Students Compete in Paper Grabber Technology Contest in STEM Field

Paper Grabber Challenge: A Fun and Educational STEM Activity for 5th Graders

Get ready for an engaging and educational STEM activity that's perfect for 5th grade students! The Paper Grabber Challenge is a free printable project that encourages creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

The goal of this challenge is to build a grabber using only the provided materials that can pick up a small object without directly touching it. You'll need 10 sheets of paper, 4 rubber bands, 2 feet of tape, scissors, a small object to grab, a pencil, and paper to sketch the design.

The challenge follows the Engineering Design Process, which includes asking, imagining, planning, creating, testing, and improving. This process not only helps students to develop their engineering skills but also encourages them to think creatively and work collaboratively.

To make the challenge more interesting, consider ways to make the grabber grip better. You could adjust the grip or make it longer. Folding or crumpling paper can give a grabber more grip, similar to how rubber gloves use friction to hold onto slippery objects.

The grabber should be able to pick up and hold the object for at least 5 seconds and work from at least 12 inches away. Tongs are an example of grabbers that have two arms that come together to grab things, and scissors and pliers are examples of levers that open and close to grip objects.

Comparing paper strengths is a great addition to a lesson on the properties of materials. You can extend the activity by testing different weights of paper to find the best one for the challenge.

The Paper Grabber Challenge is just one of many STEM activities available. There are additional challenges such as the Paper Helicopter, Strong Paper Challenge, Paper Bridge STEM Challenge, Winter Snow Shovel Challenge, Paper Plane Challenge, Walk Through Paper, Paper Chain STEM Challenge, and more.

For those looking for even more STEM resources, a Printable STEM Pack for Kids is available, containing 80+ doable engineering projects. There are also various resources to help introduce STEM, including engineering design process explained, engineering words, real world STEM, questions for reflection, free STEM worksheets, 14 engineering books for kids, Jr. Engineer Challenge Calendar, Must Have STEM Supplies List, and more.

So, what are you waiting for? Download the Paper Grabber Challenge and journal pages for free and get ready to embark on a fun and educational STEM adventure!