Engineering Fun: Right On...Target

Every young person is a potential engineer!

Ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve . . .then try again! It’s about being curious, creative and wanting to play!

WATCH THIS GREAT VIDEO: ENGINEERING IN ACTION

At the Twin Cities Public Television studios, as a part of Hands-on-Science, Science Museum instructors presented a great exploration of the engineering design process through fun, hands-on activities with the young studio audience. Now you’re ready to practice being an engineer at home!

Can you build a ramp from a table or couch that makes a car or ball land on a target?

Let’s Make It!

For This Project You’ll Need:

• Something hard. Examples: boxes, junkmail, books, etc.

• Something to stick things together. Examples: tape, paperclips, string, chip clips, etc.

• Something to aim for. Examples: a box, a bucket, a piece of paper, etc.

• Something to roll. A ball, a car, etc.

USE THESE MATERIALS TO BUILD A RAMP FOR YOUR BALL OR CAR. THE MATERIALS IN YOUR HOME WILL MAKE EVERY RAMP DIFFERENT. CAN YOU LAUNCH YOUR BALL ONTO THE TARGET?

Let’s Talk About It!

What went well? What were your challenges?

• How often did you hit the target?

• How did you get your ramp to stay together?

• How did you make your object roll on the ramp?

Let’s Figure It Out!

Can you improve or change your ramp?

• Can you improve your ramp, so you hit the target more often?

• Can you roll a different object down your ramp and still hit the target?

• Can you make your ramp longer or shorter and still hit the target?

• Can you make it trickier by having the target 1 foot from the end of the ramp?

• What other types of ramps can you make?

How Did Your Engineering Experience Go?

No matter how your engineering experience turned out, we hope you and your family had fun doing them!
We want to see your creations and hear your feedback. Share your results on social media using #ShareYourDiscovery and let us know how things went!