Kick The Can

Adventure: Facing the Frozen Tundra

Quest: Kick The Can

Engineering Concept: Chemical Reactions and Pollution

Challenge Level: Average

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What is the problem?

Due to bad weather, an oil tanker sank in Baffin Bay near where Flynn is staying. She and her family are working together with a team of people to clean the barrels out of the bay. Once they’ve been removed from the bay, Flynn needs to find a way to clean the barrels so that they can be recycled. She needs help deciding which cleaning agent she should use for this.

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 chemical reactions to understand how they 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?

  • Chemical reactions

  • Pollution

  • How chemical engineers apply those concepts

  • What chemical engineers do

  • Canadian culture

  • Canadian history

  • Why teamwork is important

  • Why it is okay to fail

What do I need to complete the quest?

  1. Access to a computer to watch the videos and research the concepts

  2. Ability to print the GEERling worksheets for students to plan their design and answer the research questions

  3. 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!