The Squashed Tomato Challenge

Challenge your students to take on a real-life problem affecting people in Nepal. The problem: In Nepal many farmers living on the mountainside grow fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes. To earn a living, they need to sell these at the local market. The problem is getting to market involves a long, dangerous walk down the mountain side and over a river, at the end of which the tomatoes may well be a bit squashed. The challenge: To design, build and test a way of moving tomatoes that won't squash them! Suitable for pupils aged 7-16 and flexible enough to be adapted to any length up to a full day's challenge for which secondary students can gain a British Science Association CREST Discovery Award.