Engineering is the practical application of science to real-life problems. Engineers work in many fields and have diverse skills. They are involved with designing and making, building, inventing, STEM and creativity. Engineers also need to understand humans - what they need and how they live.
Watch the video of Marita Cheng, talking at TEDx Sydney. She describes the importance of children understanding what engineering is. They need to know they can become engineers too - especially girls.
EYLF learning outcomes
Play involving engineering helps children achieve learning outcomes in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Engineering uses skills in problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating (4.2). Engineers have curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm and persistence (4.1).
Learning experiences
Build cheese structures
Provide children with squares of cheese (or apple squares, jube lollies, or marshmallows) and toothpicks. Educators can teach children how to build 2D and 3D shapes by inserting toothpicks into the food.
The toothpicks become the sides of the shape and the food squares become the corners. A triangle would use three toothpicks for the sides, connected by three cheese squares in the corners.
Make a shape. Now eat the corners!
Roll balls down a slide
Rolling balls down a slope teaches children about gravity and structures. Children can roll balls down the slide in their playground. Alternatively, they can build their own slides from pieces of guttering, tubing, or cardboard boxes.
Children can test different balls to see which ones roll the fastest. They can also adjust the incline on their homemade slide. How does the height of the slide affect the ball?
Stack plastic cups
Children can develop their coordination and understanding of balance by stacking plastic cups into pyramid shapes. You could use children's drinking cups or any type of disposable cup (e.g. coffee cups, picnic tumblers).
Draw a maze
Educators explain what a maze is, providing examples if necessary. The children then draw their own mazes on pieces of paper. Once complete, children can test their friends' mazes. Does the maze work? Can you make your way through the maze?
Build a marble run
Children can design and build their own marble run by taping cardboard tube to a wall. Gain inspiration from this marble run video by Dad Lab.
Play with mechanical toys
Provide opportunities for babies and toddlers to play safely with mechanical toys that have moving parts, buttons or levers. Mechanical toys encourage young children to investigate, problem solve, and understand cause and effect.
Play with construction toys
Early learning centres have a wide variety of construction toys that give children hands-on experience with building structures. Promote these to your children. Try mixing different types of building blocks together and observe how children play with them. Add in loose parts or even pens and paper - how does this influence their play?
Explore materials and tools
Children of all ages benefit from access to natural materials and processed materials. Early childhood educators could add these to small world play stations, the sandpit, or the art area. Also consider setting up a table that is specifically for manipulating a wide range of contrasting materials. What can children do with them? What are their properties?
Older children can be safely introduced to tools that tradespeople use, but there are other types of tools too: scissors, hole punches, tongs, tweezers, measuring scales, rulers, and kitchen utensils. How can children use these to manipulate the provided materials?
Learning environments
Provide a tinkering corner
Tinkering is the hands-on investigation of an object, to see how it works and to make possible improvements. Provide children with a space in your classroom with a range of old/broken mechanical objects they can pull apart:
- Computers, phones, keyboards and printers.
- Clocks and watches.
- Bikes.
- Battery-operated toys.
- Padlocks and keys.
- Nuts, bolts, and chains.
Older children will need tinkering tools like spanners, pliers and screwdrivers. Provide a small bucket to keep any bits and pieces that are removed - these can be used for future repairs. Duct tape will be helpful too!
Resources
Picture books
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
- Stuck by Oliver Jeffers