Mission: Mars Rover

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Today was our Engineering Design Day. Always a school favorite, the kids design a vehicle capable of landing a rover (i.e. raw egg) safely on alien territory. Given a limited number of resources, the kids collaborate to construct and test prototypes.

We were lucky to be joined at the beginning of the day by Jason Soderblum, Rashi parent and space scientist, who created a presentation for the students to teach them more about Mars and the rovers. His presentation included many cool facts, and even cooler photographs, and the kids were captivated. The word of the day was WONDER. It was an inspiring way to move us into our challenge. 

As you can see, we were a happy and engaged bunch of learners. The highlight, which is the actual egg drop, was well attended by Rashi teachers, staff, and administrators. The challenge is legendary, and a crowd pleaser every time. 

We had ample opportunity to discuss the design process, and most notably the importance of the "ask" and "redesign" steps. Those students whose designs were not immediately successful began to problem solve in ways that would have ultimately lead to a second iteration. Those students whose designs WERE successful were put under scrutiny when we retested them to ensure validity. 

It was a wonderful transition into a week of vacation, which we hope will be relaxing and fun-filled. 

See you in the new year!





























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