With an entire day in front of us, we dove into some projects that took some serious time and space. First we used balloons, newspaper, flour, and a little water to create models of zeppelins. Students worked together to problem solve the creation of a zeppelin shaped object using two balloons. 
While individuals were working on their zeppelins, small groups were called out to practice their reading skills. One of the 7th grade reading objectives focuses on reading non fiction texts. One of the specified non fiction texts that they are to learn to work with is a recipe. Groups were given all of the ingredients for a recipe created during WWI. The results were amazing. Groups learned to work together and learned new things about each other.
After lunch we dove into some more intense problem solving. The class was split up into three groups. Each group was given a box of materials. These materials included things like pencils, rubber bands, paper, tooth picks, straws, cups, etc. With these materials and nothing else, they had to create a solution. One group's challenge was to create a bi plane that would fly 30 feet unassisted. The second group had to create a U Boat that would submerge and then surface. The last group's challenge was to create a tank that would roll 10 feet and fire one projectile. As well as building a working model, they also had to create a skit, poem, song, or poster teaching the audience about their topic. All of this had to be done in 1 hour. Groups recieved points for teamwork, historical accuracy, presentation, and creative use of materials.
By the end of the hour, much learning had occurred and groups were ready to present. Lots of laughter ensued and great self reflection allowed everyone to take more than just historical facts away from the activity.
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