One of EiE’s design principles is to set all of our units in a real-world context to give students an idea of what engineers really do. Because of this, we’re constantly finding connections to our units in the news and in viral videos. But nothing makes us happier than hearing about EiE educators who make local and global connections in their own classrooms! We’re always blown away by the creative ways that educators inspire their students, and today we wanted to share some of their stories with you.

The EiE team has found that young engineers are most engaged when they’re working on solving problems that connect to their own lives. Throughout our in-school and out-of-school-time curricula, we highlight the relevance of engineering and technology. And because our units are focused on engineering design challenges set in the real world, our team is constantly finding videos and articles that relate to our units. Check out the real-world connections below and share them with your class to show kids how engineers are changing the world every day!

The engineering design process is central to engineering. Engineers use the engineering design process to create technologies. For our elementary engineering curriculum, we developed an age-appropriate five-step engineering design process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve. Did you know you can apply this problem-solving tool to problems outside of engineering? Throughout the school day, your students encounter numerous problems that they’ll need to solve. Our engineering design process can give your students a process to solve their everyday problems more effectively and a chance to practice important 21st century skills like collaboration, communication and critical thinking. Over the years, educators have shared with us the innovative ways they adapted EiE’s five-step Engineering Design Process (EDP) to the help their students solve a problem. Below we share our favorite examples!

How much do you know about engineering? Think you can spot common misconceptions about the field of engineering? 

The EiE classroom video collection offers a window into classrooms engaging in elementary engineering across the country. In these videos, you’ll see expert teaching techniques in action and hard-working student engineers, as well as short interviews with educators about their experience teaching EiE. Our hardworking video team is committed to filming every lesson of each unit in two different classrooms, so educators and researchers can gain a better understanding of what engineering really looks like in a wide variety of elementary classrooms. With the three latest additions to the classroom video collection, we are very close to reaching our goal of two sets of videos per unit! Read on to learn more about the newest videos, featuring Solid as a Rock: Replicating an Artifact, No Bones About It: Designing Knee Braces, and A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill.

At the start of a new school year, it may be tempting to dust off a tried-and-true STEM activity, like the egg drop or the spaghetti tower challenge. But this year, we challenge you to refresh your repertoire with our thoughtfully designed, classroom-tested curriculum. EiE units are fun and hands-on like your favorite STEM activities, and they provide students with an even richer learning experience by integrating with a variety of subject areas and offering real-world connections that introduce young learners to real engineering careers. Check out these four engineering activities that put a fresh twist on your old favorites!