Drinking Straw Rollercoaster

Drinking Straw Rollercoaster project invites students to explore their imaginations and construct an exhilarating rollercoaster solely using plastic straws and hot glue. To begin, we gather an assortment of straws in various colors, a trusty hot glue gun, scissors, and small objects like marbles for testing purposes.

The first step involves students brainstorming and planning their rollercoaster designs. They put their ideas on paper, envisioning twists, turns, loops, and slopes that will make their rollercoasters thrilling. With the plastic straws and hot glue, they dive into the construction phase, carefully connecting straws to bring their designs to life.

After the initial build, the testing phase begins. Students release small objects like marbles onto their rollercoasters, observing how well their creations perform. This testing phase is crucial as it allows them to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments, turning the project into an iterative learning experience.

The iterative design process enables students to refine and enhance their rollercoasters continually. They learn from each test, making modifications to their designs to achieve better performance and functionality. As a final step, students proudly showcase their completed rollercoasters to the class. During this sharing session, they discuss their design choices, the challenges they faced, and the valuable lessons they gained throughout the project.

Drinking Straw Rollercoaster project not only repurposes plastic straws for an educational purpose but also provides students with a hands-on experience in engineering, problem-solving, and creative thinking. The result is a classroom filled with colorful and captivating rollercoasters, each one a testament to the imaginative minds and innovative spirit of our STEAM learners.