Adventure: Snowy Summits
Quest: Take a Hike
Engineering Concept: Pulleys
Challenge Level: Difficult
What is the problem?
In this quest, Flynn is in Switzerland with her parents, and they have been asked to help with renovations for a hydroelectric plant. In the previous quest, Flynn was asked to set up a lookout point to check for safety measures in the surrounding areas. She made it to the top of the mountain, but now faces the challenge of getting all of the heavy engineering materials and equipment to the lookout point. She wants to minimize what she has to carry and limit the number of trips she has to take up and down the mountain.
How will the students help?
In the first segment, Flynn will ask the participants to creatively solve the problem by planning out how they will use the household materials required to build a solution. Students are encouraged to build a prototype in this segment.
In the second segment, students will research pulleys to understand how pulleys relate to the problem Flynn is facing. They will be asked to answer open-ended research questions using research links provided by Growin’GEERS and additional research they do on their own.
In the third segment, students will rebuild their initial design based on what they learned in the second segment. They will be asked to create a new plan for how they will use their materials. Once their solution is complete, there will be a Test for Success to see if their solution passes.
What will the participants learn?
Pulleys
Simple machines
How mechanical engineers apply those concepts
What mechanical engineers do
Swiss culture
Swiss music
Why teamwork is important
Why it is okay to fail
What do I need to complete the quest?
Access to a computer to watch the videos and research the concepts
Ability to print the GEERling worksheets for students to plan their design and answer the research questions
Household materials needed to complete the hands-on component
Want to get started?
Get access to every Growin’GEERS quest and let the engineering adventure begin!