Can you create a ramp that makes your Hot Wheels car fly with speed? How far can you make your car travel without touching it? In this 5-week flexible-schedule class, engineers will design ramps, track, jumps and crashes to test and prove force and motion.  Each prerecorded lesson will cover a physics concept, allow for hands-on discovery and end with some kind of game, posting or interaction with the teacher and/or students. All topics will be presented in a developmentally appropriate way. Hot Wheels naturally engages children’s curiosity and teaches them the STEM concepts without them even realizing it! Club activities will provide a way to practice Science, Math, and Engineering through play. Not only do the learners engage in STEM, our class promotes a Growth Mindset and develops critical thinking skills. Through inquiry and investigation, learners and families will share moments of joy, excitement, curiosity, and wonder. Students will build, test and revise their creations. 

About Hot Wheels Engineering STEM Club Classes 🏎:
Classes are built around a flexible schedule (no live meetings).  Each physics lesson will be presented by a prerecorded video which will be uploaded weekly on Sundays. Learners are expected to interact in the classroom and respond accordingly by the end of the week the following Sunday.  Learners will be assigned an engineering and science challenge to prove the science that was presented in the lesson. Interactive activities will encourage a sense of class community. The Teacher will be available to help, comment and provide feedback throughout the class. Hot Wheels Engineering STEM Club is a multi-part unit with focus on force and motion concepts: energy, aerodynamics, momentum, resistance and mass.  Throughout the class, emphasis is placed on creative problem solving through engaging, exploring, questioning, explaining, elaborating and evaluating science and engineering concepts.

Having your own Hot Wheels cars and track are not required but having some kind of moving vehicle and track (or something that can act like a track like cardboard) will greatly increase the fun and interaction for the student.  


Each week, Learners will be required to:
✔️ Use toy vehicles 🚙 and household materials to complete each challenge
✔️ Report their findings and results of each challenge
✔️Comment on other Learner’s work
✔️Additional activities may include: photo uploads of finished work or memory and matching games for concept review.

STEM Topics Concepts Covered over the course of 5-weeks 🚘:
Week 1 Energy: We will learn how to maximize energy and explore various challenges to see which track designs and car features will facilitate the best energy. 

Week 2 Aerodynamics: We will learn about aerodynamic car features and explore various challenges to see which aspect moves our cars the fastest or slowest and why. 

Week 3 Resistance: We will learn about the science of resistance and explore various challenges such as changing or adding friction and resistance. 

Week 4 Momentum: We will learn about how momentum increases with the right design and explore various challenges that can continue momentum without touching our cars. 

Week 5: Mass: We will learn how mass and weight affect car performance and explore various challenges of changing the mass and weight of our cars to increase or decrease force of motion. 

At the end of the class, students will have learned and demonstrated:
1) Creative problem solving through engaging, exploring, questioning, explaining, elaborating and evaluating their designs.
2) Persistence when encountering an unexpected and difficult challenge (Growth Mindset).
3) Recognize opportunities to improve or change their design even after they think it's "done." 
4) Finally,  use creativity and imagination to generate and extend a design beyond an initial idea.

I look forward to our time exploring science and engineering in a FUN and exciting way! Students are encouraged to continue the learning with the next class which includes all NEW challenges around the same physics concepts.