STEM Club - Balloon Powered Car

The focus of our STEM Club this week was on physics - specifically on the concepts of Force and Energy.

The STEM Club started with a discussion on different types of forces (e.g., Gravity, Friction) and how they can move / slow down objects. We also discussed various types of energy (e.g., electrical energy, heat energy, wind energy). And then we discussed the importance of the wheel and axle and it’s ability to move heavy products with less work.

Using this background, the young STEMers set out to create a balloon-powered car.

Building a car like this requires an understanding of the wheel and axle, a grasp of parallelism in math, and how force and energy work to move an object, among other things.

This is the type of project-based learning that leads to joyful learning. Learning by doing also leads to meaningful discussions and deep learning.

It wasn’t easy - our STEMers struggled at various parts of the building. But, as we often discuss at Acton Academy Columbus, failing is part of the learning process as well as the engineering process. We experiment, we fail, we make it better. And that’s exactly what the young STEMers had to do to build their successful cars!