READesign has been such a huge success in Alberta that we decided to bring it to Ontario!

On November 7^th, BrainSTEM Alliance, in collaboration with Lambton County, hosted our inaugural  Ontario READesign event at the Sarnia Library.

We had over 25 Beaver Scouts in attendance that evening. The Beaver Scouts, aged between 5 and 7, were put in 6 groups, each with a Scout Guide, for a fun evening of using the engineering design process to create solutions for story book characters.

Team 1

Book: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! By Candace Fleming.

Problem Identified: Mr. McGreely was having trouble with three bunnies that kept eating up all the vegetables in his garden.

Solution: The team decided to create a trap for the rabbits that would buzz each time a rabbit was trapped and a basket to put the rabbits in and return them to the forest.

Materials Required: The team tried a few different ideas including building a “cat robot” to chase away the rabit but the final prototype of the trap had foil, electrical wire, 3V buzzer, battery holder, batteries, twine, wooden popsicle sticks, electrical tape and duct tape.

Team 2

Book: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Problem Identified: A little steam engine was having a hard time pulling a long train of cars up a hill.

Solution: The team decided to build a huge aircraft to carry all the cars and the little steam engine to the top of the hill. They identified that they would need larger propellers to make it work but they were able to connect and start up a mini propeller.

Materials Required: Cardboard, duct tape, pop cans, 3V motor, electrical wire, battery holder, batteries, propellers and foil.

Team 3

Book: Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty

Problem Identified: A broken bridge that prevents Iggy and his classmates from getting to the other side

Solution: The team decided to also design and construct a bridge like Iggy did.

Materials Required: Wooden dowels, popsicle sticks, glue guns, tape

Team 4

Book: Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Problem Identified: A little boy named Peter is having trouble keeping his snow as “snow”, it melts every time he’s in the house.

Solution: The team decided to design and create snow savers to insulate the snow and keep it cool. They had a swell time designing different types of snow savers.

Materials Required: Styrofoam cups, bowls and plates, magnets and tape.

Team 5

Book: Dog Breath by Carolyn Beck and Brooke Kerrigan

Problem Identified: Dog had really bad breath

Solution: The team decided to design and create giant tooth brushes fit for a dog.

Materials Required: Pipe cleaners, twine, wooden dowels, popsicle sticks, tape

Team 6

Book: We Found  A Hat by Jon Klassen

Problem Identified: Two turtles found a hat that looked good on both of them. But, there was only one hat.

Solution: The team designed and created a new hat for the other turtle so that both of them can have hats.  After seeing the first hat, the team members decided they each wanted to make their own hat.

Materials Required: Styrofoam bowls, tape, pipe cleaners, twine