Bird Nest STEM Challenge (Biomimicry Engineering Activity)
Students will dive into the engineering design process with this hands-on STEM challenge building a nest to safely catch a falling egg. A follow-up activity teaches biomimicry by relating what was learned in building a bird nest and applying it to designing a landing pad for a space capsule.
Grades: 3rd - 8th
Teaching Duration: 1 week
“I used this resource as part of our Wonder of Nature unit during summer camp. The kids had a blast constructing their bird nests and all students were highly engaged!”
lesson overview
Bird Nest Engineering Design Challenge
Students will dive into the engineering design process with this hands-on STEM challenge building a nest to safely catch a falling egg. A follow-up activity teaches biomimicry by relating what was learned in building a bird nest and applying it to designing a landing pad for a space capsule. As a student-driven assignment, the purpose of the teacher is to act as a facilitator. You will provide the structure to the project, but students will take an active role in designing and building their nests in their teams. Complete teacher instructions and student handouts make this project simple to incorporate STEM into your classroom or program.
Updated to include Google Slides for teachers, editable student handouts, and more!
This packet includes:
Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
Student handouts to guide them through the engineering design process
Editable Google Slide version of handouts
Student recording sheets for each step of the process
Biomimicry student handout
Project reflection questions
Math connection problems including graphing, ratios/ fractions, measurements, perimeter, and area (applicable sheets in both SI and metric units).
Looking for more STEM lessons? Find the Vivify resource guide here: bit.ly/VivifyResourceGuide
