Citrus Crossing Design Challenge

The Citrus Family needs your help—they are separated by a body of water and need to find a way to visit each other!

Often, there are multiple solutions to one problem. Watch the video to learn about the Citrus Family’s problem. Then, use Think, Make, Try and the Four Section Planning Page to sketch some of your ideas for solutions. Using your sketches as inspiration, build a prototype of your design.

Materials Needed:  See Materials Scavenger Hunt Document or look for household items for building bridges or vessels, such as: 

• Bottles or cans
• Paper 
• Cardboard or cardboard boxes
• Corks
• String 
• Tape
• Books
• Pens
• Natural materials
• Sticks
• Foil
• Egg cartons 
• Glue 
• Rubber bands
• Something to represent a river: water in plastic container, blue cloth or a hand drawn picture
• Small citrus fruit, stuffed animals, toys, or other small items to test your design solution.

Tip for Educators :

• Talk through the different materials available, and what the benefits of each might be. What would be the difference between using cardboard versus paper? How might the shape of a cork play a role in their overall design?   

Test out your design. What worked? What didn’t? What would you change for next time? Make changes, and test your prototype again!