Manetuck Third-Graders Design for the Drop

From Syntax: Third-graders at West Islip’s Manetuck Elementary School recently visited the school’s STEM lab for an experiment in building parachutes.

“The objective was to design parachutes that would transport a payload of one metal washer to the target – the floor – from approximately two meters up in the air with the slowest rate possible,” said teacher Justine Ferrar.

The young engineers spent one day in the lab designing the parachutes, using materials such as string, plastic grocery bags, paper, aluminum foil and masking tape, then returned to the lab the following day to construct and test the parachutes.

Photos courtesy of the West Islip School District (Third-graders at West Islip’s Manetuck Elementary School designed, built and tested parachutes in the school’s STEM lab.)