What is the Ball Head Relay Challenge?

​The Ball Head Relay Challenge is a fun STEM activity that asks children to design a contraption to secure a ball on their head so it does not fall off during a relay race. The ball must be visible at all times and contestants may not touch it after they have placed it in the contraption.  The Ball Head Relay Challenge is an energizing project that will have kids brainstorming and working together to create a successful design.

How to Introduce the Ball Head Relay Challenge

Break children up into groups of 2-5. You will want no more than 6 teams total. Ask if anyone thinks they can balance a ball on their head, then select someone to come to the front of the room and balance a ball on their head. Then ask that child to walk a certain distance without the ball falling off. The child will walk slowly and maybe successful, but they will not be quick.  Explain that their challenge for the day is to create an apparatus that will hold that ball on their head and allow them to move around quickly in a relay style race.

What supplies do you need?

One reason I like STEM challenges like this is that you can use whatever supplies you have on hand. Some ideas include:

• Brown paper bag
• Craft Sticks
• Pipe cleaners
• Old egg cartons
• newspaper
• Pencils
• Tin foil
• Tape 
• Glue​

Set Up for the Relay

If you have access to a gym, a large open space or outdoor area, set up two cones for each team.  Cones can be as close or as far apart as you like. If you are conducting the relay in a smaller area designate a starting point and an ending point, you can mark these with chairs, cones or have children touch a wall. 

Wherever you are holding the race, create a loading zone.  Designate a space where teams transfer the ball from one players ball holding contraption to another’s. This will be the only zone where kids can touch the ball without penalty. In the picture above the yellow hula hoops were used to create the loading zone.

Race & Engineering Rules

• The ball must be visible at all times (No enclosing it in a bag)
• Children can only touch the ball in the loading zone
• You may touch the contraption
• If the ball falls from the contraption, the racer will have to pick it up, return to the loading zone and start their turn over. 
• Add any safety rules appropriate for the space you are using. 

To start the relay, balls must sit on the floor or common area. On go, players will pick up the ball place it in the contraption and walk, run or move from the loading zone down around a chair or cone, whatever you have deemed the turnaround point.  The player will then head back to the loading zone where his/her teammates wait. When the first player reaches the loading zone, the next teammate will put the ball in their contraption and head down around the turnaround point and back. This continues until all teammates have returned to the loading zone.  The first team with all players to move round the course is named the ball head champions.
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Happy Engineering!