Grade 6 Design Challenge
Two schools. One challenge. Stronger together!
On the 22 July, our Grade 6s took part in the much-anticipated annual Design Challenge, held in collaboration with our brother school, WHPS (Waterkloof House Preparatory School). This exciting event brings girls and boys together in mixed teams to tackle a surprise engineering task, all with just a handful of materials and a whole lot of imagination!
This year’s challenge was to design and construct a spaghetti bridge capable of supporting the greatest amount of weight. Using only the materials provided, teams had to carefully plan, design, and build a bridge that was not only stable but also strong enough to withstand increasing pressure during the testing phase. Before they began, the boys and girls watched a short introductory video and had the opportunity to "purchase" additional support in the form of extra video footage or specific design tips to help guide their thinking and inspire new ideas.
There was a buzz of energy as the timer counted down, with teams testing ideas, adapting designs, and supporting each other. The highlight of the evening came when the bridges were put to the test. One by one, each structure was carefully loaded with weight as teams eagerly watched to see how much their bridge could hold before reaching its limit. The suspense and cheers made for a memorable finale, with the winning team earning a reward of Real Life For Kids money.
Beyond the fun and laughter, the Design Challenge is an evening of creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and teamwork. Most importantly, it strengthens the connections between our two schools as our boys and girls share ideas, support one other, and celebrate success together.
Beyond the fun, laughter, and friendly competition, the Design Challenge provided valuable opportunities for the Grade 6s to develop creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and resilience. Most importantly, it strengthened the bonds between our two schools as boys and girls worked side by side, shared ideas, supported one another, and celebrated each other's successes.
Two schools, one challenge, and a wonderful reminder that we are stronger together.
