Project-based learning in VW eLab gives students opportunities to apply academic content through meaningful, hands-on experiences while developing skills in engineering, collaboration, and problem-solving. One of our first-grade favorites is the Humpty Dumpty Safety Gear Challenge. Students explore how safety equipment is designed and discover that effective safety gear is often soft on the inside and hard on the outside. Working with a partner, students design and build protective gear for “Humpty Dumpty” using everyday materials such as cotton balls, foam, bubble wrap, cardboard, and Styrofoam. Students test their prototypes by dropping them from the playground, evaluate the results, and redesign based on their findings. The project culminates with a Celebration of Learning when our local fire department visits Westview and drops the final designs from a fire truck! Through this experience, students learn to communicate, follow a plan, test ideas, and persevere through redesign. It is such a memorable experience that students return year after year asking to do it again. In fourth grade, students take on the Energy Roller Coaster Challenge. Teams design and build a roller coaster out of tape, paper, and cardboard that demonstrates potential and kinetic energy. Students use digital fabrication by designing and 3D printing a custom cart to travel through their coaster. Their design must include a turn greater than 90 degrees and successfully deliver the cart into a cup at the end. The real learning happens through the challenge: students continually test, adjust, and rebuild their tracks until they discover a successful solution. The excitement when a cart finally completes the entire coaster is a powerful reminder that perseverance, collaboration, and the engineering design process can turn failure into success.