Activity
DiscoverE

Windy City Tower

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your class will be blown away when they build their own city tower structure! Engineering scholars partner up to plan, build, and test their own paper towers. As they build, they gain valuable design skills, learn about wind tunnel...
Activity
DiscoverE

Slender Tower Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Looking for an engineering project that will tower above the rest? Try a design experiment that has built-in fun! Groups examine a variety of skyscraper designs, then compete to create their own slender towers. The teacher's guide is...
Activity
DiscoverE

Bridges, Buildings and Beyond Activity Packet: Grades 9-12

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Shore up engineering knowledge with some building activities. Scholars design a foam beam, create a structure from playing cards, and construct a paper tower that won't topple over in the wind. Along the way, they learn about engineering...
Activity
DiscoverE

Bridges, Buildings and Beyond Activity Packet: Grades 6-8

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pour a solid foundation of engineering into the minds of future engineers. Scholars take part in three activities to learn about civil engineering. They build a model of a cable-stayed bridge, conduct an experiment to see the effects of...
Lesson Plan
North Carolina State University

Construction

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Engineering design projects serve as great opportunities for collaborative problem solving. In this case, students work in small groups designing, building, and eventually testing a structure that meets a teacher-specified objective. It...
Activity
Little Bins for Little Hands

St. Patrick's Day Challenge Cards

For Students 2nd - 6th
Nineteen cards offer an assortment of St. Patrick's Day-themed STEM activities. Scholars choose from a variety of cards to take part in activities such as building coin towers, growing green carnations, tying a celtic knot, and more!...
Activity
DiscoverE

Paper Tower

For Students 3rd - 8th
Read all about it! Challenge your class to build taller and stronger. Newspapers provide the means to build towers in a simple activity. Scholars try to build as tall a tower as possible with just two sheets of newspaper.
Activity2:29
DiscoverE

DiscoverE Challenge: Tallest Cup Tower

For Students K - 8th
Dream big and build tall. Scholars build the tallest tower possible out of plastic or paper cups. They apply the engineering design process to refine their designs and see if they can make their towers even taller.
Activity
Teach Engineering

Paper Towers and Pool Balls Design Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Those who build together learn together. Scholars work in groups on two teamwork-building activities that involve engineering design. They first construct the tallest tower they can using five sheets of paper and masking tape. Next, they...
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PBS

Kinetic Sculpture

For Students 5th - 8th
Build a sculpture that moves on its own; no power source required! The second installment of a five-part series has individuals create a sculpture that moves with the wind. It can't topple over though, so some type of support is necessary.
Lesson Plan
DiscoverE

Kinetic Sculpture

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Let your creativity run wild. Scholars build a sculpture out of basic materials. These sculptures must be able to move in the wind (from an electric fan). However, they must also withstand the wind enough to not fall over—it's quite the...
Activity
Science Museum, London

Science Museum: Spaghetti Challenge

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
In this race against the clock, students learn the importance of good design technique and distribution of mass as they work in teams to build the highest tower possible out of dried spaghetti and marshmallows.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Newspaper Tower

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will be challenged to design and construct a tower out of newspaper. They will have limited supplies including newspaper, tape, and scissors since engineers are often restricted by economic reasons as to how much material they...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids:activities and Videos: Structures

For Students 3rd - 8th
PBS site provides videos and activities are hands-on challenges that focus on the engineering design process. They use simple materials, allow for multiple solutions, and are ideal for ages 9-12.