Students in the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach lab are learning how to set up a falling-weight system car design using K’Nex materials and their understanding of the Engineering Design Process.

A large poster in the lab reminds students about critical tenets of engineering design:

Ask: Find out more about the problem
Imagine: Think big! Consider the possibilities.
Plan: Think ahead about the steps.
Create: Follow your plan. Make a model.
Improve: Look at the model. Make it better.
Communicate: Get feedback. Talk to others.

Teacher Carolyn Houston let students try different components for affixing wheels and structure, challenging them to find the pieces that worked best for the car design. Students, who worked in teams, discussed their ideas and hurdles along the way – encouraging each other with solutions, fixes and suggestions of new materials.