Since the start of the school year at Sunderland Elementary, adorable tiny yellow ducks had been strategically located in classroom and outdoor nooks and crannies on a regular basis. When discovered, the students found they included a sticker with an inspirational saying. (Think fortune cookie, only yellow with a sound that squeaks when pinched and undeniably inedible.)
“The ducks brought an element of surprise and wonder to the school all fall,” said one Sunderland teacher. “The kids were both enchanted and inspired by the words of wisdom. Plus they were cute and fun.”
To celebrate the end of the trimester on November 21st and with a nod to the tiny visitors, the school designed a ducky activity that would mix all grades, inspire creative and critical thinking, encourage communication and maybe add an element of joy. The solution: The Sunderland Elementary Rubber Duck Race.
The rules for the contest follow. The school was divided into eight teams represented by a mix of all grades. Each squad was given a list of materials to perform the assigned task: Ten yards of duct tape, a sheet of cardboard, six paper towel rolls, cardboard cutters and gloves, one plastic bag, a chair, two cups, a bucket, and one yellow duck.
The challenge was to design and build a five foot free standing race track that could propel a yellow duck down the ramp with the aid of two full cups of water into a standing bucket. The first duck to enter the bucket wins. The teams would be given sixty minutes to design and construct their model before meeting outside on the school playground for the race.
At the appointed hour the work commenced. Measuring, cutting, taping, testing, but most of all a great deal of collaborating and communicating ideas and thoughts. Each team included a teacher who facilitated the process.
As two students engaged in a lively discussion on ramp design, for example, the teacher leader interjected, “Do you realize that you are both saying the same thing, only using different words?” Add listening as another important lesson in the exercise.
The activity picked up as the time clock counted down to zero. Deadlines have a way of making things happen. The teams proudly carried out their original contraptions to the playground and prepared for the Duck Race.
The students lined up behind their respective ramp with their duck perched on top. Cups of water ready to pour. Team teachers were given the assignment to raise their arm when their duck dropped into the bucket. Each team cheered as they prepared for the race.
Ready. Set. Go!
The water poured. The ducks instantly slid down the plastic covered ramps and dropped into the buckets. Arms went up. The students jumped excitedly and the sound of cheers filled the playground.
The results? It was too close to call. Even a video replay could not identify a clear winner.
But nobody seemed to care. The students celebrated as they cleaned up the playground and returned to the school. Each one with a brand new duck as a souvenir. And the first trimester was officially over.
Students and teachers celebrate the finish of the Sunderland Elementary School Rubber Duck Race.
Sunderland Students rush to finish their project as the deadline for the Rubber Duck Race approaches.