Featured Engineering Activities

Aqueduct

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

Modern societies take water for granted—turn on the faucet and clean water pours out! But ancient civilizations had to engineer a way to bring water into their cities and homes from faraway water sources. That technology is still being used today. In this challenge, students use household materials to build an aqueduct that can transport water from one location to another.

Making Toast

45 minutes or Less

3-12

Making toast seems simple enough. However, when students are asked to draw out the process, it becomes a digestible way to introduce the steps of the engineering design process.

Action Contraption

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

Have you ever seen an overly complex, whimsical machine designed to perform a simple task? If so, it may have been inspired by Rube Goldberg—an engineer, inventor, and cartoonist. In this challenge, students use household materials to build a simple chain-reaction machine.

Build a Bridge

45 minutes or Less

3-8

Put your engineering skills to the test by constructing sturdy bridges using just paper and aluminum foil. How many pennies can your bridge support?

Make a Mechanical Hand

1 to 2 Hours

6-8

Students create a mechanical hand that mimics the bending and straightening of their own fingers and thumb.

Type of Activity

Time

Grade

Topic

Discipline

All Engineering Activities

Hot House

1 to 2 Hours

3-12

Imagine living in a house that doesn’t require much gas or electricity to maintain its temperature. It is heated by the sun, retains its heat, and is designed and constructed using materials that insulate—no solar panels required! In this challenge, students use household materials to build a model passive solar house that heats up and retains its heat for as long as possible.

Aqueduct

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

Modern societies take water for granted—turn on the faucet and clean water pours out! But ancient civilizations had to engineer a way to bring water into their cities and homes from faraway water sources. That technology is still being used today. In this challenge, students use household materials to build an aqueduct that can transport water from one location to another.

Making Toast

45 minutes or Less

3-12

Making toast seems simple enough. However, when students are asked to draw out the process, it becomes a digestible way to introduce the steps of the engineering design process.

Score!

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

Think of some games that require you to toss, kick, or launch an object into a goal to earn points. They’re not only fun to play, but they also involve many different science and engineering concepts. In this challenge, students use household materials to build a simple arcade game where players launch an object to earn points.

Balloon Bust

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

What happens if you drop a water balloon from a height of 25 feet? Is there any way to prevent it from bursting? In this challenge, students use everyday materials to design a way to land a water balloon, intact, from a second-story window or balcony.

Action Contraption

Action Contraption

1 to 2 Hours

3-8

Have you ever seen an overly complex, whimsical machine designed to perform a simple task? If so, it may have been inspired by Rube Goldberg—an engineer, inventor, and cartoonist. In this challenge, students use household materials to build a simple chain-reaction machine.

Build a Bridge

45 minutes or Less

3-8

Put your engineering skills to the test by constructing sturdy bridges using just paper and aluminum foil. How many pennies can your bridge support?

Puff Mobiles

45 minutes or Less

3-8

Renewable energy sources are in focus as participants build a wind-powered car using straws, Lifesavers candies, paper, and tape, and get their car to the finish line using as few puffs of air as possible.

Soilless Farming

Soilless Farming

1 to 2 Hours

6-12

Through an engineering lens, students uncover the connection between fertilizer on a farm upstate and the food on people’s plates in an urban NYC community.

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