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If you are a fan of the hit TV reality competition, Masterchef, then you would be familiar with the concept of the mystery box challenge – it’s actually my favourite part of the show! For those who don’t know, the contestants are each presented with a box of identical, mystery ingredients from which they are required to create a mouthwatering dish. They don’t have to use every ingredient in the box but apart from a few, very basic pantry staples, what they discover in the box is pretty much it. It’s fun to see the dishes created by the talented and very creative contestants.
Taking this concept and applying it to children, learning and the great ideas children have, I recently put together two MYSTERY BAG engineering challenges for a group of great kids (aged between 6 and 12 years of age) to get creative with. The children all had lots of fun and it was fascinating to see how each approached their challenge and the use of materials.
CHALLENGE ONE: The Pom Pom Launcher
Mystery bag #1 challenged the children to make a Pom Pom Launcher;
MATERIALS
The materials available in the mystery bag were;
- Pom poms
- Large index cards
- Paper drinking cups
- Tape
- Drinking straws
- Popsticks
- Rubber bands
- String
- Paper clips
THE RESULTS
CHALLENGE TWO: The Free Standing Marble Run
Mystery bag #2 challenged the children to make a Marble Run;
MATERIALS
The materials available in the mystery bag were;
- Marbles
- Tape
- A cardboard tube
- Large index cards
- Large popsticks
- Paper clips
THE RESULTS
Didn’t they all do well!
As they were completing their mystery bag task the children were all developing and applying skills and knowledge associated with;
- Creative thinking
- Planning
- Problem solving
- Spatial relationships
- Measurement
- Kinetic energyTrial and error
- Task perseverance
- Emotional control
- A sense of achievement
- Fine and gross motor skills
All while they were having great fun!
With this type of challenge, you can adapt each task by simplifying or extending the difficulty of the challenge – see the extension idea on the Marble Run task card above as an example. If you have never tried this type of activity with your children before, you might find the tips from this post – 5 Construction Challenges for Kids with Big Ideas, helpful.
Do you have a child who would love a Mystery Bag challenge?
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About the littleBIGidea Competition for Kids – THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED
If you are in Australia you have just under a month left to enter Origin Energy’s littleBIGidea competition. Twelve finalists will be flown to Sydney for the first ever littleBIGideas forum and win prizes for themselves, their teachers and their schools and three Aussie kids will win a trip to visit some of the most innovative attractions in the United States – everything from the Epcot Centre at Walt Disney World Florida to the Kennedy Space Centre. Children in grades three to eight are invited to enter their most innovative or original idea for an invention, an energy-saving technology or a simple way to make life easier; it really can be anything at all. You can find out more and enter your child’s littleBIGidea here.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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