Duration: 60 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Emotional awareness, regulation and communication
- Empathy
- Resilience
- Problem-solving
Brief Description:
Teams are challenged to build a shelter using natural or recycled materials that can protect from strong “alien winds” (simulated by a fan or cardboard flapping). The structure must stay upright and shelter a small object (e.g., a cup or a plastic figure).
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
- Promotes problem-solving and resilience in the face of failure.
- Fosters collaboration as students must combine ideas and adapt.
- Encourages emotional regulation when projects don’t work initially.
- Creates opportunities for empathy, as students support teammates who may feel discouraged.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
- Students practice staying calm and thinking constructively when facing obstacles.
- They develop patience and perseverance.
- They learn to encourage and validate each other’s contributions.
- They understand the value of testing, feedback, and redesign.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
- Science: properties of materials, weather/wind resistance
- Engineering / Technology: design, build, and test cycles
- Mathematics: structure dimensions, balance, and proportion.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
- Recycled and natural materials: cardboard, sticks, cloth, string, tape
- Small test object (e.g., plastic figure or paper cup)
- Fan or large piece of cardboard (for wind simulation).
Preparation notes
- Set clear size limits for the shelter (e.g., must fit on a desk)
- Prepare testing area and fan in advance
- Remind students that testing is part of the design, not a final judgment.
Guided Questions
- What shape is most stable in the wind?
- What did you learn from your first test?
- How are you deciding who does what in your team?
- How does your team support each other when things go wrong?
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- What was your team’s biggest challenge? How did you overcome it?
- What role did emotions play in your problem-solving?
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Encourage iteration: redesign is part of the learning
- Remind students that strong wind might knock down any shelter — it’s about learning, not perfection
- Offer positive reinforcement for collaboration, not just final structure.