Each month our team highlights three engineering activities that pair the Engineering Design Process with open-ended questions and invite students to Discover Engineering.
Creepy Putty
This engineering challenge is perfect for the spookiest month! Students from grades 3-8 will love making their own spooky slime and will learn about mixtures & solutions that chemical and materials engineers use in their daily jobs. This is a 1-2 hour challenge, so it’s perfect for an afternoon when your students are needing to shake off the cobwebs of book learning for some hands-on experimentation!
Slow It Down
The leaves are changing and Fall is upon us. Drawing on the inspiration literally, students in grades 6-12 will practice aerospace engineering skills in this challenge by creating as much drag as possible to land a falling aircraft onto a specific target. This 1-2 hour challenge will be perfect for a collaboration block with your students!
Slip Sliding Away
Elementary school teachers, this one is for you! Grab some lids to different recycled materials and have your students learn about how the friction caused by different textures can impact how far something will slide! This engineering activity directly connects to mechanical and materials engineering competency. Extend this activity with a journal write where students can have fun drawing the different textures. And encourage families to try it at home!