The Design Squad Educator's Guide has everything you need to bring engineering to life for kids ages 9-12. The guide has four units, divided into 10 engaging, hands-on challenges that emphasize teamwork and creative problem solving. You can choose to do one meeting, one full unit, or all four units—it's up to you. From the leader notes to the discussion questions to the challenge sheets, you have what you need to get kids thinking like engineers.
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You may download the entire DESIGN SQUAD Educator's Guide or in the following sections:
Front and Back Covers
Educator's Guide Introduction
Download PDF (1.8M)Learn about the design process, how to set up a Design Squad club, and resources to help you lead engineering challenges with kids.
Sources for Materials
Download PDF (267K)A helpful list of where to get materials for each challenge.
Unit 1: It's Electric
Download PDF (1.8M)Kids design and wire up two devices and put them through some rigorous (and fun) testing.
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Hidden Alarm
Hidden Alarm. Build a circuit to power an alarm so small that you can hide it.
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Dance Pad Mania
Dance Pad Mania. Build a dance pad that sounds buzzers and flashes lights.
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Dance Off
Dance Off. Play a game that puts the dance pads to the test.
Unit 2: Cars, Cars, Cars
Download PDF (2.3M)Kids build three cars, using the design process to turn their ideas into reality.
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Rubber Band Car
Make a two-wheeled car powered by a rubber band.
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Motorized Car
Add a motor to your rubber band car.
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Customized Car
Choose one of several ways to modify your car.
Unit 3: Blowin' in the Wind
Download PDF (2.3M)Kids design and build two tall towers and learn what makes structures strong and stable.
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High Rise
Build a tall tower that can support a tennis ball.
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Kinetic Sculpture
Build a tower with parts that move in the wind.
Unit 4: Kick Start
Download PDF (1.3M)Kids design and build two machines that can reliably carry out some challenging tasks.
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Kicking Machine
Build a machine that kicks balls across the floor.
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Extreme Kicking Machine
Modify your kicking machine in one of two ways.
You can also download individual challenges from the Activities section.
Content Standards
Download PDF (268K)The challenges in this guide correspond to the ITEA National Study of Technology Content Standards and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Science and Technology/Engineering Standards.