Teaching STEM through Fairy Tales: The Princess and the Pea

In the Princess and the Pea, the princess must climb up twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds and to try to get a good night’s rest.  In this challenge, students will design a parachute to return the princess safely back to the ground in the morning.

In the Teaching STEM through Fairy Tales series, we further examine the connection between literature- specifically fairy tales- and STEM.  Each featured favorite fairy tale (try saying that one three times fast), makes a connection to STEM and ties the design challenge to the NGSS Engineering Design Standards.

When testing their parachutes, students should take care not to stand on tables of chairs.  In order to test from a higher height, a stairwell or balcony can be used.  If neither are available, a parachute dropper that clips onto the ceiling or onto a basketball hoop may be used.