Using mostly household materials and hot glue, 7th grade students in Mr. Iannotti’s STEAM class were challenged with building a mousetrap car. This project lasts about two weeks, starting with research and a design on paper.
Part of each car uses a real mousetrap. The spring on the trap transfers energy to the axle of the car. The goal is to build a lightweight car that can travel as far as possible. Students worked in pairs to test their cars in the hallway and modify them in the classroom if needed. There are many obstacles for students to work around during this process, which requires creative thinking and teamwork. “It’s great to see how excited students are when they build and test their cars and find that they can actually travel quite some distance,” exclaimed Mr. Iannotti! “We haven’t raced the cars yet to see whose car went the farthest but it’s about friendly competition.”
