Our upcoming curriculum showcase for families, “Built to Shake,” will highlight an exciting hands-on exploration of earthquakes and how structures can be designed to stay standing when the ground moves. Kindergarten students have investigated what makes buildings fall or remain strong by experimenting with balance, stability, and movement. They discovered how certain shapes, like triangles and wide bases, help structures stay sturdy, and how secure connections make a big difference. Students also explored a variety of materials—testing which ones were flexible, strong, or likely to fail under pressure. Our exploration culminates in an engaging engineering challenge in which students and their families will collaborate to design and build a structure, then test it against simulated earthquake shaking to see how well it holds up.
– Lisa Wilson and Kristen Faubert, kindergarten teachers
