Parachute Challenge
You will work in teams with random materials to design a parachute that meets two criteria:
1. Your clients, the gummy bears, need a place to sit where they can watch the descent but won't fall out. (The squishy multi-colored bears love adventure, but they want to be safe.)
2. The longer it takes the parachute to reach the ground, the better. (The bears want a gentle descent with time to look around and take in the scenery.)
Phase 1: Design
Phase 2: Construction, Testing, and Modification
Final Phase: Product Launch
You will work in teams with random materials to design a parachute that meets two criteria:
1. Your clients, the gummy bears, need a place to sit where they can watch the descent but won't fall out. (The squishy multi-colored bears love adventure, but they want to be safe.)
2. The longer it takes the parachute to reach the ground, the better. (The bears want a gentle descent with time to look around and take in the scenery.)
Phase 1: Design
- Look at all the materials
- Talk about what kind of parachute you could build, why that design makes sense, and how to build it.
- Draw a diagram of the parachute you plan to build
Phase 2: Construction, Testing, and Modification
- Begin to build the parachutes.
- Constantly communicate with team members. First, talk about how to build the parachute. Then, talk about what modifications to make to the design and why they should be made.
Final Phase: Product Launch
- Each team will release their parachute from the top of the structure.
- Time the descent with a stopwatch and record the time. Check to see whether the gummy bear tumbled out.
- Track and record your scores.
- Don't worry about the final score box
- The best score for each team will be the one counted for competition. The highest score wins!