by Alex Pugnali, Education Specialist at the CEEO

This summer the CEEO ran a variety of 3-5 day workshops for students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade. While workshops differed in age range and theme, they all engaged students in the Engineering Design Process in fun and hands-on ways. Below are some highlights from the workshops we ran this summer.

Co-Ed Robotics

This session helped students in grades 3-8 design, build, and program using the engineering design process. Several open-ended challenges were posed to the students throughout the week. They used  standard LEGO bricks, programmable LEGO bricks, and other materials to complete these design challenges. The week started with activities focusing on stability in design and moved to other topics such as gearing, weight distribution, and momentum, as the students incorporated programming and motors into their designs.  

Engineering, Earthquakes and More!

This week-long workshop tasked students to be civil engineers – engaging in the design and building of bridges and buildings that can withstand earthquakes. Students utilized the engineering design process in order to design, build, and test structures.  The workshop used a variety of materials from spaghetti to cardboard to sensors. Additionally, students were exposed to physics concepts, and data analysis through various design challenges.

Girls Design and Engineering

This workshop consisted of open-ended mini-challenges using different materials and new technologies culminating in a larger user-centered design project. Students explored the topics of simple electronics, human factors, 3D printing, programming, robotics, and user-centered design. The focus was engineering, but special attention was paid to the client and scoping problems to better address problems in design solutions. Projects were shown off to family and friends in the afternoon on the concluding day of the program.

Early Elementary Workshops

There were three different workshops for students in Kindergarten through Second Grade. In Little Makers, children were able to explore basic circuits and laser cutting to create their own playhouse for a favorite stuffed friend. Through Robotic Artbots, students played with gears, motors and sensors in combination with paint, crayons and markers to make robotic creations that create colorful masterpieces. Fun with Engineering and Robotics! allowed children to explore foundational robotics and programming concepts as they built their own silly robots with lightbulbs, sensors, and wheels.