Will our plant survive a bumpy car ride?  Will it get enough water, air and sunlight?  Did we tell the person receiving our plant exactly how to take care of it?

Using a series of tests, second graders are testing out their plant package design according to a set of criteria.  Evaluating their results, they are then improving their designs.  Maybe they'll try to use less materials and lower their cost.  Maybe they'll try communicate the needs of the plant better.  Awesome job second grade!

After exploring all the available materials to create our plant packages, second graders have had a chance to brainstorm many possible designs.  Then, working in teams, they are planning, creating and then testing their plant package designs.

Each team's design is unique.  Below are photos of each second grade group's design.  Notice their similarities and differences, yet each design includes directions to communicate how to hold the plant and water it.  Look out for holes for air/water or a transparent window/covering to let sunlight in.  There is even some cushioning in some designs to allow for protection.  Way to go second grade!

Second graders are well on their way to designing their own plant package.  We've had great discussions on what the functions of our plant package should be.  We have thought in depth about the needs of both the plant and the consumer who will take care of the plant.  

Since a plant needs water to stay alive, we must think about a material that is absorbent so the roots can stay healthy.  Since plants need light to make their own food, we must think about light being able to be transmitted through the package through either holes or a transparent material.  Check out the possibilities of materials below!

As we learn the various functions of packages, we are also learning to identify the package itself versus the product inside.  It's also important to identify who the consumer of the product is.  Each package second graders are investigating has a different function.  Thanks to everyone who donated a package!

Before a product or item is packaged, it is important to think about the criteria necessary for the product to be packaged correctly.  In our story, A Gift for Fadil, both he and his sister Bashira must think about what a plant needs in order for it to survive in a package.  When they realize they haven't thought about a plant's needs, they think they've failed.  But thanks to our second graders because they have offered suggestions on how to redesign their package.  

As second graders learn more about the different types of packages, they are also learning to categorize them according to their use.  When examining a package, is it intended to carry something?  Keep the product fresh?  Make it easier to dispense?  Attract a consumer to buy it?  These are just some of the functions of the various packages we will begin to investigate!

We've started our unit on packaging engineering!  Fadil is a young boy living in Jordan.  His older sister Ikhlas is getting married and he would like to give her a special gift.  Both he and his younger sister Bashira decide on the perfect gift--an amaryllis plant!  

They run into a problem when they realize that Ikhlas and her husband are relocating after their wedding and the special plant will need to be packaged and transported during their move.  How will they package the plant?  What are the plant's needs?  What materials can and should they use?  By using the engineering design process, they can hopefully develop a solution to package the plant safely!

Key Vocabulary: packaging engineer, redesign, criteria, engineering design process, preserve, overpackaging, contain, communicate.