In the span of a 45-minute class period, we helped 23 4th
graders at Escondido School in Palo Alto, CA build plastic
bottle “puff” launchers to launch flying creatures in the air.
This activity provided outlets for individual creativity, where
students could brainstorm and customize their creature and we
intended for students to test their creations to see if and how
they would fly. through the prototyping and testing process, we
encouraged students to make adjustments on their designs to
build their way forward. Introductions (5 min) Make lists of
things you like and things that fly (5 min) Pick one item from
each list and sketch mashups (5 min) Share sketches with small
groups and pick materials (5 min) Construct prototypes (10 min)
Test with launcher and iterate (10 min) Debrief (10 min) We
based this activity on the puff rocket activity kits from RAFT
($0.50/kit). We also brought construction paper, painter's tape,
scotch tape, glue sticks, pipe cleaners, paper clips, and rubber
bands, along with markers