Plus discussion time. 3 $20 to $30 per class.

Students use their creative skills to determine a way to safely mail raw (dry, uncooked) spaghetti using only the provided materials. To test the packing designs, the spaghetti is mailed through the postal system and evaluated after delivery.

Packaging engineers are responsible for creating packages for all types of products. They design cardboard boxes that are simply held together with glue and/or tape (or neither), boxes that have intricate folds to increase strength, and protective material used within the boxes. When designing packaging, they consider the size and shape of the object, whether it is fragile, and if it needs special temperature control. design mail package packaging postal system shipping spaghetti Students learn about design and packaging techniques. Students learn what happens to mail in the postal system. raw spaghetti (a handful per group) 8½ x 11-in envelopes, one per group stamps packaging materials, such as newspaper, tissue paper, packing foam, construction paper, bubble wrap tape pencils or pens Accidents happen. Sometimes your packages are dropped, and letters get bent. How can you protect a special delivery from such unfortunate mishaps? Sending mail in the postal system is not always the safest. Mail can get bent or dropped, etc. It is up to the students to design safe packaging for the spaghetti. Recommended Resources: Postal history (explore all the links): http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/welcome.htm Postal museum history of "moving the mail": http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2c_moving.html USPS shipping suggestions, regulations and material descriptions: http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/pubs/Pub2/Pub2.pdf Related activity: Designing a Package that Works Gather materials. Talk with the students about what happens to the mail after it is placed in a post office mailbox. What might happen to a package as it travels through the mail? Divide the class into into small groups of students. Give each group a handful of raw spaghetti and an envelope. Using only the materials provided have teams package the spaghetti so that it is ready to be mailed. To test the packing approaches, have students mail the spaghetti back to the school. Make sure student teams include their names on the envelope (as the senders) so that when it comes back they will know which is which. Mail the envelopes. As a class, open the envelopes and examine the condition of the contents. Ask the Investigating Questions. Compare designs and results. Draw conclusions. What packaging worked the best? Why? What is important to keep in mind when packing the spaghetti? What is the best way to pack it? What happened to the spaghetti that did not make it through the mail safely? How can this activity be applied to real-life situations? How many students mailed their spaghetti safely? Rubric for Performance Assessment (doc) Rubric for Performance Assessment (pdf)