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Description

This is a chance for the girls to become engineers themselves by taking on an Engineering challenge.

Be able to think like an engineer and complete an engineering challenge.

Resources

Recyclable materials
Craft materials – glue/Sellotape/string etc.
Large cardboard boxes – one for each team
Stickers/decorations

Instructions

This is the Engineering Challenge!

The challenge is to design and build an amazing Ladybird Unit Centre.

Instructions:

1) Collect recyclable materials, as well as Sellotape/glue/string and other accessible craft materials. It may be useful to collect some large cardboard boxes – one per team.
2) Display the collected materials in the room at one end on a table. The girls can use these to construct and create their projects. Tell the girls they can look at the materials but they can’t touch – yet.
3) Divide the girls in teams (or this can be done individually) and set up their ‘Engineering Company Head Quarters’ (a space for their team in the room with chairs and a table preferably).
4) Explain the challenge to the girls: to design and build an amazing Ladybird Unit Centre (this is completely open-ended and limited only by their imaginations).
5) First let them brainstorm what they want to include in their design. At this point allow them to view the materials without removing any from the table. They should discuss:
a) What materials they will use from the display
b) How they will build it
c) What will be tricky to build
d) Who will be responsible for what task – delegate
e) They have the option to use pens and paper if they want
6) After a 5-to-10-minute discussion, they may now approach the materials table and take what they need. You can do this as a game – as in a race to the table, a free-for-all, or the first table to get an engineering question right goes first etc.
7) Bring the materials back to their ‘Engineering Company Head Quarters’.
8) Start constructing. Give them a time limit – something between 15 – 30 minutes to complete their design, depending on their age and interest.
9) They should attempt to construct their model to the design they discussed. However, at some point they will realise they cannot achieve some of their design and they will redesign on the go. This is perfectly fine and expected.
10) After the given time, call a halt to construction. Ask them to stand beside their models.
11) Give each group a few minutes to present their projects to the group explaining the design features.
12) Ask each group what part of their design worked well and what part was difficult. Reinforce that engineers face design issues all the time that they need to find solutions for.

Option – Invite an Engineer to the Group Meeting

To add to the excitement of the Engineering Challenge, invite a local engineer to visit the group while the work on their projects.

1) Discuss with the group if they know any engineers (a family member or parent). If no one in the group knows an engineer, you could ask them to do some homework to see if they can find someone else who knows an engineer. They could ask their parents or teacher etc. You could also ask them to research local engineering companies.
2) Once the group has identified an engineer to contact, ask the group to help you write an invitation. This could be hand-written or by email. Hand-written may have a greater impact.
3) In the letter you might include:
a) Who you are (the Ladybirds) and what age you are.
b) What time you meet at and on what day.
c) That you are doing the STEPS Engineering Badge.
d) What you like about engineering.
e) What you would like to find out about engineering from a real engineer
f) Explain that you will be doing an Engineering Challenge and you would like them to come and look at the projects and tell the girls about their life as an engineer.
4) At the visit, the engineer could help the girls with the badge material – discussing the different engineering elements in each part. For the final part – the Engineering Challenge – they could view each project and give some encouraging feedback. At the end, they might like to tell the group their story of what it’s like to be an engineer and answer the girls’ questions.

Tags

• engineering
• ladybird engineering

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