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Pretty Smart: Sally Ride Toy Challenge

posted by Pretty Tough | Girls Who Are Fun Fierce & Feminine
Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 1:30pm CDT

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If you thought toys were just for fun, you’re wrong. Toys are also a great way to learn about science, engineering, and the design process! Creating a toy or game involves experiencing engineering as a fun, creative, collaborative process, relevant to everyday life.

Each year, the Sally Ride TOYchallenge invites teams of 5th-8th graders to create a new toy or game. Contest rules require teams be comprised of at least three members and be 50 percent female. Toy designs cannot cost more than $150 to construct the initial design, but teams invited to Nationals are allowed to spend an additional $200 to improve the model.

This year, a team of female fifth graders at Camden Intermediate School was chosen as national toy design finalists for the annual contest.

Calling themselves Camden’s Crazy Crew, Josephine “Joey” Lyons, Jessica Curl, Katelyn Cheers, Sarah Nelson, Kennedy MacDonald and Maddi Moore will travel to Alexandria, Va., next month for Nationals, the final round of judging to be held at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office May 16th.

The girls’ toy invention, The Random Roller, was among 70 submissions considered for the final round of competition. More than 200 submissions were considered during the pre-judging round.

Named for American physicist and NASA astronaut Sally Ride, the contest is designed to encourage young women in math, science and engineering projects, while building self-confidence and developing a sense of teamwork.

For Camden’s Crazy Crew, collaborating on the project each week renewed the girls’ interest in math and science and provided an educational extracurricular activity.

Pretty Smart!