Design A Helmet
GRADES 3-5

Design A Helmet

Driving Question:

How can we use nature’s ideas to create a protective helmet?

Activity Overview:

Nature's been designing protection for millions of years. Now it's your turn! Students explore how plants and animals use external structures to protect, repel, and defend, then apply those ideas to build a nature-inspired helmet prototype using the ChompSaw. They test their design with a controlled impact test, evaluate the results, and use evidence to improve their prototype before retesting and comparing the difference.

Vocabulary
Assessment

Learning Objectives

  • I can explain how a plant or animal structure helps protect it.
  • I can design a helmet inspired by a structure in nature.
  • I can test my helmet using specific criteria.
  • I can use evidence from testing to improve my design.

Slide Deck

Download Slides

Full Materials List

Lesson Plan

Lesson Slides

Vocabulary Slides for frontloading

Prototyping Worksheet

1 per student

Testing Worksheet

1 per student

Assessment

1 per student

Chompsaw(s)

1 per 5 students

Cardboard

1 sheet per student

Rulers or measuring tools

1 per group

Tennis ball(s)

1 per group

Tape, glue

1 per group

Medium sized stuffed animal (Students can bring their own in to test on)

1 per student

Supplies to create a helmet strap (Possible Options: yarn, paper clips, brad fasteners, hole punch & pipe cleaners, cardboard connectors, Makedo screws)

Varies

Preview/Background Knowledge

  • Students should have a basic understanding that animals and plants have external parts (shells, feathers, quills, roots, scales)
  • Students should be able to explain that external parts can serve a purpose, such as keeping an organism safe
  • Students should have an introductory understanding of what a prototype is and that designs can be tested and improved
Prep Instructions

1. Print and Prep

  • Brainstorming Worksheet (one per student)
  • Testing Worksheet (one per student)
  • Assessment (one per student)

2. Gather Materials

  • ChompSaw(s) and cardboard
  • Tape and glue
  • Helmet strap supplies — choose one or offer a few options: yarn, paper clips, brad fasteners, hole punch and pipe cleaners, cardboard connectors, or Makedo screws
  • Medium sized stuffed animals for testing (ask students to bring one from home ahead of time, or have a few on hand as backups). Tip: A stuffed animal with a bigger head will be easier for students to design a helmet for.
  • A soft ball for the drop test

3. Set up your slides

  • Pull up the Vocabulary Slides ahead of time for any students who need language frontloading
  • Have the lesson slides ready in slideshow view. Several slides use animations that reveal labels and features, so clicking order matters
  • On the materials slide, edit the list to reflect what's actually available in your classroom

4. Prep your ChompSaw station

  • If you have multiple ChompSaws, group students in fives for the cutting step
  • If you only have one, plan to call students up individually as they finish designing on their cardboard, while the rest of the class continues brainstorming or sketching

5. Set up your test station

  • Designate a spot where students can drop the soft ball onto their stuffed animal's helmeted head
  • If the class is sharing one stuffed animal, plan to rotate groups through the station

(Optional) prep for differentiation:

  • Pre-cut shell or scale shapes and prepare strap kits for students who need fine motor support
  • For advanced students, prepare a second recording sheet so they can document a two-part test (ball drop and desk fall) and sketch a Version 2 design
Extensions

Invent a New Feature

  • Students invent a brand-new animal or plant with a unique protective structure, then design a piece of protective equipment inspired by it.
    • Students must:
      • describe their invented animal or plant and its protective structure
      • explain how the structure functions in nature
      • design a new piece of protective equipment inspired by that structure
    • Example
      • "My animal has bouncy skin that redirects impacts, so my helmet has a curved, flexible outer layer."

Shark Tank Pitch

  • Students turn their prototype into a short engineering pitch and present to the class.
    • Presentations must include:
      • their plant or animal inspiration
      • how the structure functions in nature
      • how they applied that idea to their helmet
      • evidence from their impact tests
      • how they improved their prototype
    • After all presentations, the class may vote on:
      • Most Creative Nature Inspiration
      • Strongest Engineering Explanation
      • Most Improved Prototype

Additional Redesign

  • Students review their results from Test 1 and Test 2, then take their design one step further.
    • Students must:
      • identify another feature that could be improved
      • draw a Version 3 design plan
      • make the additional change and conduct another controlled test if time allows