Thinking Inside the Box: Designing Plant Packages
Science Topic: Plants
Engineering Field: Package Engineering
Country: Jordan
Storybook: A Gift From Fadil
Are brown paper packages tied up with strings always a favorite thing? Not necessarily to packaging engineers! In this unit, students encounter the rapidly growing field of package engineering. They take a fresh look at the packaging they encounter daily--and often toss out without appreciating its importance. As children investigate the functions of packages, they discover the relationship between the needs of the product (in this unit, a plant) and the functions that must be considered in package design.
Ultimately, students design, test, and improve their own packages to solve a tricky challenge: carry a plant and keep it safe for several days--while also ensuring it has the light, air, and moisture it needs.
Hands-on activities, discussion, and reading focus on package engineering and the Engineering Design Process. Engineering concepts are introduced at a level appropriate for elementary students.
FOSS Connection: New Plants, Wood and Paper, Structures of Life
STC Connection: Plant Growth and Development
Insights Connection: Growing Things