Introduction

2017 Space Challenge – Black Box Challenge

2017 Space Challenge – Black Box Challenge

Black Box Challenge class offered children the opportunity to explore their inner engineers at the 2017 Santa Fe College Space Challenge (March 20-23). Participants began by playing a couple of rounds of the cooperative card game Obstacles (by eeboo). Two large groups worked to come up with fantastical solutions to obstacles in their path using silly tools like fireworks, shower curtains and mops. Then the children split into smaller groups and explored circuitry, teamwork, research and design skills, and artistic creativity while working collaboratively to solve a problem: using only Little Bits circuits they built and items made using materials from the Black Box, build and demonstrate in a presentation an airlock for use on Mars. Every team produced a unique prototype with real moving parts–the exuberance and innovation of the children was inspiring!