Engineering
Suggestions to Create Tool Kits for Young Engineers
Dollar Store Engineering Supplies List
Engineering Starter Kit
collection of resources for getting started with STEM
Scientific Method vs. Engineering Design Process: Which is used in STEM learning?
FAVORITE CARDBOARD CUTTING TOOL
10 Ways to Incorporate Writing in STEAM
Dollar Store Engineering Supplies List
Engineering Starter Kit
collection of resources for getting started with STEM
Scientific Method vs. Engineering Design Process: Which is used in STEM learning?
FAVORITE CARDBOARD CUTTING TOOL
10 Ways to Incorporate Writing in STEAM
Design Process
Five-step Engineering Design Process developed by the Museum of Science in Boston to guide most STEM lessons and activities
8 Science and Engineering Practices Every Kid Should Learn
Engineering a Board Game Gr. 2 - 8 Our classrooms should be places where students are engaged in learning. So why not combine the fun of games with an Engineering Design challenge? Think of using a board game design project as a way to: (1) introduce the Engineering Design Process into any classroom and subject, (2) engage students in a creative and collaborative project that involves planning, spatial reasoning, and technical writing, and (3) provide an opportunity to apply and work with concepts from any topic. $5
Tool for Building Simulation Validating How Something Works
SageModeler is an intuitive modeling tool being developed at The Concord Consortium and the CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University for middle school and high school students to build their own models and validate their model design using real-world data. Using the SageModeler tool, students can take their current ideas about how something works and design a runnable simulation without needing to write equations or do traditional coding. By making it possible to map their ideas about a phenomenon to a working computational simulation, students can test, share, evaluate, and revise their model (and their understanding of the phenomenon). SageModeler makes possible three different types of modeling, from basic diagramming of the structure of a system to creation of a static equilibriummodel or a dynamic time-based model. A step-by-step tutorial is available in English and Spanish.
Design Squad Nation | Grades 3-8
Use the resources in this collection to help students gain a stronger understanding of the design process, and a better sense for the role of engineering in everyday life. View Collection
Ready, Set, Design is a quick group activity. It uses simple, inexpensive materials and is an effective tool for problem solving, creative thinking and team building. Ready, Set, Design is not just for designers but can be used by any audience as a way to engage in design thinking.
8 Science and Engineering Practices Every Kid Should Learn
Engineering a Board Game Gr. 2 - 8 Our classrooms should be places where students are engaged in learning. So why not combine the fun of games with an Engineering Design challenge? Think of using a board game design project as a way to: (1) introduce the Engineering Design Process into any classroom and subject, (2) engage students in a creative and collaborative project that involves planning, spatial reasoning, and technical writing, and (3) provide an opportunity to apply and work with concepts from any topic. $5
Tool for Building Simulation Validating How Something Works
SageModeler is an intuitive modeling tool being developed at The Concord Consortium and the CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University for middle school and high school students to build their own models and validate their model design using real-world data. Using the SageModeler tool, students can take their current ideas about how something works and design a runnable simulation without needing to write equations or do traditional coding. By making it possible to map their ideas about a phenomenon to a working computational simulation, students can test, share, evaluate, and revise their model (and their understanding of the phenomenon). SageModeler makes possible three different types of modeling, from basic diagramming of the structure of a system to creation of a static equilibriummodel or a dynamic time-based model. A step-by-step tutorial is available in English and Spanish.
Design Squad Nation | Grades 3-8
Use the resources in this collection to help students gain a stronger understanding of the design process, and a better sense for the role of engineering in everyday life. View Collection
Ready, Set, Design is a quick group activity. It uses simple, inexpensive materials and is an effective tool for problem solving, creative thinking and team building. Ready, Set, Design is not just for designers but can be used by any audience as a way to engage in design thinking.
Curriculum
TeachEngineering developed a curricular unit that engages students in a pyramid-building experience that parallels the modern-day engineering design and construction process. You might use that as a basis for creating an engaging, hands-on unit while building in the cultural content.
Engineering Like Ancient Greeks gr. 3 - 6
✅ Designing Biomimetic Robots curriculum challenges middle school students to learn about biomimicry by interweaving engineering, biology, robotics, and computer programming concepts through a series of engaging and practical tasks.
ENGINEERS IN THE CLASSROOM: This site has a range of STEM projects for classroom use. A joint venture between Lockheed-Martin and National Geographic, these projects are teacher-friendly and easy to implement in the classroom. You can search by grade and subject area
Engineering at Home or On the Go "Explore engineering as a family! These activities promote team work, critical thinking and problem solving. Use the steps of the Engineering Design Process to design a unique solution to a problem. Families that engineer together will build valuable skills and will gain the confidence necessary to tackle problems with an engineering mindset."
Solve An Everyday Problems Faced by A Culture: For example, a way to get water, build a shelter, create a tool, improve an invention
Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Interdisciplinary Student-Driven ProjectsImagineering in a Box is designed to pull back the curtain to show students in middle school and high school how artists, designers, and engineers work together to create theme parks. The program, from Khan Academy, takes a behind-the-scenes look with Disney Imagineers and makes it an active learning experience by weaving together videos and exercises into lessons that culminate in student-driven projects. The goal is to make students aware of careers they never knew existed and deepen their understanding of the process, concepts, and terminology of the creative workplace. The content can be used in a wide range of contexts: the arts, humanities, math, and science. It can be used as part of a one-week to one-month-long project that students can do alone or in groups. As in the workplace, all of the lessons are interdisciplinary, yet focused in different ways. Lesson 1, “Creating Worlds,” is art and design focused (activities done with physical materials). Lesson 2, “Designing Attractions,” is art and math focused (physical and computer-based activities). Lesson 3, “Bringing Characters to Life,” is art and engineering focused (physical and computer-based activities). An Educator’s guide for each lesson summarizes the activities for that lesson.
ENGINEERS IN THE CLASSROOM: This site has a range of STEM projects for classroom use. A joint venture between Lockheed-Martin and National Geographic, these projects are teacher-friendly and easy to implement in the classroom. You can search by grade and subject area
Howtosmile spotlights hands-on and interactive STEM activities, both physical and virtual, that involve doing and learning. Activities take many forms, from downloadable lesson plans to how-to videos to online interactive games. howtosmile activities teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and are developed by a wide range of organizations
Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
Try Engineering is a site that hosts lesson plans and games designed to get students interested in engineering. The lesson plans, more than 100 of them, are arranged according age and engineering topic. The lesson plans can be downloaded as PDFs.
STEM Lessons and Activities Wiki Page
Project Lead the Way curriculum(@PLTWorg) to equip teachers with both skills in professional development as well as lesson resources to bring STEM learning experiences into their classrooms. free and paid units
Inspiring Stories of People Using Engineering SkillsEngineering Design Workshop: Powered by MathWorks is a new hands-on Virtual engineering and computer science exhibition for families and children at the Museum of Science, Boston. Visitors think like an engineer as they design, build, and test different solutions in design. The gallery has special experiences for young learners, including stories from inspiring engineers, who share their real-life experiences using creativity, breaking down problems, and iterating in this new virtual engineering exhibit. The stories are presented thematically—for example, Engineering for Everyone, Engineering for Reuse, Engineering for Nature, Engineering for Health, Engineering for Sport, and Engineering for Art.
Engineering is Elementary free and paid units
Super Bowl Engineering – A great collection of activities, lessons, and videos to help students see the engineering in football.
Engineering Americas’ Favorite Past Time – If you liked the above link for football then check out this baseball site.
Engineering Education Pod Casts – These are a series of educational podcast to help students understand engineering in the real world.
STEM Video Series Uncovering the World of BiomimicryNature Knows Best, a video series from Xploration Station, looks at the clever ways scientists and innovators are copying nature to create some of the world’s most amazing advancements. For example, in season 1, episode 1, “Planes Inspired by Nature,” host Danni Washington takes a look at how exactly birds were the inspiration for the first airplanes. She flies planes in tight formation to try to mimic the energy-efficient flight patterns of migrating birds. She looks at how engineers are inventing wings that change their shape while in flight. And she even jumps out of a plane to test an innovation based on the flying squirrel! In episode 10, “Copying Nature’s Communication,” Washington takes a look at how today’s scientists are studying “swarm” behavior of animals to make better robots that will help in factories, collect things on other planets, or make better autonomous cars.
The Engineering Place ( K - 8) provides tools and information to help students explore how engineering is, and can be, a part of their lives. The site includes activity lesson plans for bringing engineering to life for students in elemen-tary and middle school. Most of the lesson plans were developed or used in The Engineering Place’s Engineering Teaching Fellows program. The detailed interactive lessons cover earth science, electricity and magnetism, engineering, human body, insects, mathematics, matter, plants, and weather and climate. Favorite activities involve students in constructing roller coasters (grades 3–7) and pipe-cleaner towers (grades 6 and above).Web: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/index.php
Engineering for Good Lessons and videos
Engineering@Home and School (Gr. 3 - 12) A free program of engineering challenges. Challenges can be tackled using everyday resources around the house. Every project includes learning objectives, an instruction sheet and a video. https://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/engineering-at-home
Engineering is Elementary The mission of Engineering is Elementary (EiE) is to foster engineering and technological literacy among ALL elementary-aged children. EiE's 20 units present fun, engaging engineering challenges that allow students to apply science knowledge. Engineering Adventures gr. 1-5 free
Engineer Your Life – This engaging website is the centerpiece of a national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. It is a great place to explore outstanding engineering possibilities.
Hacking STEM is a Microsoft website that offers about two dozen hands-on science and engineering lessons. The activities are a mix of things that students can probably do on their own and some that probably can't be done without the supervision of a teacher or parent with working knowledge of the concept(s) being taught. "For example, the mini solar house project that I'm having my ninth grade students do can be done safely without my direct supervision (I'm removing the glue gun component and having them use tape). But the "party lights" activity on the same page is not something they'll be able to do on their own." www.freetech4teachers.com
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students, and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
PBS Learning Media Engineering and Technology – Discover resources and projects that connect students to engineering design practices and future careers.
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
Cooper Hewitt Lesson Plans - Take a look at the design possibilities covering all subject areas and grade levels.
DiscoverE Engineering and science activities categorized by grades Videos accompany the lessons. Most of the lessons are challenge activities.
Sketch Up Free – One of the easiest ways to draw in 3D. Say hello to SketchUp Free: 3D modeling in a web browser
AutoDesk TynkerCad – It is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It’s used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything!
Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom
Autodesk Digital Steam Workshop –( HS) Digital STEAM projects are designed by Autodesk’s network of expert educators, designers and student alumni as exciting complements to core Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Art (STEAM) curriculum. Each project aligns with common core and national standards, and delivers measurable learning while using free software.
Mosa Mack provides students with a variety of short animated mysteries that they have to solve using knowledge gleaned from videos they watch. Mosa Mack adopts an inquiry-based approach to science learning and provides content that is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Mosa Mack arranges its science content into units each of which is comprised of three lessons that ‘progress upwards on Blooms Taxonomy and the the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart.’ The units include:
Children's Engineering, A Teacher Resource Guide for Design and Technology in Grades K-5 includes 24 ready-to-use activities, four at each grade level.
Architecture and Engineering Activities and Curriculum for Kids
35 Engineering Projects K - 6
Engineering curriculum and lessons K - 12
Biodomes Engineering Design Project: Lessons 2-6
Family Science programs offer opportunities for parents and children to work and learn together. Hands-on activities that use easy-to-find, inexpensive materials let families explore the ways in which science and engineering plays a role in daily life.
Simple Activities for Little Engineers
Learning Engineering is a nice website offering dozens of short video lessons about machines, materials, and energy. The site is organized into three primary sections; electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering. Within each category you will find sub-categories and topics for further exploration. Each topic is explained with a video along with a set of diagrams and text explanations.
The Lemlinson Center -Take a moment to visit this amazing website that showcases the study of invention and innovation. It is part of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, the center documents, interprets, and disseminates information about invention and innovation; encourages inventive creativity in young people; and fosters an appreciation for the central role that invention and innovation play in the history of the United States.
The Achievery The Achievery features clips from popular movies, TV shows, and cartoons from Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network, paired with lessons and learning activities Available subjects include Social-Emotional Learning, English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Social Studies, Math, Technology and Engineering and Digital Literacy. The lesson plans come with recommendations and exercises related to the content of the clips.https://www.theachievery.com/
A Year of the Best Engineering Projects for Kids
100 Awesome Engineering Projects for Kids offers ways to make engineering, physics and design fun as well as challenging for students. The projects engage students in constructing, playing, learning and growing, all while they are studying the fundamentals of engineering. The projects focus on the basics (motion, force and other essentials of physics) and on light and energy, structures and materials as well as travel and movement, harnessing nature, the environment, understanding the everyday and more.
Generating Ideas Lesson Plan | NOVA | Grades 6-12
In this lesson plan, students learn to generate ideas for innovation using two different approaches. All ideas generated by this lesson contribute to the design thinking process for creating innovative solutions to complex problems in today's world. View Lesson Plan
Engineering Map of America – In this interactive map from American Experience, learn about the most challenging and important engineering projects that transformed America. Each project is described with a variety of supporting materials, including archival images and documents as well as videos excerpted from American Experience episodes.
Spark!Lab – Discover the Spark!Lab Process for design which includes, Identify a problem or need (Think It), Conduct Research (Explore It), Make sketches (Sketch It) Build prototypes (Create It), Test the invention (Try It), Refine the invention (Tweak It), Market the invention (Sell It). You will want to explore the links to these these resources and the amazing Spark Lab Free Design Book.
Tinker Ball – This is a simulation that allows students to see there are multiple iterations and possibilities when designing.
Curiosity Machine – Explore this wonderful program that puts an emphasis on artificial intelligence and engineering.
Engineering Like Ancient Greeks gr. 3 - 6
✅ Designing Biomimetic Robots curriculum challenges middle school students to learn about biomimicry by interweaving engineering, biology, robotics, and computer programming concepts through a series of engaging and practical tasks.
ENGINEERS IN THE CLASSROOM: This site has a range of STEM projects for classroom use. A joint venture between Lockheed-Martin and National Geographic, these projects are teacher-friendly and easy to implement in the classroom. You can search by grade and subject area
Engineering at Home or On the Go "Explore engineering as a family! These activities promote team work, critical thinking and problem solving. Use the steps of the Engineering Design Process to design a unique solution to a problem. Families that engineer together will build valuable skills and will gain the confidence necessary to tackle problems with an engineering mindset."
Solve An Everyday Problems Faced by A Culture: For example, a way to get water, build a shelter, create a tool, improve an invention
Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Interdisciplinary Student-Driven ProjectsImagineering in a Box is designed to pull back the curtain to show students in middle school and high school how artists, designers, and engineers work together to create theme parks. The program, from Khan Academy, takes a behind-the-scenes look with Disney Imagineers and makes it an active learning experience by weaving together videos and exercises into lessons that culminate in student-driven projects. The goal is to make students aware of careers they never knew existed and deepen their understanding of the process, concepts, and terminology of the creative workplace. The content can be used in a wide range of contexts: the arts, humanities, math, and science. It can be used as part of a one-week to one-month-long project that students can do alone or in groups. As in the workplace, all of the lessons are interdisciplinary, yet focused in different ways. Lesson 1, “Creating Worlds,” is art and design focused (activities done with physical materials). Lesson 2, “Designing Attractions,” is art and math focused (physical and computer-based activities). Lesson 3, “Bringing Characters to Life,” is art and engineering focused (physical and computer-based activities). An Educator’s guide for each lesson summarizes the activities for that lesson.
ENGINEERS IN THE CLASSROOM: This site has a range of STEM projects for classroom use. A joint venture between Lockheed-Martin and National Geographic, these projects are teacher-friendly and easy to implement in the classroom. You can search by grade and subject area
Howtosmile spotlights hands-on and interactive STEM activities, both physical and virtual, that involve doing and learning. Activities take many forms, from downloadable lesson plans to how-to videos to online interactive games. howtosmile activities teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and are developed by a wide range of organizations
Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
Try Engineering is a site that hosts lesson plans and games designed to get students interested in engineering. The lesson plans, more than 100 of them, are arranged according age and engineering topic. The lesson plans can be downloaded as PDFs.
STEM Lessons and Activities Wiki Page
Project Lead the Way curriculum(@PLTWorg) to equip teachers with both skills in professional development as well as lesson resources to bring STEM learning experiences into their classrooms. free and paid units
Inspiring Stories of People Using Engineering SkillsEngineering Design Workshop: Powered by MathWorks is a new hands-on Virtual engineering and computer science exhibition for families and children at the Museum of Science, Boston. Visitors think like an engineer as they design, build, and test different solutions in design. The gallery has special experiences for young learners, including stories from inspiring engineers, who share their real-life experiences using creativity, breaking down problems, and iterating in this new virtual engineering exhibit. The stories are presented thematically—for example, Engineering for Everyone, Engineering for Reuse, Engineering for Nature, Engineering for Health, Engineering for Sport, and Engineering for Art.
Engineering is Elementary free and paid units
Super Bowl Engineering – A great collection of activities, lessons, and videos to help students see the engineering in football.
Engineering Americas’ Favorite Past Time – If you liked the above link for football then check out this baseball site.
Engineering Education Pod Casts – These are a series of educational podcast to help students understand engineering in the real world.
STEM Video Series Uncovering the World of BiomimicryNature Knows Best, a video series from Xploration Station, looks at the clever ways scientists and innovators are copying nature to create some of the world’s most amazing advancements. For example, in season 1, episode 1, “Planes Inspired by Nature,” host Danni Washington takes a look at how exactly birds were the inspiration for the first airplanes. She flies planes in tight formation to try to mimic the energy-efficient flight patterns of migrating birds. She looks at how engineers are inventing wings that change their shape while in flight. And she even jumps out of a plane to test an innovation based on the flying squirrel! In episode 10, “Copying Nature’s Communication,” Washington takes a look at how today’s scientists are studying “swarm” behavior of animals to make better robots that will help in factories, collect things on other planets, or make better autonomous cars.
The Engineering Place ( K - 8) provides tools and information to help students explore how engineering is, and can be, a part of their lives. The site includes activity lesson plans for bringing engineering to life for students in elemen-tary and middle school. Most of the lesson plans were developed or used in The Engineering Place’s Engineering Teaching Fellows program. The detailed interactive lessons cover earth science, electricity and magnetism, engineering, human body, insects, mathematics, matter, plants, and weather and climate. Favorite activities involve students in constructing roller coasters (grades 3–7) and pipe-cleaner towers (grades 6 and above).Web: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/index.php
Engineering for Good Lessons and videos
Engineering@Home and School (Gr. 3 - 12) A free program of engineering challenges. Challenges can be tackled using everyday resources around the house. Every project includes learning objectives, an instruction sheet and a video. https://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/engineering-at-home
Engineering is Elementary The mission of Engineering is Elementary (EiE) is to foster engineering and technological literacy among ALL elementary-aged children. EiE's 20 units present fun, engaging engineering challenges that allow students to apply science knowledge. Engineering Adventures gr. 1-5 free
- EiE's Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere, with a focus on protecting our planet! Lesson plans are FREE to download
Engineer Your Life – This engaging website is the centerpiece of a national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. It is a great place to explore outstanding engineering possibilities.
Hacking STEM is a Microsoft website that offers about two dozen hands-on science and engineering lessons. The activities are a mix of things that students can probably do on their own and some that probably can't be done without the supervision of a teacher or parent with working knowledge of the concept(s) being taught. "For example, the mini solar house project that I'm having my ninth grade students do can be done safely without my direct supervision (I'm removing the glue gun component and having them use tape). But the "party lights" activity on the same page is not something they'll be able to do on their own." www.freetech4teachers.com
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students, and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
PBS Learning Media Engineering and Technology – Discover resources and projects that connect students to engineering design practices and future careers.
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
Cooper Hewitt Lesson Plans - Take a look at the design possibilities covering all subject areas and grade levels.
DiscoverE Engineering and science activities categorized by grades Videos accompany the lessons. Most of the lessons are challenge activities.
Sketch Up Free – One of the easiest ways to draw in 3D. Say hello to SketchUp Free: 3D modeling in a web browser
AutoDesk TynkerCad – It is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It’s used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything!
Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom
Autodesk Digital Steam Workshop –( HS) Digital STEAM projects are designed by Autodesk’s network of expert educators, designers and student alumni as exciting complements to core Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Art (STEAM) curriculum. Each project aligns with common core and national standards, and delivers measurable learning while using free software.
Mosa Mack provides students with a variety of short animated mysteries that they have to solve using knowledge gleaned from videos they watch. Mosa Mack adopts an inquiry-based approach to science learning and provides content that is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Mosa Mack arranges its science content into units each of which is comprised of three lessons that ‘progress upwards on Blooms Taxonomy and the the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart.’ The units include:
- Lesson 3 The Engineer: An engineering challenge that allows students to apply what they’ve learned to solve real world scenarios.’
Children's Engineering, A Teacher Resource Guide for Design and Technology in Grades K-5 includes 24 ready-to-use activities, four at each grade level.
Architecture and Engineering Activities and Curriculum for Kids
35 Engineering Projects K - 6
Engineering curriculum and lessons K - 12
Biodomes Engineering Design Project: Lessons 2-6
Family Science programs offer opportunities for parents and children to work and learn together. Hands-on activities that use easy-to-find, inexpensive materials let families explore the ways in which science and engineering plays a role in daily life.
Simple Activities for Little Engineers
Learning Engineering is a nice website offering dozens of short video lessons about machines, materials, and energy. The site is organized into three primary sections; electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering. Within each category you will find sub-categories and topics for further exploration. Each topic is explained with a video along with a set of diagrams and text explanations.
The Lemlinson Center -Take a moment to visit this amazing website that showcases the study of invention and innovation. It is part of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, the center documents, interprets, and disseminates information about invention and innovation; encourages inventive creativity in young people; and fosters an appreciation for the central role that invention and innovation play in the history of the United States.
The Achievery The Achievery features clips from popular movies, TV shows, and cartoons from Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network, paired with lessons and learning activities Available subjects include Social-Emotional Learning, English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Social Studies, Math, Technology and Engineering and Digital Literacy. The lesson plans come with recommendations and exercises related to the content of the clips.https://www.theachievery.com/
A Year of the Best Engineering Projects for Kids
100 Awesome Engineering Projects for Kids offers ways to make engineering, physics and design fun as well as challenging for students. The projects engage students in constructing, playing, learning and growing, all while they are studying the fundamentals of engineering. The projects focus on the basics (motion, force and other essentials of physics) and on light and energy, structures and materials as well as travel and movement, harnessing nature, the environment, understanding the everyday and more.
Generating Ideas Lesson Plan | NOVA | Grades 6-12
In this lesson plan, students learn to generate ideas for innovation using two different approaches. All ideas generated by this lesson contribute to the design thinking process for creating innovative solutions to complex problems in today's world. View Lesson Plan
Engineering Map of America – In this interactive map from American Experience, learn about the most challenging and important engineering projects that transformed America. Each project is described with a variety of supporting materials, including archival images and documents as well as videos excerpted from American Experience episodes.
Spark!Lab – Discover the Spark!Lab Process for design which includes, Identify a problem or need (Think It), Conduct Research (Explore It), Make sketches (Sketch It) Build prototypes (Create It), Test the invention (Try It), Refine the invention (Tweak It), Market the invention (Sell It). You will want to explore the links to these these resources and the amazing Spark Lab Free Design Book.
Tinker Ball – This is a simulation that allows students to see there are multiple iterations and possibilities when designing.
Curiosity Machine – Explore this wonderful program that puts an emphasis on artificial intelligence and engineering.
Click Here For Details on Cardboard Attachments
Engineering Games Web-based gr. 1-4
my.SketchUp is the web version of the popular desktop application SketchUp. my.SketchUp is an excellent tool students can use to create anything they want in 3D.
DiscoverE Engineering and science activities categorized by grades Videos accompany the lessons. Most of the lessons are challenge activities.
Veritasium is a channel of science and engineering videos featuring experiments, expert interviews, cool demos, and discussions with the public about everything science.’
A Cute Series of Videos About Engineeering
SciShow Kids hasthree videos about engineering. You wouldn't normally associate engineering with cute, but in this case it's an appropriate match. Like all SciShow Kids videos these are designed for elementary school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
Halloween Challenges gr. 2- 6
Vsauce YouTube channel featuring a wide variety of educational video content. It has playlists on knowledge, physics, human behaviour, space, earth and many more.
14 Fun Engineering Projects for Kids
Get Caught Engineering
Paper Toys and Video Creation
Introduce a Girl to Engineering K - 6 video
Fidgit Factory Games
Invention at Play
SciGirls is changing how girls think about science, technology, engineering, and math! Each episode of SciGirls highlights the processes of science and engineering, following a different group of middle school girls who work with mentors to design their own inquiry-based investigations on a variety of topics. Explore the Collection
Mosa Mack provides students with a variety of short animated mysteries that they have to solve using knowledge gleaned from videos they watch. Mosa Mack adopts an inquiry-based approach to science learning. Mosa Mack arranges its science content into units each of which is comprised of three lessons that ‘progress upwards on Blooms Taxonomy and the the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart.’ The units include:
Lesson 1 The Solve: An animated science mystery and vocabulary manipulative
Lesson 2 The Make: A hands-on lab
Lesson 3 The Engineer: An engineering challenge that allows students to apply what they’ve learned to solve real world scenarios.
Engineering For Good – This is a three-week, project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment. In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs. The project culminates with students producing videos about their solutions to share with the community.
Engineering Interact is a great site to introduce engineering concepts and processes to 9-11 year olds. The site has 5 different games based on different science topics that give students a chance to learn while playing. The games teach students about the concepts. The concepts are: Light, Sound, Forces and Motion, Earth and Beyond, Electricity. There are also links to other resources about science and engineering.
This is a great resource for younger students, but the games can be used with older students also. DiscoverE promotes engineering education to K-12 students and the general public. From 10 Reasons to Love Engineering (starting with "Love your work, and live your life too!") to information about education and career opportunities, DiscoverE is a treasure trove of hands-on activities, videos, games, and advice.
DiscoverE Challenge: Slow It DownDesign an aircraft that falls as slowly as possible before landing on a target. Slow It Down Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s): 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
DiscoverE Challenge: Step LauncherDesign a way to launch a small ball off the floor so you can catch it!Step Launcher Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s):
3-5, 6-8
Tower Challenge Cards 16 difference tower building challenges (gr. K - 8)
Pipecleaner Tower Challenge K-12
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
DiscoverE Challenge: Critical LoadBuild a house of cards and see how much weight it can support before it collapses. Critical Load Student Instructions.docxGrade(s): 3-5, 6-8
DiscoverE Challenge: Tallest Cup TowerBuild a stable tower out of cups and make it as tall as possible! Tallest Cup Tower Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s):
K-2, 3-5, 6-8
DiscoverE Challenge: Pen FactoryThink like an industrial engineer and create your own assembly line! Design the most efficient way to assemble a collection of pens. Pen Factory Distance Learning Suggestions.docx
Grade(s):
3-5, 6-8
Imagination Playground 3D Builder, children can build, stack, channel and connect blue building blocks. Build endlessly in the Quick Builder mode, and then flip on the Gravity button to watch your blocks take on physical properties. Imagination Playground 3D Builder encourages open ended, unstructured free play. The benefits of this kind of play include creativity, self-expression, communication, collaboration, problem solving, motor-skills development.
Engineering Is... | QUEST | Grades 6-12
Find out how scientists and engineers are working together across disciplines to investigate issues, make discoveries, and develop solutions. View Collection
Inventioneers is a physics engineering game iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Using given tools and helpers, students design, test, and revise fun, crazy inventions that will meet challenges and help special characters achieve success. A “Create” mode allows students to create and share their inventions with others. A free version of the app includes only the first chapter with 14 inventions and 40 different objects to use in creating the inventions. The full version, at a cost of $2.99, includes eight chapters with a total of 112 inventions and 100-plus objects that students can use.
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students, and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
eGFI Dream Up The Future – Be ready to discover a variety of tools to boost your students’ math and science skills, enliven the classroom with engineering projects, expand your own professional horizons and stay informed. There is also an amazing free newsletter with updated features that will arrive in your in-box every month. This is a site that is a must visit for any STEM teacher.
The Lemlinson Center -Take a moment to visit this center that showcases the study of invention and innovation. It is part of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, the center documents, interprets, and disseminates information about invention and innovation; encourages inventive creativity in young people; and fosters an appreciation for the central role that invention and innovation play in the history of the United States.
NASA at Home and City is a great site from NASA that shows examples of how technologies developed for space exploration are used and applied on Earth.
The site is graphic based, easy to use, and very informative. It's a great resource to share with students to show them how developments for one thing can apply to another.
PreK-12 Engineering is a site with free resources for educators to integrate engineering concepts and activities into preK through 12th grade classrooms. The activities are linked to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.
The activities are really well thought out and developed.. Things are sorted by grade level for easy searching.
For more resources on engineering: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/10/engineering-resources.html
American Society for Engineering Education - great resource with information about all types of engineering, educator resources, and more.
Engineering Games Here is a collection of games categorized as Engineering Games, Logic Games, Robot Games and Electricity Games. You'll find yourself building a wind turbine, flying an airplane, learning about electrical circuits, or putting simple machines to work.
Engineering - Go For It! - this site is produced by the ASEE (see above) and is completely devoted to promoting engineering. It has resources for educators and students, as well as lessons and career exploration resources.
Crossing a Chasm Challenge gr. 4-8
Design Squad Nation Highly interactive resources drive home the skills and processes of engineering and design. There is an app also, but the flash-based projects cannot be used on it.
American Society of Engineering Education Lessons K-12 catergorized by grade levels promoting and enhancing efforts to improve K-12 STEM and engineering education.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - has resources for aerospace engineering careers. Educators can join for free and get even more resources.
Society of Automotive Engineers - has resources about engineers dealing with the automotive industry.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer - resources about engineers in the electronics and electrical engineering.
Discover Engineering - another great site that explores engineering as a career. Discover Engineering – Innovation is important and must be part of any STEM curriculum. At this site you will discover a video that showcases the art of engineering? You may find a hands-on activity that covers some amazing STEM content.? There is a large database of sort-able ideas for you to engineer in your classroom.
Tech Museum of Innovation - Check out these challenges available from an amazing museum. While you are at the site check out all the other possible resources that might just work for your classroom.
Engineering Video Snippets – Discover this collection of Illuminating short videos that take you inside the elementary engineering classroom.
CT Business and Industry Association - CBIA has an education section. They have a great resource about Engineering. The site also has videos you can show to your students.
Next Generation Manufacturing Center - this is a cooperative group of manufacturers, CBIA and CT's Community Colleges. They work to get more students interested in engineering and manufacturing. There are some great videos on the site, too. They have a lot of great programs, including the Engineering Challenge. They also sponsor summer externships for teachers. These externships pay teachers to spend the summer at a local manufacturing company learning about their industry and coming up with ways to get more students involved in engineering and manufacturing. I was able to participate two years ago and found it to be a great experience.
Book: Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom provides both the background and a path for educators to create engaging learning opportunities to help students not only develop skills and strategies that will prepare them for a complex world, but empower them to use their creativity to solve problems, ask questions and continually learn.
Engineer Your Life – This engaging website is the centerpiece of a national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. It is a great place to explore outstanding engineering possibilities.
Discover Engineering - Let your students discover engineering in some very exciting and engaging ways. From skateboards to roller coasters the activities and videos will bring you back for more.
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
Making Stuff
Grades 6-12 | Collection | Materials Science
Join technology columnist David Pogue as he delves hands-first into the field of materials science. Find out which materials he thinks will play a role in shaping the future.
Trace Professional Paths in Engineering Created by the American Society for Engineering Education, Engineering, Go For It (eGFI) aims to foster educational and pre-professional interest in engineering and other STEM subjects from kindergarten through high school. In addition to information on the myriad branches of the engineering field—from biomedical to computer to mechanical and beyond—the site features descriptions of professional paths for each, including profiles of real people at work in the field.
Click Here to Visit Website
Plus: Developed by the Boston Museum of Science’s Engineering is Elementary program, the Engineering Design Process is a series of steps for developing a new product or system. Engineers use this process again and again to create a new design or improve an existing one. Educators are encouraged to explain this five-step process to students, as well as display it in their classrooms. A poster describing the five steps in the Engineering Design Process may be downloaded, at no charge, from The Engineering Place website.Web: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/#process
Engineering Adventures gr 1 - 5(EA) is an engaging, hands-on design curriculum created by the Engineering is Elementary team at Museum of Science, Boston for use in out-of-school-time settings, such as after-school and camp programs. EA challenges children to solve design problems using creativity, teamwork, science and engineering. EA is arranged as a series of thematic units, each focusing on a field of engineering.Hop to It: Safe Removal of Invasive Species is a mechanical engineering unit that introduces students to the problems the invasive cane toads have created in Australia. In the culminating project, students design a machine to humanely trap the cane toad. Bubble Bonanza: Engineering Bubble Wands is a materials engineering unit that gives students the chance to explore how bubbles behave and investigate properties of materials they can use to create bubble wands.
Engineering Interact is a site for elementary school students designed by the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Engineering Interact offers five games designed to teach students physics concepts. The games address concepts related to light, sound, motion, electricity, and space travel. Each of the five games presents students with a scenario in which they have to "help" someone solve a problem. The games require students to learn and analyze the information presented to them.
Fun-Engineering is an educational blog with suggestions for stories and activities that teach different aspects of engineering appropriate for students aged 10–14. Teachers will find such resources as an aeronautical engineering drama entitled Just Let Me Fly; a free ebook about symmetry; a demonstrator that reflects the disciplines of civil and structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronic engineering; and an online story about the principles behind the steam engine. Web: http://fun-engineering.net/
National Engineer Week: Future City – Great Project Based Learning Activity incorporating STEAM along with Language Arts and Social Studies. Engage students with Sim City Software, model building, and a new curriculum designed to integrate disciplines.
my.SketchUp is the web version of the popular desktop application SketchUp. my.SketchUp is an excellent tool students can use to create anything they want in 3D.
DiscoverE Engineering and science activities categorized by grades Videos accompany the lessons. Most of the lessons are challenge activities.
Veritasium is a channel of science and engineering videos featuring experiments, expert interviews, cool demos, and discussions with the public about everything science.’
A Cute Series of Videos About Engineeering
SciShow Kids hasthree videos about engineering. You wouldn't normally associate engineering with cute, but in this case it's an appropriate match. Like all SciShow Kids videos these are designed for elementary school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
- Think Like an Engineer is the first video in the series. It explains what an engineer is and what they do. The video provides a few examples of different types of engineers.
- The Great Button Solution is the second video in the series. In this video students see Webb (a puppet) and his friends try to design a solution to reach a button (switch) that is high off the ground. The video explains to students why it's okay and important to try many solutions to a problem and gives the example of the Wright Brothers multiple attempts to create a working airplane.The third video in the series is titled The
- Amazing Flag Raiser. In this episode, clearly sponsored by LEGO, students see the construction of a small LEGO device that raises a flag and makes a sound when Squeeks (the puppet) wants to play
Halloween Challenges gr. 2- 6
Vsauce YouTube channel featuring a wide variety of educational video content. It has playlists on knowledge, physics, human behaviour, space, earth and many more.
14 Fun Engineering Projects for Kids
Get Caught Engineering
Paper Toys and Video Creation
Introduce a Girl to Engineering K - 6 video
Fidgit Factory Games
Invention at Play
SciGirls is changing how girls think about science, technology, engineering, and math! Each episode of SciGirls highlights the processes of science and engineering, following a different group of middle school girls who work with mentors to design their own inquiry-based investigations on a variety of topics. Explore the Collection
- Engineering the Perfect Egg Drop Project
- Build a Peeps Catapult
- Create DIY Soda Rockets
- Building with Jelly Beans
- Build a DIY Rocket Station
- Travel-Sized Cup Stacking
- Building Igloos with Marshmallows
- Peeps Stacking Engineering Challenge for Kids
- Building with Playdough
- Building with Straws
Mosa Mack provides students with a variety of short animated mysteries that they have to solve using knowledge gleaned from videos they watch. Mosa Mack adopts an inquiry-based approach to science learning. Mosa Mack arranges its science content into units each of which is comprised of three lessons that ‘progress upwards on Blooms Taxonomy and the the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) chart.’ The units include:
Lesson 1 The Solve: An animated science mystery and vocabulary manipulative
Lesson 2 The Make: A hands-on lab
Lesson 3 The Engineer: An engineering challenge that allows students to apply what they’ve learned to solve real world scenarios.
Engineering For Good – This is a three-week, project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment. In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs. The project culminates with students producing videos about their solutions to share with the community.
Engineering Interact is a great site to introduce engineering concepts and processes to 9-11 year olds. The site has 5 different games based on different science topics that give students a chance to learn while playing. The games teach students about the concepts. The concepts are: Light, Sound, Forces and Motion, Earth and Beyond, Electricity. There are also links to other resources about science and engineering.
This is a great resource for younger students, but the games can be used with older students also. DiscoverE promotes engineering education to K-12 students and the general public. From 10 Reasons to Love Engineering (starting with "Love your work, and live your life too!") to information about education and career opportunities, DiscoverE is a treasure trove of hands-on activities, videos, games, and advice.
DiscoverE Challenge: Slow It DownDesign an aircraft that falls as slowly as possible before landing on a target. Slow It Down Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s): 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
DiscoverE Challenge: Step LauncherDesign a way to launch a small ball off the floor so you can catch it!Step Launcher Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s):
3-5, 6-8
Tower Challenge Cards 16 difference tower building challenges (gr. K - 8)
Pipecleaner Tower Challenge K-12
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
DiscoverE Challenge: Critical LoadBuild a house of cards and see how much weight it can support before it collapses. Critical Load Student Instructions.docxGrade(s): 3-5, 6-8
DiscoverE Challenge: Tallest Cup TowerBuild a stable tower out of cups and make it as tall as possible! Tallest Cup Tower Student Instructions.docx
Grade(s):
K-2, 3-5, 6-8
DiscoverE Challenge: Pen FactoryThink like an industrial engineer and create your own assembly line! Design the most efficient way to assemble a collection of pens. Pen Factory Distance Learning Suggestions.docx
Grade(s):
3-5, 6-8
Imagination Playground 3D Builder, children can build, stack, channel and connect blue building blocks. Build endlessly in the Quick Builder mode, and then flip on the Gravity button to watch your blocks take on physical properties. Imagination Playground 3D Builder encourages open ended, unstructured free play. The benefits of this kind of play include creativity, self-expression, communication, collaboration, problem solving, motor-skills development.
Engineering Is... | QUEST | Grades 6-12
Find out how scientists and engineers are working together across disciplines to investigate issues, make discoveries, and develop solutions. View Collection
Inventioneers is a physics engineering game iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Using given tools and helpers, students design, test, and revise fun, crazy inventions that will meet challenges and help special characters achieve success. A “Create” mode allows students to create and share their inventions with others. A free version of the app includes only the first chapter with 14 inventions and 40 different objects to use in creating the inventions. The full version, at a cost of $2.99, includes eight chapters with a total of 112 inventions and 100-plus objects that students can use.
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students, and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
eGFI Dream Up The Future – Be ready to discover a variety of tools to boost your students’ math and science skills, enliven the classroom with engineering projects, expand your own professional horizons and stay informed. There is also an amazing free newsletter with updated features that will arrive in your in-box every month. This is a site that is a must visit for any STEM teacher.
The Lemlinson Center -Take a moment to visit this center that showcases the study of invention and innovation. It is part of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, the center documents, interprets, and disseminates information about invention and innovation; encourages inventive creativity in young people; and fosters an appreciation for the central role that invention and innovation play in the history of the United States.
NASA at Home and City is a great site from NASA that shows examples of how technologies developed for space exploration are used and applied on Earth.
The site is graphic based, easy to use, and very informative. It's a great resource to share with students to show them how developments for one thing can apply to another.
PreK-12 Engineering is a site with free resources for educators to integrate engineering concepts and activities into preK through 12th grade classrooms. The activities are linked to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.
The activities are really well thought out and developed.. Things are sorted by grade level for easy searching.
For more resources on engineering: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/10/engineering-resources.html
American Society for Engineering Education - great resource with information about all types of engineering, educator resources, and more.
Engineering Games Here is a collection of games categorized as Engineering Games, Logic Games, Robot Games and Electricity Games. You'll find yourself building a wind turbine, flying an airplane, learning about electrical circuits, or putting simple machines to work.
Engineering - Go For It! - this site is produced by the ASEE (see above) and is completely devoted to promoting engineering. It has resources for educators and students, as well as lessons and career exploration resources.
Crossing a Chasm Challenge gr. 4-8
Design Squad Nation Highly interactive resources drive home the skills and processes of engineering and design. There is an app also, but the flash-based projects cannot be used on it.
American Society of Engineering Education Lessons K-12 catergorized by grade levels promoting and enhancing efforts to improve K-12 STEM and engineering education.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - has resources for aerospace engineering careers. Educators can join for free and get even more resources.
Society of Automotive Engineers - has resources about engineers dealing with the automotive industry.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer - resources about engineers in the electronics and electrical engineering.
Discover Engineering - another great site that explores engineering as a career. Discover Engineering – Innovation is important and must be part of any STEM curriculum. At this site you will discover a video that showcases the art of engineering? You may find a hands-on activity that covers some amazing STEM content.? There is a large database of sort-able ideas for you to engineer in your classroom.
Tech Museum of Innovation - Check out these challenges available from an amazing museum. While you are at the site check out all the other possible resources that might just work for your classroom.
Engineering Video Snippets – Discover this collection of Illuminating short videos that take you inside the elementary engineering classroom.
CT Business and Industry Association - CBIA has an education section. They have a great resource about Engineering. The site also has videos you can show to your students.
Next Generation Manufacturing Center - this is a cooperative group of manufacturers, CBIA and CT's Community Colleges. They work to get more students interested in engineering and manufacturing. There are some great videos on the site, too. They have a lot of great programs, including the Engineering Challenge. They also sponsor summer externships for teachers. These externships pay teachers to spend the summer at a local manufacturing company learning about their industry and coming up with ways to get more students involved in engineering and manufacturing. I was able to participate two years ago and found it to be a great experience.
Book: Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom provides both the background and a path for educators to create engaging learning opportunities to help students not only develop skills and strategies that will prepare them for a complex world, but empower them to use their creativity to solve problems, ask questions and continually learn.
Engineer Your Life – This engaging website is the centerpiece of a national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. It is a great place to explore outstanding engineering possibilities.
Discover Engineering - Let your students discover engineering in some very exciting and engaging ways. From skateboards to roller coasters the activities and videos will bring you back for more.
Teach Engineering – This is a comprehensive collaborative project between faculty, students and teachers associated with five founding partner universities, with NSF National Science Foundation funding. This real world collection continues to grow and evolve with new additions submitted from more than 50 additional contributors, a cadre of volunteer teacher and engineer reviewers, and feedback from teachers who use the curricula in their classrooms.
Making Stuff
Grades 6-12 | Collection | Materials Science
Join technology columnist David Pogue as he delves hands-first into the field of materials science. Find out which materials he thinks will play a role in shaping the future.
Trace Professional Paths in Engineering Created by the American Society for Engineering Education, Engineering, Go For It (eGFI) aims to foster educational and pre-professional interest in engineering and other STEM subjects from kindergarten through high school. In addition to information on the myriad branches of the engineering field—from biomedical to computer to mechanical and beyond—the site features descriptions of professional paths for each, including profiles of real people at work in the field.
Click Here to Visit Website
Plus: Developed by the Boston Museum of Science’s Engineering is Elementary program, the Engineering Design Process is a series of steps for developing a new product or system. Engineers use this process again and again to create a new design or improve an existing one. Educators are encouraged to explain this five-step process to students, as well as display it in their classrooms. A poster describing the five steps in the Engineering Design Process may be downloaded, at no charge, from The Engineering Place website.Web: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/#process
Engineering Adventures gr 1 - 5(EA) is an engaging, hands-on design curriculum created by the Engineering is Elementary team at Museum of Science, Boston for use in out-of-school-time settings, such as after-school and camp programs. EA challenges children to solve design problems using creativity, teamwork, science and engineering. EA is arranged as a series of thematic units, each focusing on a field of engineering.Hop to It: Safe Removal of Invasive Species is a mechanical engineering unit that introduces students to the problems the invasive cane toads have created in Australia. In the culminating project, students design a machine to humanely trap the cane toad. Bubble Bonanza: Engineering Bubble Wands is a materials engineering unit that gives students the chance to explore how bubbles behave and investigate properties of materials they can use to create bubble wands.
- A Slippery Slope gr 3-5 Jacob and India are in Peru exploring the Andes Mountains when they learn a town is in danger from a potential avalanche. Kids use what they learn from designing barriers and catches to engineer an avalanche protection system.
Engineering Interact is a site for elementary school students designed by the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Engineering Interact offers five games designed to teach students physics concepts. The games address concepts related to light, sound, motion, electricity, and space travel. Each of the five games presents students with a scenario in which they have to "help" someone solve a problem. The games require students to learn and analyze the information presented to them.
Fun-Engineering is an educational blog with suggestions for stories and activities that teach different aspects of engineering appropriate for students aged 10–14. Teachers will find such resources as an aeronautical engineering drama entitled Just Let Me Fly; a free ebook about symmetry; a demonstrator that reflects the disciplines of civil and structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronic engineering; and an online story about the principles behind the steam engine. Web: http://fun-engineering.net/
National Engineer Week: Future City – Great Project Based Learning Activity incorporating STEAM along with Language Arts and Social Studies. Engage students with Sim City Software, model building, and a new curriculum designed to integrate disciplines.
Elementary Age Challenges
Engineering is Elementary The mission of Engineering is Elementary (EiE) is to foster engineering and technological literacy among ALL elementary-aged children. EiE's 20 units present fun, engaging engineering challenges that allow students to apply science knowledge. Engineering Adventures gr. 1-5 free and paid resources. Engineering is Elementary offers “How-To Videos”—short segments you can stream from our website. Each video walks you through some lesson prep for the unit you’ll be teaching.
STEM Challenge Sticks and Cups Tower
Amazing Paper Tower Challenge!Check out the details in this video,
STEAM Challenges for Each Month gr 2 - 8
Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Mazes
Tamiʼs Tower: Letʼs Think About Engineering online gameGrades K-2 | Engineering Design It’s lunch time and Tami, the golden lion tamarin, is hungry! Help Tami reach the delicious fruit by building a tower. But watch out! Other animals can cause Tami’s tower to topple over. Tami’s Tower: Let’s Think About Engineering is an educational engineering design game that will help teach your student how to design a solution to a problem using basic engineering design principleGO TO GAME
Virus Protection Challenge gr. 4 - 8
44 free engineering and science activities for children to try out while at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The activities range from making a balloon-powered car to building a bridge from spaghetti. Downloadable Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Wheeling It In Students in grades 3 to 5 use everyday materials such as water bottles and straws to design and build small-scale transportation devices that incorporate two simple machines - a wheel and axle, and a lever. They race their vehicles, measuring distance, time, and weight, and then calculate speed
Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals! Includes background, videos and guidance.
Plant Holder Design and build a a plant holder for a hanging plant. How weight can it hold? What material can you use hat can get wet?
Design Devices to Help Astronauts Eat. "In this open-ended design/build project, students learn about the steps of the engineering design process, and then, like NASA engineering teams, design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment—their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation."
Design a musical instrument and control the loudness and frequency of the sound.
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
The STEM Connections with Family or at School free summer packet has three challenges that focus on some of summer’s favorite activities. Who doesn’t love to run through the sprinkler on a hot day? Since going to a water park is probably out of the question this summer, let’s combine the two concepts and create a prototype for a new piece of play equipment using your sprinkler. Families are also challenged to invent a new sneaker and to build instruments for their own family band.
Water Pipelines The backstory of this challenge is one of the reasons to appreciate it. Students research how remote villages in Panama use gravity-fed water pipe systems. Then they must design a pipe that will work (pretending they work for a charitable organization that is building pipelines.) They must build a pipeline that is 100 cm long that will transport water from a holding tank to a lower tank- with a minimum of leakage. photo example
Amplify Your Voice Design and build a device to amplify your voice. Experiment with putting different shapes around your mouth to make your voice louder. What shape works best? What material works best?
Mystery Build Challenge (gr. 2 - 5) This STEM Challenge will be an exciting adventure for them! Students have a mystery to solve with what they are building and what materials they will need to be successful! In this challenge students will be assigned a structure to build and a list of possible materials. Teams will have to work together to choose the right materials to build their structure and stay within a purchasing budget for those materials. To make it really fun, every team will build something different. You have the option to have all teams build the same thing- which makes this challenge packet last a long time! Each team will be given a challenge card with the type of structure being built and then the team will decide what materials will build it best. There are 6 challenge cards. Students will be using Challenge cards that give them specific constraints for building either: Bridges, Towers, Rockets, Swing sets, Marble Runs, or Rocking Chairs. student forms | guide
Snowy Winter STEM gr. 1-6 When it's time to go back to school, I like to ease into the New Year with snowy STEM Challenges! These focus on lots of math standards related to 3D solids, area, perimeter, volume, all things triangles and more! The best part is how the kids don't realize how much work you're having them do! Check out winter STEM here!!
Tennis Ball Tower It features a tennis ball and some wacky rules about height and the use of the materials. Teacher guide | Student forms
eGFI Dream Up The Future – Be ready to discover a variety of tools to boost your students’ math and science skills, enliven the classroom with engineering projects, expand your own professional horizons and stay informed. There is also an amazing free newsletter with updated features that will arrive in your in-box every month. This is a site that is a must visit for any STEM teacher.
Design and build a bird feeder that can be refilled easily and can dispense bird seeds on its own. gr. 3 - 5 You can use plastic bottles, plastic plates, cardboard, wooden clothespins, and string to engineer this bird feeder. You can modify the task too and include any other materials you would like students to use.
Cold Cup Design and build a device for keeping ice from melting inside a cup. What materials keep things cool?
Engineering Video Snippets – Discover this collection of Illuminating short videos that take you inside the elementary engineering classroom.
PBS Learning Media Engineering and Technology – Discover resources and projects that connect students to engineering design practices and future careers.
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
The Beat Goes On Students in grades 3 to 5 learn about their heart rate and different ways it can be measured by constructing and using a simple device to measure their heart rate under different circumstances, such as sitting, standing, and jumping. They make predictions and record data on a worksheet
Kicking Machine grades 4 to 9 learn about kinetic energy and forces by designing and b uilding a kicking machine that delivers a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away. View Activity
Robot Soccer Challenge (Grades 4-8)
Punting & Projectile Motion (Grades 5-8)
Report Writing: Athletes and Gravity (Grades 5-7)
The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual initiative of the Imagination Foundation inspired by the short film Caine’s Arcade. Through this project, we hope to celebrate and foster the power of creative play and imagination. In addition, this project incorporates STREAM and design concepts,
Big DIY Ideas – Here are 35 fun DIY engineering projects just for kids that you and your students will enjoy. Notice that some are perfect for tiny tots and other projects are terrific for older kids and teens. Use your best judgement and provide adult supervision and guidance when needed.Crossing a Chasm Challenge gr. 4-8
Engineering Challenges - this site lists and explores the greatest challenges facing engineers in regards to world issues. This is a great site to use as a starting point for your own classroom projects.
Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
Paper Engineering Challenges
Curiosity Machine ( 2 - 12) Challenges for classrooms and families. Kids build, share, receive pro feedback with engineering site
Dream Big Engineering Our World Although created as a companion to an iMax film, Look at the explore, education and videos (scroll past trailers) pages for lessons and challenges. In the videos section, you can view the iMax film in short segments.
Can You Save Fred Challenge This lab is a review of the scientific method and also a great way to encourage your kids to communicate and cooperate! Free Lab Kit
Truss Me! utilizes real algorithms and simulation techniques practiced by aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers to test for stress and structure failure. Students can design and test structures in a realistic virtual environment. If well designed, the structure will resist as it would in real life. If the design has flaws, the structure will fail realistically. The “For Teachers” section of the site provides educational resources and instructional videos. Truss Me! is made available by Scientific Monkey for iOS and Android devices. Cost: $1.99 for iOS; free for Android. Website version coming in 2018
Novel Engineering ( gr. 5 - 12) initiative, in which engineering challenges are plucked from the plots of assigned books. The goal of Novel Engineering is to bolster reading comprehension through hands-on projects while teaching students the engineering process and linking it to the human problems it helps to solve. They have also stocked an online repository with sample projects and a list of books, by grade level, which have mixed well with engineering in the past, including Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach.
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Access Examples of Books
How strong is a piece of paper? K - 3
Design Challenge Learning? It’s a combination of project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process that develops the innovator’s mindset through iteration. The lessons on this page, developed over the years by educators at The Tech, will help teachers lead their students through science and engineering challenges. They also make fun and effective team-building activities for groups of teachers.
Blown Away A STEM Engineering Design Challenge Hazardous weather, Area, surface area.
Create an Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge for Kids
Three Challenges on the Dime
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
4 Engineering Challenges for Kids K - 4
12 Engineering Projects K - 5
Newspaper Structures K - 5
Newspaper Engineering Challenges
Paper Engineering Challenges
Paper Building Blocks
Rescue Challenge build a contraption to rescue a toy character
Building With Paper Engineering Challenge
Homemade Cardboard Construction Kit
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Engineering Like Ancient Greeks gr. 3 - 6
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
Rube Goldberg Projects
Build With Straws and Paper Towel Rolls
Building With Paper Engineering Challenge
Homemade Cardboard Construction Kit
Creating the Tallest Cup Tower Challenge K - 12
14 Fun Engineering Projects for Kids
Gumdrop Engineering Challenge
Balloon Car
Balloon Car II
Float My Boat is just one of the hands-on activities from PBS KIDS GO! for students aged 6–11. This activity is science, engineering, problem solving and fun all rolled into one. Students’ challenge is to build tinfoil boats and test different designs to see how many pennies can be loaded without sinking the boat. The activity has step-by-step instructions and age-appropriate explanations of the main ideas. Teachers can download a free activity guide and view the related video episode from the PBS KIDS GO! TV program Fetch!Web: http://www.pbs.org/parents/fetch/activities/act/act-floatmyboat.html
Rocket Science 101 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to launch a NASA spacecraft with NASA's Rocket Science 101 (RS101)! Select your favorite NASA mission and build a rocket to send the spacecraft into orbit. As you take the RS101 challenge, you can learn more about thrilling missions and the various components of the launch vehicles, how they are configured and how they work together to successfully launch a NASA spacecraft. NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) does the same things for real rockets and exciting spacecraft missions every day - now it's your turn!
FIVE BEST STEM CHALLENGES according to a teacher includes mystery build, pipeline, and rescue devices
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
Tech Museum of Innovation - Check out these challenges available from an amazing museum. While you are at the site check out all the other possible resources that might just work for your classroom.
PreK-12 Engineering is a site with free resources for educators to integrate engineering concepts and activities into preK through 12th grade classrooms. The activities are linked to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.
The activities are really well thought out and developed.. Things are sorted by grade level for easy searching.
Paper Engineering Challenges
Top 10 Summer Engineering Projects for Kids
Water Slide Challenge
Catapult Challenge
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Build A Prosthetic Device (Grades 4-7)
Build a Robotic Arm (Grades 3-12)
1,2 Robo-Hand, Please Tie My Shoe (Grades K-12)
Create a Prosthetic Limb Challenge
Roller coasters out of straws gr. K - 5
Roller Coasters out of paper plates K - 8
STEM Challenge Sticks and Cups Tower
Amazing Paper Tower Challenge!Check out the details in this video,
STEAM Challenges for Each Month gr 2 - 8
- 1_Apple_Annihilator.pdf
- 2_Treat_Toss_Dig.pdf
- 3_STEM_Pumpkin_Picker_Final.pdf
- 4_Sled_and_Slope.pdf
- 5_Frosted_Forest.pdf
- 6_Candy_Container_Valentine_STEM.pdf
- 7_Limitless_Luck_StPatSTEM.pdf
- 8_Egg-hanced.pdf
- 9_Planetopia_Plant_STEM_Challenge.pdf
- 10_Keep_it_Cool-Make_it_Melt.pdf
Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Mazes
Tamiʼs Tower: Letʼs Think About Engineering online gameGrades K-2 | Engineering Design It’s lunch time and Tami, the golden lion tamarin, is hungry! Help Tami reach the delicious fruit by building a tower. But watch out! Other animals can cause Tami’s tower to topple over. Tami’s Tower: Let’s Think About Engineering is an educational engineering design game that will help teach your student how to design a solution to a problem using basic engineering design principleGO TO GAME
Virus Protection Challenge gr. 4 - 8
44 free engineering and science activities for children to try out while at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The activities range from making a balloon-powered car to building a bridge from spaghetti. Downloadable Challenge Cards present the 22 science tasks and 22 engineering activities, which children can complete using common household items, such as eggs, string, and balloons. A related playlist of videos is posted on YouTube.
Wheeling It In Students in grades 3 to 5 use everyday materials such as water bottles and straws to design and build small-scale transportation devices that incorporate two simple machines - a wheel and axle, and a lever. They race their vehicles, measuring distance, time, and weight, and then calculate speed
Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals! Includes background, videos and guidance.
- Also Build A Prosthetic Device (Grades 4-7)
- Also Create a Prosthetic Limb Challenge
Plant Holder Design and build a a plant holder for a hanging plant. How weight can it hold? What material can you use hat can get wet?
Design Devices to Help Astronauts Eat. "In this open-ended design/build project, students learn about the steps of the engineering design process, and then, like NASA engineering teams, design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment—their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation."
Design a musical instrument and control the loudness and frequency of the sound.
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
The STEM Connections with Family or at School free summer packet has three challenges that focus on some of summer’s favorite activities. Who doesn’t love to run through the sprinkler on a hot day? Since going to a water park is probably out of the question this summer, let’s combine the two concepts and create a prototype for a new piece of play equipment using your sprinkler. Families are also challenged to invent a new sneaker and to build instruments for their own family band.
Water Pipelines The backstory of this challenge is one of the reasons to appreciate it. Students research how remote villages in Panama use gravity-fed water pipe systems. Then they must design a pipe that will work (pretending they work for a charitable organization that is building pipelines.) They must build a pipeline that is 100 cm long that will transport water from a holding tank to a lower tank- with a minimum of leakage. photo example
Amplify Your Voice Design and build a device to amplify your voice. Experiment with putting different shapes around your mouth to make your voice louder. What shape works best? What material works best?
Mystery Build Challenge (gr. 2 - 5) This STEM Challenge will be an exciting adventure for them! Students have a mystery to solve with what they are building and what materials they will need to be successful! In this challenge students will be assigned a structure to build and a list of possible materials. Teams will have to work together to choose the right materials to build their structure and stay within a purchasing budget for those materials. To make it really fun, every team will build something different. You have the option to have all teams build the same thing- which makes this challenge packet last a long time! Each team will be given a challenge card with the type of structure being built and then the team will decide what materials will build it best. There are 6 challenge cards. Students will be using Challenge cards that give them specific constraints for building either: Bridges, Towers, Rockets, Swing sets, Marble Runs, or Rocking Chairs. student forms | guide
Snowy Winter STEM gr. 1-6 When it's time to go back to school, I like to ease into the New Year with snowy STEM Challenges! These focus on lots of math standards related to 3D solids, area, perimeter, volume, all things triangles and more! The best part is how the kids don't realize how much work you're having them do! Check out winter STEM here!!
Tennis Ball Tower It features a tennis ball and some wacky rules about height and the use of the materials. Teacher guide | Student forms
eGFI Dream Up The Future – Be ready to discover a variety of tools to boost your students’ math and science skills, enliven the classroom with engineering projects, expand your own professional horizons and stay informed. There is also an amazing free newsletter with updated features that will arrive in your in-box every month. This is a site that is a must visit for any STEM teacher.
Design and build a bird feeder that can be refilled easily and can dispense bird seeds on its own. gr. 3 - 5 You can use plastic bottles, plastic plates, cardboard, wooden clothespins, and string to engineer this bird feeder. You can modify the task too and include any other materials you would like students to use.
Cold Cup Design and build a device for keeping ice from melting inside a cup. What materials keep things cool?
Engineering Video Snippets – Discover this collection of Illuminating short videos that take you inside the elementary engineering classroom.
PBS Learning Media Engineering and Technology – Discover resources and projects that connect students to engineering design practices and future careers.
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
The Beat Goes On Students in grades 3 to 5 learn about their heart rate and different ways it can be measured by constructing and using a simple device to measure their heart rate under different circumstances, such as sitting, standing, and jumping. They make predictions and record data on a worksheet
Kicking Machine grades 4 to 9 learn about kinetic energy and forces by designing and b uilding a kicking machine that delivers a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away. View Activity
Robot Soccer Challenge (Grades 4-8)
Punting & Projectile Motion (Grades 5-8)
Report Writing: Athletes and Gravity (Grades 5-7)
The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual initiative of the Imagination Foundation inspired by the short film Caine’s Arcade. Through this project, we hope to celebrate and foster the power of creative play and imagination. In addition, this project incorporates STREAM and design concepts,
Big DIY Ideas – Here are 35 fun DIY engineering projects just for kids that you and your students will enjoy. Notice that some are perfect for tiny tots and other projects are terrific for older kids and teens. Use your best judgement and provide adult supervision and guidance when needed.Crossing a Chasm Challenge gr. 4-8
Engineering Challenges - this site lists and explores the greatest challenges facing engineers in regards to world issues. This is a great site to use as a starting point for your own classroom projects.
Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
Paper Engineering Challenges
Curiosity Machine ( 2 - 12) Challenges for classrooms and families. Kids build, share, receive pro feedback with engineering site
Dream Big Engineering Our World Although created as a companion to an iMax film, Look at the explore, education and videos (scroll past trailers) pages for lessons and challenges. In the videos section, you can view the iMax film in short segments.
Can You Save Fred Challenge This lab is a review of the scientific method and also a great way to encourage your kids to communicate and cooperate! Free Lab Kit
Truss Me! utilizes real algorithms and simulation techniques practiced by aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers to test for stress and structure failure. Students can design and test structures in a realistic virtual environment. If well designed, the structure will resist as it would in real life. If the design has flaws, the structure will fail realistically. The “For Teachers” section of the site provides educational resources and instructional videos. Truss Me! is made available by Scientific Monkey for iOS and Android devices. Cost: $1.99 for iOS; free for Android. Website version coming in 2018
Novel Engineering ( gr. 5 - 12) initiative, in which engineering challenges are plucked from the plots of assigned books. The goal of Novel Engineering is to bolster reading comprehension through hands-on projects while teaching students the engineering process and linking it to the human problems it helps to solve. They have also stocked an online repository with sample projects and a list of books, by grade level, which have mixed well with engineering in the past, including Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach.
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Access Examples of Books
How strong is a piece of paper? K - 3
Design Challenge Learning? It’s a combination of project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process that develops the innovator’s mindset through iteration. The lessons on this page, developed over the years by educators at The Tech, will help teachers lead their students through science and engineering challenges. They also make fun and effective team-building activities for groups of teachers.
Blown Away A STEM Engineering Design Challenge Hazardous weather, Area, surface area.
Create an Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge for Kids
Three Challenges on the Dime
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
4 Engineering Challenges for Kids K - 4
12 Engineering Projects K - 5
Newspaper Structures K - 5
Newspaper Engineering Challenges
Paper Engineering Challenges
Paper Building Blocks
Rescue Challenge build a contraption to rescue a toy character
Building With Paper Engineering Challenge
Homemade Cardboard Construction Kit
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Engineering Like Ancient Greeks gr. 3 - 6
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
Rube Goldberg Projects
- Original Rube Goldberg comics and contemporary videos
- The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual initiative of the Imagination Foundation inspired by the short film Caine’s Arcade. Through this project, we hope to celebrate and foster the power of creative play and imagination. In addition, this project incorporates STREAM and design concepts,
- Two Fun Rube Goldberg-Like Videos
- Simple Machine Challenge
- Engineering Kids includes video
- Goldburger To Go comes from PBS.
- How to Build a Homemade Rube Goldberg Machine
- Web-based Rube Goldberg Applications
- Ruby Goldberg’s Bright Idea by Anna Humphrey, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Ruby sets out to win the school science fair by building the most amazing machine ever. When she finally figures out her invention, she realizes that the only person who can help her is her arch-nemesis, the winner of last year’s fair.
- You can sort of build a Rube Goldberg-like machine at Tinker Ball.
Build With Straws and Paper Towel Rolls
Building With Paper Engineering Challenge
Homemade Cardboard Construction Kit
Creating the Tallest Cup Tower Challenge K - 12
14 Fun Engineering Projects for Kids
Gumdrop Engineering Challenge
Balloon Car
Balloon Car II
Float My Boat is just one of the hands-on activities from PBS KIDS GO! for students aged 6–11. This activity is science, engineering, problem solving and fun all rolled into one. Students’ challenge is to build tinfoil boats and test different designs to see how many pennies can be loaded without sinking the boat. The activity has step-by-step instructions and age-appropriate explanations of the main ideas. Teachers can download a free activity guide and view the related video episode from the PBS KIDS GO! TV program Fetch!Web: http://www.pbs.org/parents/fetch/activities/act/act-floatmyboat.html
Rocket Science 101 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to launch a NASA spacecraft with NASA's Rocket Science 101 (RS101)! Select your favorite NASA mission and build a rocket to send the spacecraft into orbit. As you take the RS101 challenge, you can learn more about thrilling missions and the various components of the launch vehicles, how they are configured and how they work together to successfully launch a NASA spacecraft. NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) does the same things for real rockets and exciting spacecraft missions every day - now it's your turn!
FIVE BEST STEM CHALLENGES according to a teacher includes mystery build, pipeline, and rescue devices
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks!
Tech Museum of Innovation - Check out these challenges available from an amazing museum. While you are at the site check out all the other possible resources that might just work for your classroom.
PreK-12 Engineering is a site with free resources for educators to integrate engineering concepts and activities into preK through 12th grade classrooms. The activities are linked to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework.
The activities are really well thought out and developed.. Things are sorted by grade level for easy searching.
Paper Engineering Challenges
Top 10 Summer Engineering Projects for Kids
Water Slide Challenge
Catapult Challenge
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Build A Prosthetic Device (Grades 4-7)
Build a Robotic Arm (Grades 3-12)
1,2 Robo-Hand, Please Tie My Shoe (Grades K-12)
Create a Prosthetic Limb Challenge
Roller coasters out of straws gr. K - 5
Roller Coasters out of paper plates K - 8
The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual initiative of the Imagination Foundation inspired by the short film Caine’s Arcade. Through this project, we hope to celebrate and foster the power of creative play and imagination. In addition, this project incorporates STREAM and design concepts,
Marble Run
STEAM and Straws
NASA Kids Club - Students take part in technology based missions as they engage in various missions. This is a place where students learn and enjoy as they possibly even blaze through space.
Marble Run
STEAM and Straws
NASA Kids Club - Students take part in technology based missions as they engage in various missions. This is a place where students learn and enjoy as they possibly even blaze through space.
Middle - High School Challenges
Engineering Challenges - this site lists and explores the greatest challenges facing engineers in regards to world issues. This is a great site to use as a starting point for your own classroom projects.The Engineering Place provides tools and information to help students explore how engineering is, and can be, a part of their lives. The site includes activity lesson plans for bringing engineering to life for students in elemen-tary and middle school. Most of the lesson plans were developed or used in The Engineering Place’s Engineering Teaching Fellows program. The detailed interactive lessons cover earth science, electricity and magnetism, engineering, human body, insects, mathematics, matter, plants, and weather and climate. Favorite activities involve students in constructing roller coasters (grades 3–7) and pipe-cleaner towers (grades 6 and above).Web: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/index.php
Engineering Tomorrow was founded to create free programs that awaken student curiosity and passion for engineering—all at no cost to teachers, students, or their schools. The nonprofit delivers virtual labs to high school classrooms that simulate real-world projects designed by expert engineers so students gain unique insight and understanding into the world of engineering. The virtual labs integrate seamlessly with the current curriculum while aligning with Next Generation Science Standards. All of the virtual labs are designed for independent and self-paced learning.
Virus Protection Challenge gr. 4 - 8
How To Conduct The Pipecleaner Tower Challenge You may want to include a goal height in addition to seeing who can build the tallest.
Real-World Engineering Challenges PBS Kids Design Squad Global empowers middle school students to solve real-world problems and understand the impact of engineering in a global context. The site is refreshed weekly with challenges, videos, and activities. At Design Squad Global’s online hub, students can share their engineering ideas and sketches with other students. Engaging videos feature Deysi Melgar (a future aerospace engineer and professional salsa dancer) and Nate Ball (an engineer, pole vaulter, and beatboxer), who draw on their experiences to dispel stereotypes about engineering and inspire youth to explore engineering. The Parents and Educators section of the site provides tools to help young people develop design process skills and apply them to an array of engineering challenges.
Novel Engineering, in which engineering challenges are plucked from the plots of assigned books. The goal of Novel Engineering is to bolster reading comprehension through hands-on projects while teaching students the engineering process and linking it to the human problems it helps to solve. They have also stocked an online repository with sample projects and a list of books, by grade level, which have mixed well with engineering in the past, including Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. In addition, the website presents examples of books that some Novel Engineering classrooms have used. Click the cover image to view the problems identified by students in those classrooms and the solutions they designed and built.
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Access Examples of Books
Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals! Includes background, videos and guidance.
dafruit – You will want to explore this site and learn about all the different electronic items that can be built. It is amazing to just see all the possibilities. There maybe one that just might work for you. As you explore you might just come upon an idea for the Making!
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
STEAM Challenges for Each Month gr 2 - 8
Kicking Machine grades 4 to 9 learn about kinetic energy and forces by designing and b uilding a kicking machine that delivers a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away. View Activity
Robot Soccer Challenge (Grades 4-8)
Design a musical instrument and control the loudness and frequency of the sound.
Punting & Projectile Motion (Grades 5-8)
Report Writing: Athletes and Gravity (Grades 5-7)
Flying T-Shirt Challenge (9-12)
Engineering Challenges - this site lists and explores the greatest challenges facing engineers in regards to world issues. This is a great site to use as a starting point for your own classroom projects.
Dyson Foundation Challenge Cards – Are you ready for a challenge. Check out these easy to support ideas for students who want to build it better!
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
Drawdio – Take a moment and imagine that your students could draw musical instruments on normal paper with any pencil (cheap circuit thumb-tacked on) and then play them with your finger. The Drawdio circuit-craft can take everyday objects and make them into musical instruments whether they be paintbrushes, macaroni, trees, a person, even the kitchen sink. Make one… or buy the kit.Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
High Low Tech – This site from MIT Media Lab really does have some tech for everyone. HLT’s work integrates high and low technological materials, processes, and cultures. Their primary aim is to engage diverse audiences in designing and building their own technologies. It is their belief that the future of technology will be largely determined by end-users who will design, build, and hack their own devices. Furthermore, their goal is to inspire, shape, support, and study these communities. Take a look at these projects that explore the intersection of computation, physical materials, manufacturing processes, traditional crafts, and design
Let the Blood Flow: Biomedical Artery Unclogging Experiment high school students work as biomedical engineers to find liquid
solutions that can clear away polyvinyl acetate polymer “blood clots” in model arteries made of clear, flexible tubing.
Next Generation Manufacturing Center - this is a cooperative group of manufacturers, CBIA and CT's Community Colleges. They work to get more students interested in engineering and manufacturing. There are some great videos on the site, too. They have a lot of great programs, including the Engineering Challenge. They also sponsor summer externships for teachers. These externships pay teachers to spend the summer at a local manufacturing company learning about their industry and coming up with ways to get more students involved in engineering and manufacturing. I was able to participate two years ago and found it to be a great experience.
Newspaper Engineering Challenges
Engineering Projects for Grades 7-9 from NASA – These are all some neat projects from the NASA Summer Innovation Program. There is a lot to pick from.
Design Squad Activity Guide – Check out this PDF document that includes the design process along with some great build possibilities. This comes to you from Intel and PBS.No Valve in Vain ( gr 6 - 8) In this activity, teams of middle school “biomedical engineers” will learn about the engineering design process and how a one-way valve works by creating heart valves from tape, plastic tubing and a variety of other materials.
Paper Engineering Challenges
UL Explore Labs – Solve real problems through science and engineering and become part of the movement to make the world a safer place.Lend a Hand! Middle school students learn about types of forces, the relationship between form and function, and the structure of the hand by working as biomedical engineers to design, build, and test their own hand "gripper" prototypes that can grasp and lift a 200 ml cup of sand.
Engineering For Good – This is a three-week, project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment. In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs. The project culminates with students producing videos about their solutions to share with the community.
Truss Me! utilizes real algorithms and simulation techniques practiced by aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers to test for stress and structure failure. Students can design and test structures in a realistic virtual environment. If well designed, the structure will resist as it would in real life. If the design has flaws, the structure will fail realistically. The “For Teachers” section of the site provides educational resources and instructional videos. Truss Me! is made available by Scientific Monkey for iOS and Android devices. Cost: $1.99 for iOS; free for Android. Website version coming in 2018
Dream Big Engineering Our World Although created as a companion to an iMax film, Look at the explore, education and videos (scroll past trailers) pages for lessons and challenges. In the videos section, you can view the iMax film in short segments.
RELATED LESSONS
Paper Engineering Challenges
6 Middle School Real World Challenges Make solar energy economical, Manage the nitrogen cycle, Provide Access to Clean Water
Engineer the tools of scientific discovery, Restore and improve urban infrastructure, Engineer Better Medicines
Blown Away A STEM Engineering Design Challenge Hazardous weather, Area, surface area.
Design Challenge Learning? It’s a combination of project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process that develops the innovator’s mindset through iteration. The lessons on this page, developed over the years by educators at The Tech, will help teachers lead their students through science and engineering challenges. They also make fun and effective team-building activities for groups of teachers.
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Curiosity Machine ( 2 - 12) Challenges for classrooms and families. Kids build, share, receive pro feedback with engineering site Visit Website: https://www.curiositymachine.org
Engineering Tomorrow was founded to create free programs that awaken student curiosity and passion for engineering—all at no cost to teachers, students, or their schools. The nonprofit delivers virtual labs to high school classrooms that simulate real-world projects designed by expert engineers so students gain unique insight and understanding into the world of engineering. The virtual labs integrate seamlessly with the current curriculum while aligning with Next Generation Science Standards. All of the virtual labs are designed for independent and self-paced learning.
Virus Protection Challenge gr. 4 - 8
How To Conduct The Pipecleaner Tower Challenge You may want to include a goal height in addition to seeing who can build the tallest.
Real-World Engineering Challenges PBS Kids Design Squad Global empowers middle school students to solve real-world problems and understand the impact of engineering in a global context. The site is refreshed weekly with challenges, videos, and activities. At Design Squad Global’s online hub, students can share their engineering ideas and sketches with other students. Engaging videos feature Deysi Melgar (a future aerospace engineer and professional salsa dancer) and Nate Ball (an engineer, pole vaulter, and beatboxer), who draw on their experiences to dispel stereotypes about engineering and inspire youth to explore engineering. The Parents and Educators section of the site provides tools to help young people develop design process skills and apply them to an array of engineering challenges.
- Plus: Design Squad Global Clubs connect 10- to 13-year-olds in out-of-school programs around the world. They can explore engineering together through fun-packed, high-energy, hands-on activities. Educators can choose between two options—a six-week or a twelve-week program. Design Squad Global will match students with another club.
Novel Engineering, in which engineering challenges are plucked from the plots of assigned books. The goal of Novel Engineering is to bolster reading comprehension through hands-on projects while teaching students the engineering process and linking it to the human problems it helps to solve. They have also stocked an online repository with sample projects and a list of books, by grade level, which have mixed well with engineering in the past, including Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. In addition, the website presents examples of books that some Novel Engineering classrooms have used. Click the cover image to view the problems identified by students in those classrooms and the solutions they designed and built.
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Access Examples of Books
Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals! Includes background, videos and guidance.
- Also Build A Prosthetic Device (Grades 4-7)
- Also Create a Prosthetic Limb Challenge
dafruit – You will want to explore this site and learn about all the different electronic items that can be built. It is amazing to just see all the possibilities. There maybe one that just might work for you. As you explore you might just come upon an idea for the Making!
Design Thinking (Lesson 1 of 2): The Five Chair Challenge
STEAM Challenges for Each Month gr 2 - 8
- 1_Apple_Annihilator.pdf
- 2_Treat_Toss_Dig.pdf
- 3_STEM_Pumpkin_Picker_Final.pdf
- 4_Sled_and_Slope.pdf
- 5_Frosted_Forest.pdf
- 6_Candy_Container_Valentine_STEM.pdf
- 7_Limitless_Luck_StPatSTEM.pdf
- 8_Egg-hanced.pdf
- 9_Planetopia_Plant_STEM_Challenge.pdf
- 10_Keep_it_Cool-Make_it_Melt.pdf
Kicking Machine grades 4 to 9 learn about kinetic energy and forces by designing and b uilding a kicking machine that delivers a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away. View Activity
Robot Soccer Challenge (Grades 4-8)
Design a musical instrument and control the loudness and frequency of the sound.
Punting & Projectile Motion (Grades 5-8)
Report Writing: Athletes and Gravity (Grades 5-7)
Flying T-Shirt Challenge (9-12)
Engineering Challenges - this site lists and explores the greatest challenges facing engineers in regards to world issues. This is a great site to use as a starting point for your own classroom projects.
Dyson Foundation Challenge Cards – Are you ready for a challenge. Check out these easy to support ideas for students who want to build it better!
Atkins STEM School Pack for Engineering – Discover this wonderful PDF booklet filled with great build possibilities for student to explore
Ted-Ed Engineering – Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video
Drawdio – Take a moment and imagine that your students could draw musical instruments on normal paper with any pencil (cheap circuit thumb-tacked on) and then play them with your finger. The Drawdio circuit-craft can take everyday objects and make them into musical instruments whether they be paintbrushes, macaroni, trees, a person, even the kitchen sink. Make one… or buy the kit.Ancient Civilizations STEAM Challenges This resources focuses on ancient India, however, the framework could be replicated for other civilizations click for full lesson plans
High Low Tech – This site from MIT Media Lab really does have some tech for everyone. HLT’s work integrates high and low technological materials, processes, and cultures. Their primary aim is to engage diverse audiences in designing and building their own technologies. It is their belief that the future of technology will be largely determined by end-users who will design, build, and hack their own devices. Furthermore, their goal is to inspire, shape, support, and study these communities. Take a look at these projects that explore the intersection of computation, physical materials, manufacturing processes, traditional crafts, and design
Let the Blood Flow: Biomedical Artery Unclogging Experiment high school students work as biomedical engineers to find liquid
solutions that can clear away polyvinyl acetate polymer “blood clots” in model arteries made of clear, flexible tubing.
Next Generation Manufacturing Center - this is a cooperative group of manufacturers, CBIA and CT's Community Colleges. They work to get more students interested in engineering and manufacturing. There are some great videos on the site, too. They have a lot of great programs, including the Engineering Challenge. They also sponsor summer externships for teachers. These externships pay teachers to spend the summer at a local manufacturing company learning about their industry and coming up with ways to get more students involved in engineering and manufacturing. I was able to participate two years ago and found it to be a great experience.
Newspaper Engineering Challenges
Engineering Projects for Grades 7-9 from NASA – These are all some neat projects from the NASA Summer Innovation Program. There is a lot to pick from.
Design Squad Activity Guide – Check out this PDF document that includes the design process along with some great build possibilities. This comes to you from Intel and PBS.No Valve in Vain ( gr 6 - 8) In this activity, teams of middle school “biomedical engineers” will learn about the engineering design process and how a one-way valve works by creating heart valves from tape, plastic tubing and a variety of other materials.
Paper Engineering Challenges
UL Explore Labs – Solve real problems through science and engineering and become part of the movement to make the world a safer place.Lend a Hand! Middle school students learn about types of forces, the relationship between form and function, and the structure of the hand by working as biomedical engineers to design, build, and test their own hand "gripper" prototypes that can grasp and lift a 200 ml cup of sand.
Engineering For Good – This is a three-week, project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment. In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs. The project culminates with students producing videos about their solutions to share with the community.
Truss Me! utilizes real algorithms and simulation techniques practiced by aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers to test for stress and structure failure. Students can design and test structures in a realistic virtual environment. If well designed, the structure will resist as it would in real life. If the design has flaws, the structure will fail realistically. The “For Teachers” section of the site provides educational resources and instructional videos. Truss Me! is made available by Scientific Monkey for iOS and Android devices. Cost: $1.99 for iOS; free for Android. Website version coming in 2018
Dream Big Engineering Our World Although created as a companion to an iMax film, Look at the explore, education and videos (scroll past trailers) pages for lessons and challenges. In the videos section, you can view the iMax film in short segments.
RELATED LESSONS
- Build A Prosthetic Device (Grades 4-7)
- A Different Lens (Grades 6-9)
- Build a Robotic Arm (Grades 3-12)
- 1,2 Robo-Hand, Please Tie My Shoe (Grades K-12)
- Create a Prosthetic Limb Challenge
- Build a Helping Hand Challenge
Paper Engineering Challenges
6 Middle School Real World Challenges Make solar energy economical, Manage the nitrogen cycle, Provide Access to Clean Water
Engineer the tools of scientific discovery, Restore and improve urban infrastructure, Engineer Better Medicines
Blown Away A STEM Engineering Design Challenge Hazardous weather, Area, surface area.
Design Challenge Learning? It’s a combination of project-based learning, design thinking and the engineering design process that develops the innovator’s mindset through iteration. The lessons on this page, developed over the years by educators at The Tech, will help teachers lead their students through science and engineering challenges. They also make fun and effective team-building activities for groups of teachers.
Build an Index Card Bridge Challenge This is one of the simplest STEM engineering challenges ever. Just give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between two plastic cups. See how many conversation hearts the bridge can hold! There are so many different bridge designs that your students will come up with! The shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so your kiddos will have to be problems solvers to get them to balance. Click for a sample solution
Curiosity Machine ( 2 - 12) Challenges for classrooms and families. Kids build, share, receive pro feedback with engineering site Visit Website: https://www.curiositymachine.org