Add
Private Notes
We're exploring how engineers lift things, by testing a homemade counterbalance lift for chocolate-chip cookies! The children also make a seesaw with a ruler, bottle tops and cardboard to find out what's heaviest - toy ducks or juggling balls?
Join us as we make our own conveyor belts - perfect for getting toys from one point to another! There's a conveyor belt made of drinking straws to roll small toys and a bigger one made of cardboard tubes too. It's twisting, rolling engineering fun.
Bob's missing an all-important check list which turned his go-kart into a no-go-kart, but our friends are on hand to help. They're using engineering to show how check lists can help get paper planes flying and balloon-car races on track.
We're designing plastic-bottle cars to put to the test on our obstacle course. But can over-engineering stop the cars getting around the track? A simple re-engineer could solve the problem so the cars are fit for purpose.
We're exploring friction as our friends find the best surface for duck racing. Let's see which surfaces slow toys down and which speed them up. You can try it too!
Padoing! We're turning cardboard tubes, elastic bands and pencils into paper ball launchers. The more energy stored, the further the paper will launch.
Our friends are making their own superstrong lifters, but how many strands of yarn will make the lifters strong enough to carry a full tube of bouncy balls - and a teddy?
Treasure maps at the ready! Join us as our friends design a treasure map demonstrating clear instructions - but can they find the hidden treasure? They're bound to if they communicate clearly and pay attention to those little details
Warm water, a bright light, a spoon or nothing at all - which will melt the ice quickest and free the button? Our friends are exploring melting and freezing by making their own ice lollies and fruit cubes
We're using cogs to get things moving! Engineer your own with paper plates, lollipop sticks and sticky tape. For a treat, our candy floss cupcakes are in a spin. Which way will they turn?
We're putting toy safety nets to the test with our mini tightrope. But which will be more suitable, kitchen roll, tin foil or fabric? Our friends are on hand to assess the suitability of each material
When heavy things are put on soft surfaces like sand, they sometimes sink. Spreading the weight across a bigger surface area can help to stop that sinking feeling, so we're making sand shoes from cardboard and ribbon
How can you see without being seen? By using mirrors and reflections! Join us as we engineer our own periscopes from juice cartons. We're also testing how to bounce enough light around a corner to make a hand shadow puppet
Blast off! We're engineering our own 'stomp rockets'. With a large plastic bottle, a small plastic bottle and some hosepipe you can send your own rocket blasting into space. All you need is a little engineering and a lot of foot power force!
How do you make something super-fast go slower? Our engineering friends are testing how umbrellas and parachutes can trap air and help slow things down. It's called drag! Join us as we make our own paper parachutes for a bottle top drop
Bitz, Bob and the children are looking at ways to blow lots and lots of bubbles. It's called 'scaling up' and is something engineers do to make more of the same thing. You can make a bubble-blowing machine from your recycling too!
The children are having a smashing time testing slides for egg rolling! If the angle's too steep their eggs will smash. Also we're turning paper plates and cardboard tubes into an awesome helter-skelter for a bouncy ball race
We're sending messages to our friends to explore how people can communicate without speaking. Signs, symbols, body movements, lights - there are lots of different ways to send a message. Join us as we engineer our own paper cup telephone!
We're playing toy hide-and-seek. But what will be the best way to help tiny Ted stay hidden in the garden? Camouflage! The children engineer a way to help their favourite shapes and toys blend into the background
We're playing toy hide-and-seek. But what will be the best way to help tiny Ted stay hidden in the garden? Camouflage! The children engineer a way to help their favourite shapes and toys blend into the background
We're exploring what floats and what sinks to figure out how to stop a stone from sinking in water. The children engineer a raft from wooden lolly sticks and find the perfect balance for their homemade floating fruit juice holders
Join Bitz, Bob and the children as they test the best materials to make a noisy alarm go quiet. We're exploring how to muffle sound, and you can do it too! Come and play as we engineer our own colourful earmuffs from socks and headbands
