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Showing results 1 to 19 of 19
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Boomerang
Source Institutions
Learners trace, cut out and fly a boomerang, outdoors or in a large indoor space.
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Be a Plumber
Source Institutions
In this activity (located on page 6 of the PDF), learners explore the ways people access water in their homes.
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Hot Air Balloon
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build a hot air balloon using just a few sheets of tissue paper and a hair dryer.
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Eye Spy
Source Institutions
This fun activity uses simple materials such as milk cartons and mirrors to introduce the ideas of optics and visual perception.
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Action Figure
Source Institutions
In this project, students explore how levers work, by making a puppet with moving limbs.
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Straws and Airplanes
Source Institutions
Create airplanes from straws and geometric shapes. Test them out to see how far they can fly, or how accurately they can be aimed.
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Clay Bridges
Source Institutions
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.
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Clay Beams and Columns
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners make or use pre-made clay beams to scale and proportion. Specifically, they discover that when you scale up proportionally (i.e.
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Strong Shapes
Source Institutions
Is a square stronger than a triangle? Use tongue depressors to build simple shapes. Then apply a little weight to them and see what happens!
Build a Bridge
Source Institutions
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.
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Thrill Ride
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners will build a roller coaster for a marble to run on using everyday household materials such as paper towel or toilet paper rolls, cups, boxes, books, buckets, chairs, etc.
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Sticky Structures
Source Institutions
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.
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Marshmallow Models
Source Institutions
No glue is needed for learners of any age to become marshmallow architects or engineers.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/square_100/public/resource_images/smile-000-000-003-672.jpg?itok=lHstYPZ-)
Balloon Nanotubes Tabletop
Source Institutions
This activity introduces learners to the structure and properties of carbon nanotubes.
Building Houses: Build a Cardboard Tube House
Source Institutions
Build a house you can fit inside, using cardboard tubes.
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Hydraulic Car
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build cars using syringes and water-powered hydraulics. Learners construct the car frame out of cardboard and set up a hydraulic system to raise and lower the car.
Ride on a Slide: Toys or Tubes Ride Slopes and Angles
Source Institutions
This activity is a hit for family events and all ages—some will finish in 45 minutes; others can go on for hours.
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Crazy About Kites
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build a kite out of paper, change it, and try to make it fly even better. With their new knowledge of kite making, students can then go on to create their own kite designs.
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Skewers and Garden Poles
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build scaled-down structures and cantilevers in a series of "building out" challenges with bamboo skewers and tape.