The March winds blew in a month of pneumatic activities for the 3rd graders at Pheasant Ridge Primary School in Glendale Heights.
Over three weeks, they designed, built and tested their pneumatic or air-powered vehicle that traveled at least three feet in the air, on land or in the water. The Kids Design Engineering Lab, in its sixth year at Pheasant Ridge, is offered through the DuPage Children’s Museum and run with the help of parent volunteers, said Katie Knoelke, the school’s math/science resource teacher.
In the first week of March, museum staff came to school for an awareness session. Children were able to see samples of the models and test them. “This gives them an idea of what works and what doesn’t and why some don’t work,” Knoelke said. “We talk about how engineers design things.”
In the second week, students learned to safely use tools such as hammers and foam cutters. Each of the 130 children designed a vehicle and came up with a list of materials they needed to build it.
In the last week, they traveled to the museum, built their vehicles and tested them with the help of engineers.
“The people from the museum ensure that each child is successful,” said Knoelke, who coordinates the program with the school’s curriculum on force and energy and simple machines. “In six years, we have never had a child who has not been successful with his or her vehicle. They love it.”
