Kindergarteners at Bryant were introduced to an engineering challenge this week--design and build the tallest beanstalk possible that will stand on its own out of ten pipe cleaners. We had read
Jack and the Beanstalk, and for a couple of days, we had been discussing the vocabulary words "structure" and "function"in class. After reading this story, students were asked, "What was the function of Jack's beanstalk? What was the structure of Jack's beanstalk?" We noticed that the beanstalk was wider at the bottom and skinnier up at the top. We also noticed this in a picture of a very tall building that we compared to the beanstalk. Kindergarteners then used their own thoughts, ideas, and creativity to build their own beanstalks. Some struggled to make theirs stand up at first, but we repeated the mantra, "Engineers never give up!" It is so exciting to see perseverance, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking in our youngest students. With these skills, they will surely succeed throughout their schooling and in life!
