Last week, our first and fourth grade students from Ms. Dowling, Ms. Newton, and Ms. Donohue’s classes at Pakanasink Elementary participated in a pumpkin STEM challenge. Students were broken up into groups and assigned tasks to create the tallest structure possible that could hold the weight of a mini-pumpkin. 

Students had only two rules to follow: they could use only the materials in the provided bucket, and the structure had to hold the pumpkin for at least 10 seconds. Each group was given paper cups, blocks, and wooden sticks to build the structure. 

The lesson truly demonstrated patience, cooperation, and precision. These students did a phenomenal job of keeping the mini-pumpkin safe on top of their structure!