Back-to-school season is all about backpacks, but have you ever stopped to think about what makes one strong?
This week's STEM Challenge invites your family to become engineers by designing and building a backpack that can hold as many school supplies as possible.
Using everyday materials, you'll test your creativity, problem-solving skills, and engineering ideas to see whose design can carry the largest amount of items.
Will your backpack survive the challenge?
Your mission is simple:
Design and build a backpack that can carry the most school supplies without falling apart.
There isn't one right answer. Every design is different, and every engineer has a unique solution.
Use whatever supplies you already have at home.
Some ideas include:
- Paper or cardstock
- Construction paper
- Cardboard
- Drinking straws
- Craft sticks
- Tape
- Glue
- String or yarn
- Pipe cleaners
- Fabric scraps
- Recycled boxes or containers
- Markers, stickers, or other decorating supplies
Encourage children to think creatively. Sometimes the best engineering solutions come from unexpected materials.
Before you start building, think like an engineer.
Ask yourself:
- What shape will make my backpack the strongest?
- How can I reinforce the bottom?
- Where should I attach the straps?
- Which materials will support the most weight?
- How can I keep everything balanced?
Sketch your idea if you'd like, then start building!
To make the challenge fair, have everyone test their backpack using the same school supplies in the same order.
For example:
- One notebook
- One folder
- One pencil pouch
- One water bottle
- One book
- Two books
- A lunch box
- Continue adding school supplies until the backpack can no longer hold the weight.
The backpack that successfully carries the most items wins!
As you test, observe what happens.
- Do the straps stay attached?
- Does the bottom begin to bend?
- Does the backpack tip over?
- Which design seems the strongest?
Great engineers don't stop after the first try.
After testing your backpack, talk about what worked and what didn't.
- Did a strap break?
- Did the bottom need more support?
- Could the weight have been distributed differently?
- Which materials worked best?
Now make one improvement to your design and test it again.
Can your backpack hold even more school supplies the second time?
This challenge introduces children to important STEM concepts, including:
- Engineering design
- Problem-solving
- Creative thinking
- Structural strength
- Testing and observation
- Learning through trial and improvement
There isn't just one "right" answer. Engineers learn by asking questions, trying new ideas, and improving their designs over time.
After the challenge, ask:
- What was the hardest part of building your backpack?
- What surprised you the most?
- If you could build it again, what would you change?
- Which material worked the best?
- What did you learn during this challenge?
Whether your backpack held a few supplies or carried a full stack of books, every design taught something valuable.
The best part of STEM isn't building the "perfect" backpack, it's learning how to think creatively, solve problems, and keep improving. Most importantly, it's spending time together, encouraging one another, and discovering that learning can happen just about anywhere.
