STEM ACTIVITIES for Kids
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Activity 4: What is innovative engineering?
Flip Through the Flip Book
Use the STEM Career Flip Book to read about civil engineers in the Engineering section. What role do you think civil engineers played in the engineering of your neighborhood? What would you build in your neighborhood if you were a civil engineer? Open the Flip Book.
STEM Spotlight!
What do you think it means to be innovative? Check out three examples of innovative engineering on the leader's tablet.
Once you've learned about these innovative designs, think of some new ways to use them to help your community.
What Can You Design?

Using the Building Big website, investigate the basic structures used by engineers in their designs:
http://to.pbs.org/1hDKL4Q. Note the purposes that each structure serves and why they are useful.

After you've learned about basic engineering structures, try out the interactive
labs on the Building Big website: http://to.pbs.org/1hlikxx.

Challenge Time: Build a Better Bridge

You just learned about the techniques engineers use to build structures that hold up under all sorts of conditions. Now it's your turn to build a sturdy structure of your own.

Do the Challenge: Read the passage below to learn how engineers build superstrong bridges. Then follow the instructions to construct your own bridge that won't buckle under pressure.