Posted on October 28th, 2015 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 3 to 12 learn how design differences can affect the success of a final product by working in pairs to evaluate, design, and build a better candy bag. They must predict the volume and strength of their designs, test and redesign the bag based on its ability to hold weight, discuss findings, and share results.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Build a Better Candy Bag
Tags: build, candy bag, Class Activities, container, Design, Engineering Design Process, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Materials Engineering
Posted on September 23rd, 2015 by Mary Lord
In this NASA activity, students in grades 1-8 learn about the challenges of space nutrition and designing food packaging by observing, measuring, comparing, and contrasting the ripening of fruits and vegetables when exposed to air and the effect of chemical treatments to inhibit ripening.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Ripening Fruit in Space
Tags: Aerospace, agriculture, astronauts, Class Activities, fruit, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Mathematics, measurement, NASA, nutrition, observation, ripening, space food, surface area, vegetables
Posted on February 22nd, 2015 by Mary Lord
NASCAR, the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing, is speeding into STEM education. Acceleration Nation is a new learning program created in partnership with Scholastic to teach elementary and middle school students about math and science behind the Three D’s of Speed: Drag, Downforce, and Drafting.
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Filed under: For Teachers, K-12 Outreach Programs, Web Resources | Comments Off on NASCAR’s Acceleration Nation
Tags: badges, car, Class Activities, engine, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Internet Resources, Math, NASCAR, online games, Resources for Teachers, Scholastic, STEM education
Posted on December 11th, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this fun activity developed by St. Thomas University engineering associate professor AnnMarie Thomas, students of all ages learn the basic principles of electricity by fashioning circuits from play dough, batteries, and LEDs. No soldering necessary!
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, Web Resources | 1 Comment »
Tags: afterschool activities, circuits, Class Activities, Electrical Engineering, electricity, Energy, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, LEDs, lights, Squishy Circuits, St. Thomas University, STEM education
Posted on September 22nd, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this short, fun activity for students in grades 2 to 12, teams learn about the engineering design process, including constraints on time and materials, by building the tallest free-standing tower out of pipe-cleaners.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Pipe-Cleaner Towers
Tags: build, Building Design, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, Design, design contest, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, North Carolina State University, pipe cleaner challenge, pipe cleaners, STEM education, Structural Engineering, tower
Posted on September 18th, 2014 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 2 to 4 learn about wildlife habitats, environmental engineering, and the complexities of nest construction by attempting to design and build a nest themselves.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Think Like a Bird!
Tags: Biology, birds, Class Activities, construction, Design, ecology, Environmental Engineering, Grades K-5, Great Sand Dunes National Park, habitat, Lesson Plan, material properties, National Park Service, nest, wilderness, wildlife
Posted on September 17th, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 7 to 9 will learn how to take a bearing with a compass and find an object in their classroom.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Where’s Your Teacher?
Tags: bearing, Class Activities, compass, directions, Engineering, estimation, GPS, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, maps, Mathematics, navigation, wilderness
Posted on July 25th, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 4 to 8 use LEGO spur gears to learn about different types of gears and how they are used in many engineering devices, including bicycles, to change the speed, torque, and direction of a power source.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on What Are Gears?
Tags: bicycle, Class Activities, gears, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, LEGOS, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering, Physics, simple machines, speed, torque
Posted on May 30th, 2014 by Mary Lord
Pairs of students in grades 3 – 5 investigate sound frequencies and acoustic engineering by creating four different instruments – a shoebox guitar, water-glass xylophone, straw panpipe, and soda bottle organ.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Simple Musical Instruments
Tags: acoustic engineering, build, Class Activities, Design, frequency, Grades K-5, guitar, hands-on activities, instrument, Music engineering, noise, sound, waves, xylophone
