Parents & Educators: Activities

Unleash your kids' ingenuity and get them thinking like engineers with these 15 Design Squad challenges. Designed for 9-12 year olds, each challenge has step-by-step instructions and age-appropriate explanations of the main idea.

Age Range:
Grade 4 and up
Skills/subjects:
Materials, Tools and Machines, Engineering Design, Physical Science

  • drawing of boats tied to a dock

    Watercraft

    Challenge

    Design and build a boat out of straws and plastic wrap that can hold 25 pennies for at least ten seconds before sinking.
  • person rolling a newspaper drawing

    Paper Table

    Challenge

    Design and build a table out of newspaper tubes. Make it at least eight inches tall and strong enough to hold a heavy book.
  • drawing of a zip line

    Zip Line

    Challenge

    Design and build something that can carry a Ping-Pong ball from the top of a zip line string to the bottom in four seconds (or less!).
  • drawing of a paddle motor

    Paddle Power

    Challenge

    Design and build a boat that paddles itself across a container of water using a rubber band as its power source.
  • drawing of a hand holding a tennis ball

    Helping Hand

    Challenge

    Design and build a device that lets you grab different objects and drop them into a container that’s at least two feet away from you.
  • drawing of a rubber band car

    Rubber Band Car

    Challenge

    Build a car that goes really far, really fast. Oh, by the way, your power source is a rubber band, and your car can only have two wheels. Start your engines!
  • drawing of a motor

    Motorized Car

    Challenge

    Hungry for high performance? Make a car that uses a battery-operated motor to move. Time to put your car into high gear!
  • drawing of a tower

    High Rise

    Challenge

    Build a tower that can support a tennis ball at least 18 inches off the ground while withstanding the wind from a fan.
  • drawing of a sculpture

    Kinetic Sculpture

    Challenge

    Make a sculpture that is at least six inches tall and has at least two parts that move in the wind. That's what makes it kinetic—it moves. But watch out, wind can also knock it over. So, make sure the tower is sturdy enough to stand up in the wind.
  • drawing of building materials

    Pop Fly

    Challenge

    It's football with a twist. Invent a way to send a Ping-Pong ball flying high enough to catch it. Take some paint stirrers, a wooden spool, and tape. Now, add your foot. Ready, set, launch!
  • drawing of the project

    Four Corners

    Challenge

    To operate efficiently, machines need their parts to fit precisely and to work together smoothly. Your challenge is to build a machine out of cardboard that runs smoothly and dependably. Here's a hint-be precise, be very precise.
  • drawing of an alarm

    Hidden Alarm

    Challenge

    Here's a chance for a little mischief—just a little. Design an alarm that you can turn on and off and is small enough to hide. Make your friends and family ask, "What's buzzing?"
  • drawing of a light bulb

    Dance Pad Mania

    Challenge

    Build a dance pad that lets you use your feet to sound a buzzer or flash a light.
  • drawing of the kicking  machine

    Kicking Machine

    Challenge

    Build a machine that kicks a Ping-Pong ball into a cup lying on its side 12 inches away. Use either (1) a pendulum, (2) a rubber band, or (3) a combination of the two to do this.
  • drawing of the extreme kicking machine

    Extreme Kicking Machine

    Challenge

    Modify your kicking machine. Have it either release the pendulum or rubber band when you're standing three feet away, or have it automatically feed balls into the kicking machine, one after another.