Zoom Zoom Zucchini

​Sometimes in the garden we can’t resist playing with our food.  And second graders at Westerly School had a great time last week making their own zucchini race cars.  How is this a garden activity?  Well in second grade we explore some simple machines that come in handy in the garden, like screws, wedges, wheels, hammers, and ramps.  Then we think like engineers and use some of these tools to make race cars out of this seasonal produce.  The kids used wooden axles and wheels to create their non-motorized race cars.  Then they raced them down a ramp, using their problem-solving skills after each run to refine and troubleshoot their inventions.  Some students experimented with using rubber bands to make the axle and wheels turn together, some carved off portions of their zucchini to try to change the aerodynamics.  We had a wonderful time watching their wheels turn!