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Kinetic Sculpture
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In this design challenge activity, learners build a tower that’s at least 12 inches high with two or more parts that move (spin, sway, or flap) in the wind.

Set It Straight
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In this activity, learners build a simple tabletop seesaw to test how different variables (the position of the fulcrum, distance, weight) affect its balance under increasing weight loads.

Canine House of Cards
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This simple construction activity teaches the importance of architectural structure. Learners build and test designs for a paper "doghouse" strong enough to hold the weight of a jumbo dog biscuit.

Sticky Structures
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In this engineering/design/arts and crafts activity, learners design and build "platforms" or "bridges" that can hold weight, and test which glue makes the strongest structure.

Make a Tikiville Teepee
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In this great hands-on activity, learners use patterns to make a teepee from newspaper that they sit inside.

Building Bridges
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In this activity, learners explore the engineering design process and the basic mechanics behind building bridges as they build one themselves using gumdrops and toothpicks.

Stack 'Em Up
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In this simple and fun activity, learners build a tower of cups to explore distribution of weight. Learners make predictions about their towers and test their designs.

Clay Bridges
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In this activity, learners make bridges using an oil-based modeling clay (plasticene). The instructions include discussion questions for both before and after bridge building.
Build a Bridge
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In this activity, learners use recycled materials to build a bridge that holds as many potatoes as possible. They investigate weight, height, strength, and measurement as they seek design solutions.

Be a Plumber
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In this activity (located on page 6 of the PDF), learners explore the ways people access water in their homes.

Three Little Pigs Construction Company
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In this activity about problem-solving, learners build a house for the Three Little Pigs using twenty straws and two index cards.

Apartment Buildings and More
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In this engineering activity, young learners investigate multi-level buildings.
Soaring Towers: Building with Recycled Materials
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In this activity, learners will build the highest tower they can out of recycled materials.

How Many Pennies?
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In this activity (pages 13-14), learners investigate the properties of smart materials, which are materials that respond to things that happen around them.

Draft Detectives
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In this two part activity, learners become draft detectives by constructing their own draft catchers to detect drafts around windows or doors.

Three Little Pigs
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In this activity, leaners explore building techniques by recreating the story of The Three Little Pigs.
Building Houses: Build a Cardboard Tube House
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Build a house you can fit inside, using cardboard tubes.

Skewers and Garden Poles
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In this activity, learners build scaled-down structures and cantilevers in a series of "building out" challenges with bamboo skewers and tape.

Building with Wonderful Junk
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In this activity (page 4), learners work in groups to plan and build large structures using recyclable materials they have brought from home.
Ride on a Slide: Toys or Tubes Ride Slopes and Angles
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This activity is a hit for family events and all ages—some will finish in 45 minutes; others can go on for hours.