Search Results

Learners set up books with rubber bands stretched between the books. When two identical books are stretched apart and released, they move back toward each other an equal distance.

In this physics activity, challenge learners to lift a book with just air using a plastic bag and a straw. This activity demonstrates compressed air and forces.

In this activity, learners build bridges out of newspaper and tape to explore how structures are designed to bear loads.

Learners examine what happens when a tube spins in two directions at once. They push on a cardboard tube causing it to spin along its length while at the same time turning from end-to-end.

In this engineering activity, learners construct sturdy geodesic structures out of gumdrops and toothpicks. Use this activity to explore engineering principles as well as sturdy shapes and triangles.

In this activity, learners create their own obstacle course based on Bernoulli's Principle and try to get a floating ball from the start of their course to the finish line.

Learners drop two different masses of play dough and observe how long it takes them to hit the ground.

In this engineering activity, young learners investigate multi-level buildings.

Learners observe projectile motion by launching wooden balls off of a table top. They set up a rubber-band launcher so that each ball experiences a consistent amount of force.

Learners build a pendulum from a yo-yo, and then design their own experiment to determine what affects the pendulum's period of swing.

In this activity (posted on March 27, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a mini zoetrope, a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures.

In this engineering activity (page 2 of PDF), young learners investigate how a wide base can make a building more stable. Learners use blocks or boxes of different sizes to construct stable towers.

In this engineering activity (page 3 of PDF), young learners investigate how a pole can be made stable by “planting” its base in the ground or adding supports to the base.

In this engineering activity (page 5 of PDF), young learners investigate how materials and design contribute to the strength of a structure, particularly walls.