Today’s guest blogger is Hannah Schulze, EiE’s research and evaluation intern.

I am currently a junior studying Biomedical Engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and since January, I’ve been working as an intern at the Museum of Science, Boston. When I began my internship search, I knew I wanted an opportunity that would allow me to combine my love for engineering and my passion for social justice work. That’s why I was thrilled to see a posting for an internship through the Museum of Science for Engineering is Elementary. I was one of those kids who visited the museum and thought the whole thing was magic. Almost like Disney World—but better, because the Museum of Science wants everyone in on the magic together. Everyone has the chance to discover and explore. Engineering is Elementary, in particular, spoke to me because of my connection to its mission: fostering engineering and technological literacy among children—including those students who are traditionally underserved or underrepresented in STEM fields.

Happy Earth Day! Are you looking to incorporate some eco-themed activities into your STEM programs? Here are seven superfun curriculum units from EiE's Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere. Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere include project-based, hands-on units to help you implement engineering in a way that fits your time and budget needs. 

Even before we began designing our preschool curriculum, Wee Engineer, we knew that we would have to create new activities, different context-setting tools, and even a new Engineering Design Process (EDP). But we never thought we’d be trying our hand at songwriting! At EiE, we have a very involved curriculum development process. We meet with teachers and specialists and learn what works in the classroom. During an early Wee Engineer focus group, a teacher suggested setting the steps of the EDP to music with accompanying dance moves, because it would help teachers reinforce the vocabulary with their kids. The other teachers enthusiastically agreed, and they convinced us that an EDP Song would enhance the curriculum and get kids excited about the process they were engaging in. Never to be intimidated, our curriculum team got together to figure how to engineer the perfect EDP song.

At EiE, we’ve learned that the best way to get kids interested in engineering is to connect to a subject they care about. Every kid is different—some might be interested in transportation technologies, while others would rather learn about ice cream. But we know that many kids share a common interest: caring for and protecting animals. Engineering can play a big part in the care and keeping of animals, and we’ve seen how much that can motivate kids to design and improve technologies. In honor of National Pet Day, check out these storybooks and in- and out-of-school-time curriculum units, guaranteed to be a wild success in your classroom or OST program!

So you’re teaching engineering to your elementary students. And today they’re designing a technology—perhaps a solar oven or a water filter. One group comes up with an unusually

What can you say when a windmill doesn’t work?

creative design . . . but it doesn’t quite work as expected. Now what?

For maximum learning impact, you want to be ready with prompts that help your students do their own problem solving. In other words, you need effective questioning strategies! You can learn more about these strategies when you attend an interactive online learning session from Engineering is Elementary, scheduled for April 26, 2017.