The Tunnel Boring Challenge, a Great Civil Engineering Activity for Kids

Civil engineering is more than bridges and towers. Civil engineers create infrastructure that makes our lives possible. Every day, civil engineers are at work designing subway systems, safeguarding the water supply, and ensuring highway safety in and through mountains.

But how can adults give kids accessible, understandable, and fun ways to explore infrastructure? A cover graphic for the Tunnel Boring Challenge features a small tunnel over a two-lane road in the woods

It’s time to think inside of the fridge.

We are constantly boring through apples whenever we try to remove their core. What if we encouraged kids to experiment with strategies they could use to bore through different fruits and vegetables?

This activity is a perfect home-based engineering challenge. To start your thinking, what would happen if you tried to drill a tunnel through a:

  • Cantaloupe?
  • Zucchini?
  • Tomato?
  • Banana?
  • Orange?
  • Watermelon?

Organize a construction crew equipped with kitchen tools, and see what kind of tunnels you can create! I’d love to hear about your tunneling adventures in the comments.

About Me

Hi, I’m Lindsey! I am a mechanical engineer and engineering educator living in Washington, DC. I specialize in engineering design, thinking outside of the box, working with K-12 students, supporting the needs of gifted and twice exceptional learners, teaching online, mentoring and coaching older students, and providing professional development for educators. I believe that engineering is for everyone, and I am excited to get to know you and the learners you love better.

Reimagining the Classic Tower Design Challenge

Involving kids in engineering can be easy and fun if you can combine creativity, curiosity, and a spark of imagination. You don’t need special supplies to do it.

Certain design challenges, like the classic egg drop, come up frequently. Another classic design challenge is designing the tallest tower from spaghetti and marshmallows. Tower design challenges give ample room for flexibility and creativity, even if you don’t have a huge supply budget.

Here are some ways that you can breathe new life into the classic spaghetti-and-marshmallow tower design challenge:

  • Compare and contrast different pasta types. Host an epic spaghetti versus fettuccine showdown. Really cause heads to spin by involving the linguini.
  • Extend the challenge to be an edible two-story house. What materials might students incorporate to add interior features?
  • Build a skyscraper using pasta for the structural elements and materials for walls, floors, and windows.
  • Mix up testing requirements. How can the tower support a load? Resist a windstorm? Stand firm in an earthquake? Survive King Kong’s climb?
  • Explore the strengths of different materials before building. Does it make a difference to make your tower out of the strongest noodles?

Tell me about your experience designing towers in the comments. I’d love to see some of your favorite creations!

About Me

Hi, I’m Lindsey! I am a mechanical engineer and engineering educator living in Washington, DC. I specialize in engineering design, thinking outside of the box, working with K-12 students, supporting the needs of gifted and twice exceptional learners, teaching online, mentoring and coaching older students, and providing professional development for educators. I believe that engineering is for everyone, and I am excited to get to know you and the learners you love better.

5 Secrets for Effective Teaching

It’s that time of year: Back To School. Learners of all ages are gearing up for another academic year. This year marks some big changes for me as well. I’m eager, excited, and a little edgy if I’m honest. Change does that.

I want to start the year off right, so I thought I would pull together my 5 secrets for effective teaching. They’re also great keys to unlock effective learning which is all the more reason to share them here.

Secret #1: Focus.

Our brains are funny. They actually work best when we do one thing at a time. We work faster and more efficiently when we zoom in and get one thing done. When I’m teaching, I ask, “What is the big takeaway for my students today?” Focusing on one key idea makes it easier for my students to see how things fit together. Students who jot down a quick summary of what they did after going to class or working on a project are more likely to remember that big idea. Teaching and learning are a lot easier when you can remember what you were trying to do in the first place.

Secret #2: Fence.

This secret is kind of funny, and a lot of teachers get it wrong. It’s easy to want to cram in #allthethings when you’re teaching. You want to strategize for every possible scenario, so that you can be the expert in the room. But when you fence, you set up boundaries around your goal.

A fence gives you space to let an idea come out and play. You can be creative and curious. Deep learning happens when students can ask their own questions. Putting up a fence gives space for curiosity to flourish, and I can remember what it was like to learn a new concept for the first time. Being enchanted by the learning process helps me create space for my students to discover the concept for themselves.

Secret #3: Field Test.

I believe that all learning happens when we enter into conversation and discovery with one another. As a teacher, I’m constantly testing questions and activities with my students. I need to see how my students engage in real time to get a sense if a particular lesson is working. By asking questions and getting feedback, I can refine both my understanding of the topic and how I teach.

Secret #4: Feed.

Curiosity is often overlooked among educational tools. When we participate in activities that feed our curiosity, we’re more motivated to learn the subject. As a teacher, I need to ask myself constantly, “How can I give my students activities worth their time, energy, and effort. I tend to look towards real world problems for inspiration and move from there. There’s always a way to explore math, science, and engineering in a meaningful, real-world context.

Secret #5: Fly.

I have yet to meet students who wouldn’t love to fly. Soaring through the air is an ultimate symbol of freedom and celebration. Whenever you’re teaching, it’s essential  to celebrate students’ victories. There can be celebration every time a student advances in their understanding. To me, that’s the only way to teach. It keeps me focused on the big idea and infuses fun into every bit of my teaching.

Effective teaching happens by design. It’s a rigorous and rewarding practice of seeing the world come alive in new ways. As an engineering educator, I’m always willing to help learners of all ages put together the pieces of math, science, and engineering so that they can experience more success exploring the world, building the future of their dreams, and unlocking new opportunities.

Simple Engineering Projects for Kids: A Pet Bed

Thinking creatively is the foundation to good design. You never know what ideas you might come up with, and inspiration can be found anywhere.

I’ve been the proud parent of a chocolate labrador named Gemma for over a year now. At first, Gemma had a hard time getting used to her crate. She is a strong dog, and she likes to chew things. I came home one day and discovered that Gemma had shredded into the pillow in her crate. Stuffing was everywhere. When the problem repeated itself, I knew I needed to come up with a different plan. As an engineer, I know that common problems have creative solutions. I set to work to design a better pet bed.

A dog sits amid a chewed pillow. Text reads "Common problems have creative solutions"

The challenge with making any kind of mattress is to make sure that the materials are flexible enough to cushion what rests on top. I knew I wanted to use a material that would not make a mess if, and when, my dog chewed through it. Eventually I decided on stuffing two t-shirts with clothes I was no longer wearing. I improved the design by positioning the shirts so that the head of one shirt was on the same side of the bottom of the other shirt. Gemma has been resting comfortably in her crate for months now because I took the time to come up with a better solution.

How could you make a pet bed? Could you design a portable bed that made lying on the floor more comfortable? How might a bed for a cat or dog be different from a bed for a person?

Inventions happen when people see a problem and create a solution. If you would like to encourage a young inventor you know, check out the Curiosity Effect’s Inventing adventure!

Simple Engineering Projects for Kids: The Ultimate Fort

Some engineering projects are gifts that keep on giving. A question like “How can I make the ultimate fort?” can keep kids and grown-ups engaged for a long time.

At first glance, designing a fort seems deceptively simple. What’s so complex about throwing a blanket over four chairs and calling it a day? What makes designing a fort to be a worthy engineering project?

Text "The Ultimate Fort" with an image of a girl reading in a blanket fort supported by chairs.

Truth be told, even the simplest of forts have a good deal of engineering complexity. What makes the fort stable? Is the fort large enough for all of the activities it should house? And the big question: Is the fort tall enough?

Experimenting with different ways to make a tall fort involves a lot of engineering. Does your fort use a center pole to go for maximum height? What holds the center pole in place? Can you make the center pole sturdy enough to withstand someone bumping into it? If you are using a blanket to make a roof, how can you keep the roof from sagging? What kind of support structures do you need? Can you give your fort doors and windows?

Are you building your fort inside or outside? What kind of materials are best to use in an outdoor fort? What activities would you want to do in an outdoor fort? Are they same set of activities as in an indoor fort? How would your fort design change if you built the fort on a hill instead of a flat surface?

Changing the questions are a great way to breathe new life into an engineering project. If you’d like some more insight about how you can help your kids ask great engineering questions, check out my free guide Every Parent’s Guide to Creative Projects.

Simple Engineering Projects for Kids: Clothing Costumes

I think too often we get stuck on coming up with engineering projects that have supply lists and tools. An engineer’s most important tool is their imagination. Innovation can be found by looking at the same objects in new ways.

Many of my favorite engineering projects are creating clothing costumes. Our closets can be full of inspiration. When we ask questions like, “How can I wear this piece of clothing in a different way?” or “What are the best options to make a cape?” we’re releasing our inner engineer. Towels, bedsheets, and dishwashing gloves take on a new character when we loan them out to our imagination.

 Two kids sport their superhero costumes. "Clothing Costumes" is written in white on a dark blue strip.

We can ask questions about the items of clothing itself:

  • How many different ways could I use a belt in my costume?
  • What if I cannot put my shirt on by pulling it over my head?

We can ask questions about the things that inspire us:

  • What could I use to make a tail?
  • What would need to happen to create a successful elephant costume?

We can also ask questions about our goals for our costumes:

  • What is the best way to stay warm outside if I do not want to put on a coat?
  • How could I choose colors that help me camouflage myself?
  • What costume is best if I want to be able to run super fast?

All of these questions (and more!) are engineering kinds of questions. If you’d like some more insight about how you can help your kids ask great engineering questions, check out my free guide Every Parent’s Guide to Creative Projects.

 

Simple Engineering Projects for Kids: An Indoor Frisbee

Hello, hello! As the holiday season gets into full swing, I thought I’d load up the blog with a lot of gifts for you and your family. I’m going to sharing a lot of simple engineering projects for kids that do not require any special materials.

A good engineering project starts with a good question. Since it’s getting colder outside, I wondered about bringing outdoor games inside. As I thought about simple projects that are also fun, I asked, “What if we could create an indoor frisbee?”

Two part image. On the left: A young child plays outside with an orange Frisbee. On the right: Text reads Everyday Curiosity - Design an indoor Frisbee above the Opportunity Unlocked logo

Getting our inventing juices flowing by combining two different ideas (being inside and Frisbee) helps us continue to think outside of the box. What can I use to make my Frisbee? The traditional hard plastic is out because it won’t work well inside. I want to throw something that can float through the air. I might practice by seeing if other lids fly well around the house. I may try covering cardboard with different materials. I might test throw different kinds of pillows to see if any of them have frisbee potential. I could experiment with different kinds of paper. Engineers work with the materials that they have to explore their ideas. Actively brainstorming ideas does not need to be a pen-and-pencil activity.

After testing a bunch of different materials, we can choose the material combinations that seem the most promising and work to refine the design. I chose to use paper plates and tape in my design, just because that seemed like the most fun. The difference between a good engineering project for kids and a great engineering project for kids is that the great projects encourage kids to keep exploring. You know a kid is unto something good when they ask a question, tinker with different materials, ask another question that builds on earlier questions, and start tinkering again.

As I continued to work on my indoor frisbee, I explored questions like:

  • What happens if I cut out different shapes from the middle?
  • How will adding weight to one side change how my frisbee flies?
  • Can I attach plates in different ways?
  • Is a smaller frisbee better for indoor play?

I’d love to hear more about your indoor engineering adventures in the comments! If you’re looking for more great ways to encourage kids to go from big idea to doable project, grab a copy of Every Parent’s Guide to Creative Projects.

Does your vote count? A closer look at asking statistical questions and the Electoral College

Hello my friends! Today I wanted to dive into talking a bit about the Electoral College and voter representation in the United States. I recently saw a picture going around Facebook that compared the electoral power of Wyoming to California. Wyoming, with 247 thousand people, has the smallest state population but has three votes in the Electoral College. California, with 28,357 thousand people, has the largest state population and only has 55 votes in the Electoral College. Because 247/3 is much, much bigger than 28357/55, voters in Wyoming have a lot more power than voters in California. But there are 48 other states and the District of Columbia to consider when asking a question like “Does your vote count?”

I wanted to dig in a bit more to answering this question, so I found a spreadsheet from the US Census Bureau that has information about each state’s total population (which includes people who aren’t citizens yet), the number of citizens who live in each state, the number of people who registered to vote, and the number of people who actually voted in the 2012 election. I chose the 2012 election because more people tend to vote in Presidential elections. (It takes time for statisticians to make this kind of spreadsheet, so the 2016 numbers are not yet available.) So, what do the numbers say?

Any time we are trying to analyze statistics, we need to be careful about the question we ask. There are a lot of different ways to look at the numbers. To analyze voting data, I looked at different ratios. Specifically, I looked at the number of people represented by one electoral vote. When this number is small, you have a lot of voting power. When this number is big, you have less voting power.

Which state’s population has the most voting power?

The United State Census counts everyone who lives in the state. This number is used to decide how many electoral votes a particular state gets. There are 235,248 thousand people living in the United States. If you divide that number by 538, you get a little over 437 thousand people per electoral vote nationwide. 18 states have less voting power than the national average. If you live in New York, you have the largest ratio. The state’s population of 15,066 thousand divided by 29 electoral votes means that you have approximately 520 thousand people represented by one electoral vote. The top ten states with the lowest voting power are (in order): New York, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. If you live in Wyoming, you have the smallest ratio. The state’s population of 427 thousand people divided by 3 electoral votes means that you have approximately 142 thousand people represented by one electoral vote. The top ten areas with the highest voting power are (in order): Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, District of Columbia, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana.

Okay, but which state’s citizenry has the most influence over the election?

Electoral votes are assigned based on population, but in order to have your vote count, you need to be a citizen of the United States. There are 20 million people who live in the United States who are not citizens. When you look at the number of citizens in a state, the voting power changes. If you live in Ohio, you have the largest ratio of number of citizens to electoral votes. There are 8,550 thousand citizens living in Ohio represented by the state’s 18 electoral votes. This means that 475 thousand citizens are represented by one electoral vote. The top ten list also changes order where some of the states change. Now the top ten states with the lowest voting power are (in order): Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and Massachusetts. I found a similar shift when I looked at the states with the most voting power. Once again, Wyoming leads the list with the smallest ratio. Wyoming has 419 thousand citizens, meaning that approximately 140 thousand people are represented by one electoral vote. The new list of places with highest voting power are (in order): Wyoming, District of Columbia, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Delaware, Hawaii, and New Hampshire.

But wait. If I am talking about the power of my vote, I need to know how registered voters can impact the election.

When I looked at the number of registered voters, the nationwide count changed significantly. Only 71% of citizens in the United States are registered to vote. Looking at data across the entire United States, there are approximately 285 thousand registered voters for every electoral vote. The state of North Carolina has 5,295 thousand registered voters who are represented by 15 electoral votes. This means that 353 thousand registered voters make up 1 electoral vote. Looking at the number of registered voters per electoral vote, the top 10 states are (in order): North Carolina, Michigan, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia, Illinois, and Florida. Because voter registration is reasonably consistent, the list of high power voters doesn’t change much. Wyoming leads the list, followed by Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Delaware, and Nebraska.

The only way to have power as a voter is to vote. Which state’s voters have the most power?

Approximately 132,948,000 people voted in the 2012 election, meaning that there were just over 247 thousand voters for every electoral vote. Surprisingly, the state of Wisconsin emerges as the state with the lowest voting power. 3,127 thousand voters cast ballots in 2012 to decide the state’s 10 electoral votes. This means that approximately 313 thousand voters were represented by one electoral vote. Looking at the number of voters per electoral vote, the top 10 states are (in order): Wisconsin, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri, and Florida. The states with the most power haven’t changed that much. Wyoming still leads the pack, and is now followed by Alaska, Vermont, North Dakota, District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Hawaii, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Stepping back from the ratios for a bit, there are twelve areas that come up as having the “most powerful” voters. These areas are Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, District of Columbia, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Hawaii, Delaware, Montana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire. Together, these places have 41 electoral votes and a total population of 8,790 people. They are a combination of rural and urban areas and rarely vote together as a block. When we do any kind of statistical analysis, it is important to ask what the numbers mean and how different numbers relate to one another. When I first saw the image on Facebook, I thought that California would be at the top of one or more lists of the least powerful states. The only list where California was in the top ten states was looking at the total population. The states that appeared on all four “least powerful” voter lists were Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Developing rules about how you want to compare numbers is an important part of statistics.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments. What math questions leave you wondering? What math questions do you find the most interesting?

 

Everyday Curiosity: Newspapers

White text overlaid on a picture of outdoor newspaper vending machines reads "Did you know that printing presses in 1847 printed 20,000 newspapers per hour?" The banner at the bottom includes the full Opportunity Unlocked logo and "Everyday Curiosity: Because everyday questions should have hands-on answers"Getting information matters. One reason why the internet is so powerful is that we can find out about newsworthy events immediately as they happen. But it has not always been that way. Before the internet, most people got their news from newspapers.

Newspapers need to be printed cheaply and quickly. Even though the printing press was invented in 1440, it wasn’t until the 1800s that printing technology had advanced enough to print daily newspapers. Early printing presses used a flat plate that worked a lot like a big stamp. In the 1830s, inventors started experimenting with cylindrical presses that allowed paper to roll through the machine. This technology drastically reduced the cost of newspapers, allowing publishers of the New York Sun to sell their paper for a penny an issue. The rotary printing press invented by Richard Hoe in 1847 could produce 20,000 newspapers per hour. Hoe received 24 patents between 1842 and 1874 for printing press improvements.

Modern newspapers are printed in color by creating plates for 4 separate colors (black, cyan, yellow, and magenta). Each plate is made from aluminum covered by a plastic coating. Did you know that paper can move through a modern press at nearly 25 miles per hour? Even as more and more people read news delivered over the internet, major US newspapers still circulate over 2 million copies every day.

Everyday Curiosity is a weekly magazine for kids aged 8-14 that explores math, science, and engineering. Each issue asks one big question and has three related hands-on projects to go deeper into the math, science, and engineering behind everyday observations. The projects use supplies that are already in the house or could be found easily at a grocery store, general department store, or (in rare cases) a hardware store. 

Everyday Curiosity: Marbles

White text overlaid on a close-up picture of several marbles reads "Did you know that the first marbles made by a machine were made in the United States?" The banner at the bottom includes the full Opportunity Unlocked logo and "Everyday Curiosity: Because everyday questions should have hands-on answers"So many games can be played with small round balls. We don’t really know who invented marbles because kids have probably always played with nuts, rocks, and small balls made from all kinds of other materials. But did you know that many marbles are made of glass?

Humans first started shaping glass about 5,000 years ago. When you heat glass up in a furnace, you can melt and shape it into many different kinds of shapes. The intricate design you see in many clear glass marbles means that these marbles were likely made by hand by sticking different colors of glass together in a process known as fusing. Glassmiths use a graphite mold to help them make sure that their marbles are round.

In the 19th and 20th century, German glassmiths produced many marbles. A German glass maker had created a special tool that made it easier to create a perfectly round sphere. American inventors transformed marble making by making it possible to use machines. Being able to make perfectly round marbles also helped manufacturers create perfectly round ball bearings.

Everyday Curiosity is a weekly magazine for kids aged 8-14 that explores math, science, and engineering. Each issue asks one big question and has three related hands-on projects to go deeper into the math, science, and engineering behind everyday observations. The projects use supplies that are already in the house or could be found easily at a grocery store, general department store, or (in rare cases) a hardware store.