Friday 24 April 2020

Blogging From A to Z Challenge: U is for Umbrella STEM Challenge

It's Friday! (Not that time has much meaning these days...)

As you know, I'm taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge—my sixth year in a row! My theme is 26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home. That's right, I'm conjuring up 26 "educational" ideas to keep you busy while you're safe at home. But don't get too hung up on the word "educational"—so far, they've all been fun activities. Don't believe me? Check out the links to my past posts below.

I kicked off the challenge with Art for the letter A. Next up was B was for Baking. My sister and I did some chemistry for the letter "C," and I rounded off the first week with a family dance off. "E" was for exercise (which was way more fun than you think) and "F" was all about family. We got our hands dirty with some gardening,  celebrated Poetry Month and the letter "H" by writing haikus, and of course, "I" was for Invention. Week two ended with juggling.

Next up was knitting, learning a new language, and some fun math. Honest! For "N" I linked to a few nature activities and "O" was for Origami. To cap off the week, I shared my grandma's famous "play dough" recipe—and some ways you can create with it.

But wait, there's more! This week started with quicksand, Tuesday we talked about reading, and Wednesday was all about science. Yesterday, I challenged you to make a COVID-19 Time Capsule with your family. How's that going?

This morning, I have another challenge for you—and it's kind of relevant because even though the sun is shining this morning, it's supposed to rain later tonight. Which means, if you're planning to go for a walk, you might need an umbrella....

U is for Umbrella STEM Challenge


The last few letters of the Blogging From A to Z Challenge are usually pretty difficult, so I was excited to find this Umbrella STEM activity.

What's STEM? That's science, technology, engineering and math...yeah, math. (I'm starting to like Math, if I'm being honest...)

The idea of this challenge is to try and design a better umbrella—and as you can see from the picture, you don't need a lot of supplies.

Here's what to gather before you start:

  • Household materials (sponges, popsicle sticks, coffee filters, paper plates, etc.) 
  • Small toys (such as dinosaur fiches, plastic bugs, etc.) 
  • Play tray
  • Glue, tape, string, etc. 
  • Scissors 

The goal is to design a type of umbrella that will keep the small toys dry. Be sure to sketch out a blueprint first so you can identify any potential flaws in your plan.

When you've created your "umbrella," test your design by putting your toys under the umbrella and sprinkling water on it. Did the toys stay dry?

Who knows, maybe you'll design something we should all be using...

Gotta jet! I plan to enjoy the sunshine today, but I don't mind if it rains tonight—we're watching a family movie. Amelia suggested UP, which is kind of perfect since we're celebrating the letter "U" today!

See you tomorrow for another tough letter—"V."

~ Chase Superman Duffy

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