This is a Science 9 assignment that challenges students to build a better mouse trap. We are supposed to use tools from the maker space or home with the help of electricity to build the trap.

Define

There are mice in the school which is not hygienic for the students and destroy some of the things in the school. For example, the books in the library. Mice are small, agile creatures that can easily slip through small openings in walls and floors. They are also quick to reproduce, making it difficult to control their population once they have entered your space. We were given the task of building a mouse trap, to help reduce the population of mice in the school.

 Dream

A better mouse trap could be designed to specifically target the behavior and movements of mice. Such a trap could be equipped with motion sensors to detect the presence of mice and quickly activate them to trap them. Additionally, it could be designed to be easily accessible for cleaning and disposal of the trapped mice. I think this is a cool idea because it will reduce the breeding of mice in the school and also dispose of the trapped mice to avoid the bad odor from the mouse.

This was how I wanted our group’s mouse trap to be but, didn’t succeed. My teammates and I came up with something similar to that idea. We were successful in making some parts possible and unsuccessful with some parts.

Delivery

For this project, my partners and I brainstormed and came up with an idea. We decided to use some items that would help us during the process.

Below are some items we use to make the idea of building a mouse trap possible.

• Cheese
• popcorn
• Bottle
• Micro-bit
• sticky mat
• double sided tape

We took steps in creating the mouse trap. Firstly we started with the Micro-bit. We made the micro-bit performed as a movement detector, to detect the mouse movement when it gets into the trap.

My team members and I came up with the idea of attracting the mouse and trapping it. We taught what mice like to eat and decided to use cheese and cheese-flavored popcorn to attract the mouse and a sticky mat to trap the mouse when it entered the trap.

How does the trap work?

Every item used in constructing the trap has a specific purpose. The trap is designed to attract the mouse with food, which will entice it to enter the trap. Once inside, the micro-bit will emit a noise, alerting anyone nearby that the trap has been triggered. At the same time, the mouse will become trapped on the sticky mat inside the trap. This is how our mouse trap operates. Please see the attached clip to see it in action.

We didn’t use a rat to illustrate how the trap works in the clip, we used a piece of paper instead as it accurately represents how the mouse will be stuck to the sticky mat in the clip.

Debrief

For this project, the part that was a little difficult was making what we’ve brainstormed possible. By applying solution fluency to the problem of mice infestations, I can create a more effective and efficient way of controlling their population especially at home and in school. However, we faced some challenges in making some parts of our initial idea possible. Nonetheless, I learned a lot in the process and gained valuable experience in problem-solving and teamwork. Overall, the mouse trap project was a great learning experience that helped me develop my critical thinking and creativity skills. It also taught me the importance of finding effective and efficient ways to solve problems and address real-world issues.