K–6TechNest
Design It!
Engineering challenges and hands-on building experiments
Ash
QuincyBefore you start
- Age band
- K–6
- Time
- 40–75 minutes
- Quest type
- Messing Around
- Guardian
- Cass · Box Elder
- Materials needed
- Popsicle Sticks and Wood Glue Set
- Index Cards (200 count) and Masking Tape
- Digital Kitchen Scale (for weighing egg drop device)
Why this skill rocks
Building stuff is super fun right now! You get to make crazy inventions and see if they work.
2034Where this could take you
In 2034, you could be designing amazing new Olympic venues or inventing gadgets that help athletes win gold.
What You'll Need
Optional materials for this quest.
Popsicle Sticks and Wood Glue Set
RequiredThe core building material for the bridge challenge. Get at least 150 sticks so you have enough for multiple prototypes. Craft glue works but wood glue creates a much stronger bond — worth the difference.
Index Cards (200 count) and Masking Tape
RequiredThe tower challenge requires exactly these materials. Index cards are stiff enough to build real structures but light enough to go tall. Masking tape (not scotch) gives you the 30 cm budget the challenge calls for.
Digital Kitchen Scale (for weighing egg drop device)
The egg drop challenge has a strict 100-gram weight limit. A small digital kitchen scale lets you measure your device precisely and make smart trade-offs between protection and weight — exactly what real aerospace engineers do.