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30 Minute STEM Challenge: Eco-Friendly Backscratcher!

Updated: Aug 20, 2022


A woman scratches her back. Images of bamboo, coffee beans, avocado, and sugar cane

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At one point in time, a prehistoric ancestor of ours looked for a solution to scratch an itchy back. The ancestor looked upon a tree or rock and thought, “That’ll work.”


Since this milestone of evolutionary achievement, backscratchers have been an object of great utility. The following are a few examples of artifacts that have survived the ages: jade from the Sui Dynasty, steel with gold inlaid from the Mughal Dynasty, bone and bamboo from the Qing Dynasty, and wood from the Ottoman period.


Backscratchers do not have to be for humans too! Check out how these cows can self-pamper.


Backscratchers are a great design challenge for students because the activity can vary on the level of complexity. We located a few in the 30-minute range that can be easily implemented in the classroom.


ACTIVITY EXAMPLE 1

Lessons designed for PK-2 and project time of 45 minutes with students working in groups. Class discussion questions, investigating questions, and performance assessment rubrics are provided.



ACTIVITY EXAMPLE 2




Anchored from the activity linked above, “Scratch My Back” by the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology provides additional resources. The backscratcher activity is based on the Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup.






ACTIVITY EXAMPLE 3

“Design a Back Scratcher” at ScienceBuddies.org Written by Ben Finio. The lesson is designed for elementary students with a 20-30 minute project time. There are some excellent follow-up questions to understand the engineering process (and the page is connected to career-related resources).



ACTIVITY EXAMPLE 4

SciShow Kids has the activity “Jessi and Squeaks Build a Better Back Scratcher.” The video goes through the engineering design process with backscratcher prototypes that are accepted or rejected based on user criteria.




Use Eco-Friendly Materials!

These are amazing resources, and we had a blast reading through the activities! However, we also see a lot of single-use plastic items in many of these prototypes. In our Backscratcher Kits for single use and classroom sets, we have a variety of alternative materials that your students can use that are compostable/recyclable/biodegradable! For example, instead of single-use plastic forks that will eventually biodegrade in 1,000 years, we can use forks that can be added into the school garden to compost afterwards. Below are a few of the materials in straws, cutlery, and more that are available on the market.


When the project is over, feel more at ease knowing that the materials are eco-friendly with a combination of biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable components. Interested in a kit of eco-friendly backscratcher materials? Check out our kits. For materials that need an industrial composter and you do not have a local one, send them back to us and we will make sure they are properly composted. Send us an email at contact@benplusstem.com for more info.


Back Scratcher Design Challenge Enrichment


There are many ways we can innovate this simple lesson. Here are a few examples:

  • Challenge students to develop a back scratcher for domestic animals (e.g., cows, dogs, cats, ferrets). If safe to do so, some animals could test out the prototypes

  • Experiment with different eco-friendly materials

  • Challenge students to design backscratchers from populations that are dissimilar to them (e.g., the elderly)

  • Have students create videos or portfolios to teach others how to create backscratchers

  • Brainstorm the entrepreneurial opportunities for backscratcher prototypes


If your students enjoyed this fun activity, share your pictures with us at Letters to Ben!

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