Cool Engineering Activities for Girls

Nonfiction Monday is at Apples With Many Seeds.

Need a great engineering book for your STEM reading or collection? This is the book for you. I managed to get my deadline met and still post today! Take a look at this book.

Cool Engineering Activities for Girls

By Heather E. Schwartz

Capstone, Snap Books, 2012

ISBN #9781429676779

Grades 3-9

Nonfiction

“Have you ever wanted something that hasn’t been invented yet? A machine that loads the dishwasher? Or a cookie so packed with nutrients it counts as a vegetable? Some might call these dreams wishful thinking. But daydreaming is the first step in engineering. Throughout history engineers have come up with some amazing innovations. They’re behind inventions such as the bionic arm, roller coasters, and even wireless phones.”

Following a brief introduction that explains engineering and its purpose, this book provides ten activities that can be done with simple supplies.  Girls and boys can make paper table, a water filter, jewelry from CDs, or s’mores from the Sun, along with a variety of other projects. Each activity gives detailed directions and a list of materials. The activities show science principles, vocabulary, and an explanation of the science behind the engineering project.

Back matter includes a glossary, Read More section, internet sites, and an index. With the summer break looming, this is the perfect book to trigger an interest in engineering at an early age and provide fun activities to do alongside reading. The consultant was the director of Membership Initiatives in the Society of Women Engineers.

Activity

Choose one of the activities from the book. Try it out with a group of friends. When you’ve finished, discuss the problems and successes you had.

Then brainstorm solutions for a current problem you have that might be solved through engineering. Write down the problem and make a list of possible solutions. You might find one that works—so try it out!

This fun website has 100 great activities for kids grouped by topics that relate to engineering.

This interactive website explains how some common objects are made through questions and video answers.

This website has lots of fun information and animation to answer a range of materials questions.

National Science Standard: developing possible solutions; optimizing the design solution; interdependence of science, engineering, and technology

Book provided by publisher from Capstone’s Snap series.

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