to design and build boats made of just cardboard and packing tape.
Drawing upon science lessons on buoyancy and displacement, students inquired into structural forms to brainstorm potential designs. They spent several weeks researching, ideating, testing and reworking their designs to create a boat that is both structurally sound and lightweight.
Students vied for first place in several categories including the most coveted award of fastest pool crossing. This year, the new category of total time afloat was added with the winning team’s boat lasting a full half hour. Awards were also given for best design, theme and teamwork.
The assignment has been a tradition at Chadwick from its first year and is often among the most memorable for students. Whether or not they walked away with a title, students learned a lot about collaboration and how to apply science, engineering and design to the world around them.
View photos here.