In our post about molecular model kits for use with younger students, we’d mentioned seeing various “off-brand” versions of Molymod- and Minit-style model kits available for sale online. We’ve bought them to find out how they compare with “The Real Deal.” Are they mediocre quality knock-offs or a boon to small budgets?
3D graphics are great, but nothing provides the same experience as handling and manipulating a physical model. Children truly enjoy assembling these models, so it is worth the investment of time and money to purchase and/or borrow them. Here we introduce a range of different model types, along with their strengths and weaknesses for use with younger students.
This fast-paced engineering problem solving exercise is a favorite with elementary school students. It’s also inexpensive, easy to teach, quantitative, can accommodate a lot of kids, and is easy to adjust the difficulty of.
“Storm the Castle” is an exercise in engineering problem solving that’s loads of fun for children of all ages. Students take on the role of “besieging armies”, designing siege engines capable of launching “boulders” (ping pong balls) into the defending castle, earning points depending on where the balls land. They also design a device to retrieve containers of boulders from the “quarry”.
This two-part activity introduces children to basic bridge types and design considerations. Students then put this knowledge into practice, designing and building strong-but-light bridges and the tallest towers!
Building activities are perennial favorites with students of all ages. Although there’s no one building set that’s best for all activities, here are two options that we’ve found to be particularly good for our modules.
Kid- and budget-friendly testing jigs for measuring various aspects of a material’s strength & more, as featured in the upcoming Materials Science module. These designs are inexpensive, durable, and require minimal tools and skills to construct.
This module is an alternative version of The Great Boat Float Challenge, which may be more satisfying for older students — third grade and up — than simply building a boat to hold as much weight as possible. Students consider the real-world problem that marine engineers and naval architects face when designing ships to pass through the Panama Canal. “Panamax” refers to the maximum allowable dimensions for those ships. This is a good activity for teams of two students.
This activity introduces the concept of displacement and buoyancy as it relates to boats and ships, and then lets students put this knowledge into practice by designing and building model boats to hold as much weight as possible without sinking or capsizing.