Sheridan sixth graders go hands-on with physics at Camp Dellwood

Submitted by Sheridan Community Schools

On Monday, Oct. 6, Sheridan Middle School sixth graders took a trip to Camp Dellwood in Indianapolis, the home of Girls Scouts of America. On this exceptional trip, the young students experienced STEM activities, with the focus on two programs, Physics Through Play and an Engineering Challenge: Let’s Get Rolling.

In Physics Through Play, students explored their way through three activities. One group was jumping on a pillow top, allowing them to see Newton’s laws of motion in action. Another group worked with projectile motion while shooting dirt pellets with slingshots at the range. The third group explored making a zipline using a bucket and pulley to transport a doll up and down an inclined rope.

In the Engineering Challenge: Let’s Get Rolling, students rotated through three activities where they practiced the Engineering Design Process. They also learned more about the transference of potential and kinetic energy and Newton’s laws of motion. One group worked on building and testing vehicles on various ramps. They were given four wheels, two axles, and could use random supplies to create their cars. Another group created helicopters with rubber bands, propellers, popsicle sticks, and other materials. They even were able to go into a courtyard for test flights. The last group followed steps to create a rocket that darts off using wind energy while blowing through a straw.

It truly was great timing in the sense that the students are learning about motion, force, and energy in class. Many of them used the correct terminology and their understanding of the concept during the activities. This is a great example of Project-Based Learning in action as students were able to implement their learning with hands-on activities.

Photos provided by Sheridan Community Schools