In this project, you’ll explore balloon-powered car designs and pick the ideas you want to try. We’ll start with a quick safety and tool demo so you know how to measure, cut, and assemble parts. Then you’ll build, test, and tweak your car using trial runs to make it faster and steadier. We’ll finish with a class race and a short reflection on which design choices made your car fly down the track.
In this project, you’ll explore buoyancy and what helps boats float and stay upright. Design and build a sailboat “ferry” that carries stackable weights across our classroom “bay.” Test, record your results, and tweak the hull, keel, and sail to improve stability and speed. We’ll compare everyone’s results to see which designs carry the most weight across the bay without sinking or tipping.
In this project, you’ll explore core rocketry ideas—lift, thrust, stability, and drag—and plan your build. You’ll follow step-by-step instructions to assemble a fuel-powered model rocket—customize it, name it, and get ready for countdown. Then it’s launch day: we’ll head outside, blast off, and track how high your rocket flies. We’ll compare results to see which rockets soared the highest and which design choices made the difference.
You’ll work in teams with clear roles—builder, inventory manager, and quality control—to create a VEX IQ remote-controlled rover. You’ll follow step-by-step instructions to assemble the bot, then upgrade it with a working claw for grabbing and carrying. Along the way, you’ll tackle mini-challenges like obstacle courses, tug-o-war, and moon rock collection missions to level up your control and teamwork. We’ll finish with a Battle Bot finale where your claw-bot goes head-to-head in friendly faceoffs—best design and driving wins!
You’ll team up with Indi, a programmable car that follows colored code blocks. You’ll learn what each color means and chain them together to guide Indi through puzzles and mazes. Then you’ll tackle challenges—speed runs, obstacle courses, and tight turns—testing, fixing, and improving your sequences. Finally, you’ll create custom Indi code that adds new motions, sounds, and visual effects, and show off your best course design.
In this self-paced unit, you’ll learn 3D modeling with SketchUp using step-by-step tutorials. Start small to master the basics—orbit, measure, push/pull, groups/components—then design your own original model. You’ll export your work as an STL, choose simple print settings (layer height, infill, supports), and prep it for the printer. Finally, we’ll print your design on our Flash Forge Finder 3 and see how your idea turns into a real object.
In this self-paced coding unit, you’ll work in the computer lab using Code.org and Scratch. You’ll learn core concepts—sequences, loops, events, conditionals, and variables—through bite-sized puzzles and tutorials. Then you’ll create your own projects: animations, mini-games, and interactive stories you can share. Move at your own speed, hit the checkpoints, and level up your skills as you go.