At-Home Activities are designed for families or groups to complete at home using commonly found materials like cardboard boxes, pencils, or empty milk cartons. Each activity starts with a context-setting story in comic format that poses a real-world problem that needs to be solved. The activity then guides the family through the engineering design process to find a solution. Activities include:
- Bye, Bye Bug: Help Kenji and Emi engineer a solution to relocate a bug found in their bedroom!
- A Story to Remember: Use sequencing skills to think of a story and then see how the story relates to the story Nur, Fitri, and Fakhri are trying to remember.
- Sounds of Celebration: Help Purna and Ved engineer musical instruments to welcome their grandparents when they come to visit!
- Pass the Peppers: Help Makayla and her dad, Andre, engineer a solution to pass the peppers from their porch to Grandma’s.
- Turn It Up!: Help Bia and Cris engineer a solution to make the music from their grandfather Tiago’s cell phone louder!
- Keep It Watered: Help Luis and his mom, Guadelupe, engineer a solution to keep their tomato plants watered while they go away for a week!
Only-the-Go Activities are inspired by classic games, like I Spy and Charades, and can be completed while riding in a car or bus, standing in line, or sitting at a table. In these activities the groups discuss what technology is and how technology affects our lives. Activities include:
- I Spy Technologies: Make a trip to the store or laundromat more fun as you spot technologies all around you.
- Technology Categories: Think of as many technologies as you can to solve different problems, like cooking food or making light.
- Technology Deck: Use this deck of 52 technology cards to play seven different games. Use the printable version for a true card game experience or download the mobile version for your cell phone or tablet.
Families and educators can also work together to organize a STEM event at school or in a community space. These events are designed for learners and their families to work on engineering challenges in a group setting. Download free resources that include everything needed to plan, announce, and host a successful event.
This project was made possible by generous funding from Overdeck Family Foundation.
Read the press release or sign up for our mailing list to receive updates as we add to our suite of activities! Let us know what you think of the new EiE Families site and activities in the comments.
