Pumpkin physics in action

Students in Mr. Hogan’s science class recently took on a hands-on engineering challenge: designing ways to protect a pumpkin from breaking during a drop test. Working in teams, they used the engineering design process to plan, build, and test their protective devices.

Along the way, students explored important science concepts like gravity, impact force, energy transfer, and material properties. After testing their creations with a pumpkin drop, they reflected on what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve their designs. This activity gave students a fun, interactive way to see science and engineering principles in action—and maybe a little mess too!