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Engineering in my elementary classroom means students are building or creating something concrete with a set of given materials. The purpose of building or creating said object is for an intended purpose to deeper understand material being taught within the classroom and support instruction for all types of learners.

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The concept of engineering in my elementary world typically means time-consuming projects. Though I love the concept of basing my instruction on project-based learning opportunities, here is a few reasons why I stray away from them:

1. Resources are not always readily available for me or my students to utilize. They usually take time to collect or are expensive to purchase all at once. Also, sometimes softwares are not compatible with Clever / Google accounts or are outdated.

2. Engineering projects take time for me to prepare. I have always taught a different grade and tried to "master my craft" before wanting to take risks and implement engineering projects. I prioritize mastering my ability to teach the material before I challenge myself to implement complex activities.

3. It can be difficult to assess engineering projects, as it is more open-ended and process-focused, making it subjective or difficult to base a rubric on.

4. Engineering is not always explicitly included in state or district standards, which makes it difficult to find the time or curricular support to meaningfully integrate it.

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For the past two years, I have had my students create towers using "Dots" candy and toothpicks in honor of International Dot Day.

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I'm honestly not a fan of Dot candy (it isn't chocolate!) but they make great connectors for toothpick structures. Provide students with a box of Dots and toothpicks and challenge them to build towers, bridges, homes, or monuments with them. Don't have access to Dots candy? Use mini marshmallows as dots.

Decorate giant dot coffee filters with markers and either spritz them with water to watch the colors blend together, or use them as mini parachutes to slow down the descent of a toy in a mini-dixie cup.

However you celebrate Dot Day, have the courage to "Make your mark and see where it takes you" - Peter H. Reynolds

For more information about International Dot Day, visit the website here.

** Vivify is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links.

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International Dot Day is celebrated yearly on September 15th to encourage creativity, courage, and collaboration inspired by Peter H. Reynolds' book, The Dot! Have you read it? Take the beloved story to the next level by infusing STEM into your Dot Day festivities.

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I tried this engineering activity to discuss forces with my students. They engineered the shooter themselves with some support and tracked how far their marshmallow traveled.

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My first year of teaching, I did this activity with my students as a first week of school ice breaker while emphasizing on the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

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Using one simple material, students build the tallest tower possible.

The famous Index Card tower has become a STEM favorite.

One of the first STEM challenges we ever tried was tower building. The kids loved it so much that I started planning more tower-building events. We have tried towers with many different materials - like spaghetti, toothpicks, and even penny-toting buckets!

One of our all-time favorite towers is the Index Card Tower.

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You will love the Index Card Tower because of 5 simple things!

It uses only one material.

Preparation is super easy.

It works for all ages.

It's highly engaging because it's so competitive.

Clean-up is ridiculously simple.

Let's talk about each of these! Tips and ideas are included.

One Material and Easy Prep

We first used this a few years back with 4th and 5th graders and they quickly showed me how inventively they could fold, bend, and roll the cards. And when I say cards, I mean index cards.

Why index cards? Why not playing cards?

Well, here's the scoop about that! I really thought about using playing cards until I priced them. Even buying them at the dollar store meant 7 boxes per class and with 5 classes per grade level that was too much.

The only way it would work might be if students were told they could not bend the cards or roll them. Take a look at the photos below and you will see index cards in several configurations and that is part of the task. How can you use the cards inventively to make the tower work unless you can fold them?

The Index Card works with all ages!

The tallest towers for the older students were 100+ cm. The very tallest was 120 cm. Incredible! The competition to have the tallest was fierce and the groans from these groups were just as loud as the little kids whenever a tower fell.

A little bit about clean-up and recycling!

When it's time to clean up with this task, I put out about four large dish pans labeled: Unused, Rolled, Bent vertically, Bent horizontally. Kids bring their cards and throw them in the labeled bins.

When the next class comes in I give them a smaller stack of brand-new cards and they retrieve what they need from the already bent and rolled cards as they need them. We completely just keep reusing them! Later I throw all the bent and rolled cards into a large plastic bin, pop a top on it, and save it for the next index card project!

This challenge is surprisingly versatile!

Halloween-small stuffed pumpkin

Thanksgiving- a stuffed turkey

This amazing, versatile STEM Challenge is a student favorite and you will love the easy prep!
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The Amazing Index Card Tower - Teachers are Terrific

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The index card tower STEM Challenge is amazingly challenging. The tower topples easily and provides students with many opportunities to rebuild and rethink!

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This class is using Makedo as their engineering tool. They read the story "Blizzard", watched a news clip about a blizzard that occurred in 1978 in Rhode Island, and the students were challenged to make their own snow shoes. To make them correctly, the students had to research how they work. Then, they used Makedo tools and cardboard to create their snowshoes.

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Cardboard Construction Tools in the Classroom 📦 #teacherlife #teachers #classroom

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NGSS Standards-aligned lessons for K-12

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Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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This teacher uses engineering as a team building activity, but demonstrates how to differentiate the same activity for a variety of students. As he says, it is not a race as there is always another challenge for students to complete.

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Engineering basics for implementation into an elementary classroom.

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Engineering Basics for Elementary School Students

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How to introduce STEM engineering concepts to your elementary class with fun engineering classroom activities and lesson plans!