The Moon Lander Activity Box is a hands-on STEM design activity for elementary students, emphasizing 4th and 5th grade. During this activity, students learn what engineering is and how engineers solve the transportation problems we experience daily. Students are challenged to apply the engineering design process to build a “moon lander” out of a set of materials and within given design constraints. This activity introduces concepts that can assist students in completing the egg-drop engineering design activity/competition that is often implemented in 5th-grade classrooms. This activity was adapted from the PBS Design Squad Touchdown activity. This activity has been implemented with over 1,100 students during the STRIDE grant. An activity box is available for educators or outreach programs to implement in their classrooms or programs.
Components of the activity box include:
- Moon Lander Activity (Adapted for Career Day events from PBS Kids)
- Moon Lander Activity Box Supplies
- Moon Lander Activity Student Materials for Bins
- Moon Lander Activity in Three Parts
- Design Squad (NASA Touchdown Event Guide & Leader Notes)
To access the Box, contact Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., STRIDE Research Coordinator at iaviles@ce.ufl.edu. For questions about the activity, contact Ondine Wells, M.S., at owell@ufl.edu.