VIDEO: Hedrick Middle School Makes a Splash
Students use everyday materials to create racing boats
Most boats are built with strong and durable materials, but what if you’re challenged to create one with just cardboard and tape? With a little creativity and those everyday items, students at Hedrick Middle School proved they can build working water crafts of their own.
For students in Casey McCluskey’s Makerspace class, a creative project like this is nothing out of the ordinary. The goal of Makerspace is to expose students to the many aspects of the engineering process and disciplines. Building bridges from spaghetti noodles, launching water rockets and wiring electronic circuits are just a few other ways this classroom always thinks outside the box.
Working in teams, students built cardboard boats of many sizes. Some focused their taping patterns to create colorful designs, while others just made sure their boats wouldn’t leak. Teamwork and communication helped these students work throughout the planning and creation process.
Finally, race day arrived. Using pools at the Lewisville ISD Westside Aquatic Center, it was time to test their boat engineering.
Some boats quickly met their demise as soon as its captain pushed it into the water.
Others were able to make multiple trips across the pool and continue racing.
Students saw firsthand what designs worked and what boats could have used some improvement, while having a lot of fun in the process.
See the boats in action in the video below and see more photos on the Hedrick Middle School Facebook page.