Designing a Playground

STEM Challenge Overview:
Shallowford Falls has decided to build a new playground for the 4th graders! The building committee needs your help to come up with a design. The playground is 30 square unit by 40 square units. Each square represents one foot. Your budget is $30,000. The perimeter and area of each object you can use on your playground have been given to you on your itemized list. Purchase your items and design your playground on your blue print (grid paper) then build a prototype to present to the building committee. You design must be neat, colored, and labeled with each item used. Calculate the cost of your items through research to be sure you stayed within your budget of $30,000.

Teacher Background:
By this time, students have been exposed to simple machines and forces and motion in science. They have background knowledge of gravity, forces, measurement, and engineering. In addition, they have a knowledge and understanding of area and perimeter from math class. They have also learned about budgets and how to calculate numbers/prices to stay within a budget.

INSTRUCTION
1. Ask/Engage
The teacher will introduce the design challenge to students and will ask students what the problem is. Students will write the problem in the ask/engage section of their student journal. The teacher will then ask the following questions to get students thinking:
• What are some ideas we have for a 4th grade playground?
• What knowledge of simple machines can you use to help when building your prototype?
• How can your knowledge of area and perimeter help you with your task?

The teacher will engage students and review concepts by sharing some or all of these videos:
• Building a playground in 7 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxIvcI5iLmc
• Building a playground: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-d4IbA-G-0
• How does land surveying work?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPCewaAfqPA
• A Career in Surveying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC-WSsRawnE

2. Imagine/Brainstorm
The teacher will introduce the constraints of the design plan. Define the criteria for success. Ask each student to work independently to come up with 1-2 possible design solutions. Students should draw/label their designs in their STEM journal.

Share the following ideas and questions with students while they are working independently:
• What are some possible solutions to the problem that you are trying to solve?
• Draw and label your ideas and your blueprint
• Describe what your playground will include
• Is your plan reasonable for 4th graders?
• Do you meet all the criteria and constraints?
• What does your playground look like?

3. Plan/Design
Share your ideas with your group and collaborate to decide on a final design plan. Draw your team’s final design on your playground blueprint paper (on paper or on Office 365) and make a list of the materials that you will need to complete your design prototype.

4. Create / Test
After you have drawn and labeled your team’s playground blue print (remember, each team member must draw AND label the playground using their own blue print paper). Use your final design plan to create and build your solution. After building your playground, test it to be sure it meets all criteria given by your teacher (see criteria list above). Be sure to create a presentation of your playground using technology (Seesaw, Office 365, etc.) that you will share with the class. You will share funds used as well as what features your playground offers.

5. Evaluate/Improve – and repeat Steps 1-5
How well did your design work and was it reasonable?
Did your solution solve the problem within the given constraints?
How can you improve your design?
Draw and label your improved design on your STEM journal.