Engaging in STEM: Putting Engineering Mindsets in Action

So we’ve talked about the engineering mindsets, but let’s look at some ways you can bring them to life in your program. As of late, there has been a lot of talk about going to space. There are many things to consider when making those plans.  What better way to explore some of the STEM skills behind space exploration first with your participants than trying out some of these activities.  They cover a variety of ideas needed to consider as part of space exploration.

Looking for some creative challenge activity ideas to help bring these ideas to life check out these great resources to do at home or with campers:

Straw Towers to the Moon – Let your kids’ imaginations run wild.  Build the biggest tower, or the best balanced, or the most attractive…change the criteria to change the design. Grades K-8. 

Landing Humans on the Moon Educator Guide – These easy to do activities for grades K-8 use engineering design processes to problem-solve solutions for survival on the moon.

NASA’s Favorite House Plants for Space Stations and You – The Grow Network : The Grow Network – Select a plant to grow and keep a record of its change over time. Design a flowerpot for space—what shape works best? How deep does it need to be? What do scientists need to consider to grow plants in space? 

Design A Crew Module – Use materials that are easy to find at home to build a crew capsule for spaceflight. Practice engineering design process to improve on the original design. Grades 4-8.