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Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements while creating a mechanical sculpture.

In this activity, learners use design thinking to design and build their own bridge out of household materials including adhesives and/or connectors.

This activity explores the main algorithms that are used as the basis for searching on computers, using different variations on the game of battleships.

In this activity, learners build a figure that moves and "comes to life" when they pull its string.

Build and test a scale model of a rainforest canopy walkway.

In this activity, learners build a bird that flies in place with help from a motor, wire, and some straws.

Learners explore the Bernoulli effect by building an airfoil (airplane wing) and making it fly.

In this activity, learners build their own sound machines and explore the interplay of motion and sound.

The goal of this activity is to build a miniature bobsled that is either the fastest or the slowest. Learners use recycled materials to design, build, and test their bobsled on a bobsled track.

This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GEMS Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into technology design and testing.

In this design activity, learners create a vehicle that can transport a load, like a favorite toy or as a recycled object, from the top of a zipline to the bottom using only gravity.

In this activity, learners simulate the process of DNA fingerprinting by using electricity to separate colored dyes.

In this Engineering Design Challenge activity, learners will use balloons to investigate how a multi-stage rocket, like that used in the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, can propel a sat

In this activity, learners explore trebuchet design. Teams of learners construct trebuchets from everyday materials.

In this activity, learners explore accuracy and precision.

In this design challenge activity, learners build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two “astronauts” when they land.

In this activity, learners are asked to examine the differences between two materials in a pair.

The goal of this activity is to design the fastest sailboat or one that carries the most treasure.

In this activity, learners review the history of gumball machines and explore potential and kinetic energy, while working in teams to build a gumball slide.

In this experiment, learners design and build a model room in a shoebox and furnish it with tiny furniture.