Can You Build It? Engineering Camp!

In this ongoing course students will go put on their construction hats and learn to build 6 engineering projects with craft supplies and things commonly found around the home.  Each class will be a new building project. These engineering projects are great for kids to practice their math skills, fine motor skills, and problem solving skills!  Students will put together their projects from start to finish during each class, from measuring and counting parts to testing a bridges load bearing capabilities or preparing s'mores for their solar ovens. In each class, we will go step by step through the process of building our weekly project together, and students will each have the opportunity to ask questions and share their projects with me and the other students in the class. 

What I love most about STEM and engineering is that there is usually more than one way to get a great result, and these projects can take some trial and error. I try to be as encouraging as possible during this trial and error process! Students should know that creating things that don't work is the only way to learn how to build something that does work. At the end of each class, the goal is for each student to have a successful project, or to go away with the tools needed to tinker with their project at home to make it successful!  As a teacher it is my goal to provide a safe and engaging learning environment for your learner. This is an ongoing course, meaning students can join at any time. The classes do not build upon each other, each week is a new project!  See the weekly agenda below: 

Week One: Building Spoon Catapults 
This week we'll learn how to make two different kinds of spoon catapults. We'll use trial and error to see which kinds of catapults send our objects the farthest, the highest, and the fastest. 

Week Two: Buildable Rock Slime 
Have you ever made slime you can build with? This week, let's get a little messy and make rock slime! We'll have time to build at the end of class, and then we'll share our rock slime creations. 

Week Three: Straw Bridges 
This week, students will learn about different kinds of bridges and different designs can evenly distribute weight using tension and compression. Then, learner's will create their own bridges with straws and tape. The goal is to make a bridge that can hold a small cup of 100 pennies! 

Week Four: Fun with Parachutes! 
Let's talk about parachutes! First, we'll learn about how parachutes work, including what drag force is and how we can use it to make our parachutes as slow as possible. Next, we'll create our parachutes out of plastic bags. Which design slows our parachute's fall the most? Can we make our parachute fall straight down instead of letting it drift? Let's try together! 

Week Five: Paper Airplane Challenge 
In this class, we will learn how to make paper airplanes using 3 different designs. Students will be able to name their fleet of planes, decorate  them, and then make guesses about which planes will stay in the air longest, which can hit a target most easily, and which plane will fly the straightest. Next, students will take turns demonstrating their airplane's in flight! 

Week Six: Pizza Box Solar Ovens 
In our final week, get ready for a tasty treat. Students will learn how to make solar ovens out of an empty pizza box, foil and plastic wrap. Once we put them together, students can place them outside in the sun and we will see how long it takes to make s'mores in their oven. 

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