A R O U N D C A M P U S
Cardboard Engineering Challenge
Second graders kicked off their year in science with a collaborative Cardboard Engineering Challenge. They worked in teams
of three or four in the school’s spacious new STEAM labs to design and build a corrugated cardboard structure that each
boy on their team could crawl into and fit inside. This project helps to strengthen collaboration skills and practice problem
solving and iteration through building. The boys used the Engineering Design Cycle: brainstorm, prototype, test, observe
and reflect, and revise, as they built their structures. As Science Chair Nora Sundar notes, “They learned to critically reflect
on their successes, appreciate their ‘epic fails,’ and apply lessons
learned from mistakes to improve their designs.
“The large cardboard structures that they designed, built,
and revised demonstrated their understanding of building
techniques such as using corner braces and buttresses to bolster
walls, using hinges to attach swinging doors, and using slots to
connect cardboard planes at perpendicular angles and to create
latches for doors and windows. The structures also showcased
the boys’ playful spirit and boundless imagination.”
40 • Saint David’s Magazine