Ewok Escape

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The goal of this Star Wars activity is to design and build a balancing device to help an Ewok escape the Imperial Forces by sliding down a tightrope to safety. Working in small teams, leaners work to build a device that will balance an Ewok on top of a cart as it travels down a wire. Learners explore the concepts of center of mass, rigidity, flexibility, and weight distribution as they redesign their device and try to make it as tall as possible. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List ()

  • Tight-rope tracks
  • Balance carts
  • 1/2" metal nuts
  • Pipe-cleaners
  • Wooden dowels
  • Yellow pipette trays with velcro
  • Film canisters with holes
  • Tinker-Toy connectors
  • Plastic clips & Binder clips
  • Plastic pieces with holes
  • Cups (Dixie, or plastic)
  • Ewoks (or other figures)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Civil Engineering
      • Mechanical Engineering
      • Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
    • Motion and Forces
      • Gravity
      • Momentum and Velocity
      • Center of Gravity
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Research and Development
      • Invention and Innovation
      • Problem Solving
      • Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Informal Categories

  • Photography and Film/Video

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • , Museum of Science, Boston, 2007

Funding Source:

  • The Gordon Foundation