Fourth graders in Ms. Toner's class at Nassakeag Elementary School collaborated with Mr. Gustafson's fourth grade class at Setauket Elementary School for a "Ship a Chip" challenge. In science lab, students worked in small teams to design a package that will protect a potato chip as it is shipped through the mail to the other school. Students had access to the same materials including tissues, foam, foil and cardboard. They worked under a time constraint as they packaged up their Pringles and left them in the hands of the postal service.

Once the packages arrived at each building, Ms. Toner and Mr. Gustafson's classes livestreamed the unwrapping. Students patiently waited as their teachers opened each package to see if any of the chips were broken. They drew conclusions such as what worked as the best protective materials and which designs proved to be the safest for the chip inside.

Through this hands-on STEM activity, students stepped into the role of a packaging engineer and found real-world solutions to the challenge at hand. Throughout the process, they planned, created, tested and evaluated. Additionally, students were excited to interact with their peers at a different building in the district.

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Date Added: 11/3/2023