Second grade students build bikes at Weaver Lake: A Science, Math & Technology School

The return of warm weather often gets students excited for summer fun: sidewalk chalk, swimming and, of course, bike rides. For second grade students at Weaver Lake: A Science, Math & Technology School, some of those bike rides this spring will take place on bikes the students built themselves. 

As part of the second grade force and motion science standards, the students are learning about the properties of force and motion that it takes for them to both build and ride bicycles. The new initiative gives students a hands-on way to apply the science standards they learn in the classroom, and have some fun along the way. 

“It’s been a fun adventure,” said Melissa Pederson, the school’s science, technology, engineering and math coordinator who is leading the project. “It’s another way to get engineering in for second graders, and there’s a lot of real world applications.”

During the building process, students follow a set of diagrams and directions on iPads, using allen wrenches, nuts and bolts and measurement tasks to complete the project. 

They’re enjoying it,” Pederson added. “They can sometimes get frustrated, and then they find a way to come out of that and work through challenges.”