Engineering, Design, and Gingerbread?
Explore some tasty architecture as we use engineering to build an awesome edible house
Ian Nelson
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(2,515)
What's included
2 live meetings
1 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursAssessment
Students will have the opportunity to share their plan for their edible house during our first workshop before sharing their results in our second workshop. Please ensure that your child has access to a working webcam in order to share their design.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
In this two-part workshop, we're going to explore structural engineering by looking at gingerbread houses. During our first class meeting, we will discuss the history of gingerbread houses before discovering how we can use the engineering design process to help us design awesome edible structures. We will walk through the design process together thinking carefully about our goals, different kinds of materials we can use, and making a plan to help us with our design. Students will leave the first class meeting with a plan for their epic edible holiday house. This workshop is designed where students should build their house in between our meetings. Students are free to work with any range of edible materials when making their structure, making it easy to accommodate students with different dietary needs and preferences. During our second class meeting, we will share our houses and discuss the challenges of making them. Additionally, we will reflect on how using the engineering design process influenced how they built an awesome edible structure. Students will also discover how architects and engineers design gingerbread houses differently while investigating gingerbread houses around the world.
Learning Goals
Students will discover that using an engineering design process leads to many different results, especially when working on a challenging project.
In this workshop, I hope all learners leave with a greater appreciation for:
* Thinking creatively about how to solve challenging problems
* Listening to others' opinions, perspectives, and needs during a design process
* Persisting when a design challenge doesn't go as planned
Additionally, learners may have the opportunity to:
* Adapt and transform an existing design into their own creation
* Experiment with manipulating material properties by modifying recipes
* Work with life-size templates to aid in the design process
* Plan a building project to stay within a pre-established budget
Other Details
Parental Guidance
In this class, students are responsible for brainstorming and sourcing their own materials list. As such, it is extremely easy to accommodate any learners with dietary concerns and/or restrictions.
The age range of this course is largely a suggestion. Any student interested in the class is welcome. Younger students may benefit from planning with the help of an adult assistant.
Supply List
The teacher will provide a workbook designed to aid in the planning process. Students are encouraged to use a digital camera to take pictures during their building process so we can see how the house came together. Students can use any range of supplies to construct their house. Some learners will transform a gingerbread house kit into a design of their own. Other learners will work with candies, cookies, and other ready-to-use edibles to build an edible house. Still others will embrace the baking challenge. Still others will use the opportunity to create a house entirely out of non-traditional foods like fruits and vegetables. All approaches are welcome and celebrated.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined October, 2017
4.7
2515reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I'm a mechanical engineer who loves empowering kids to see themselves as engineers.Reviews
Live Group Class
$30
for 2 classes1x per week, 2 weeks
50 min
Completed by 187 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
1-9 learners per class
