TRY THIS! Design Challenges

Looking for some STEM activities you can try at home?  Try your hand at engineering with these design challenges that use common household items.

Catapult

Mini Catapult

Design and construct a mini catapult using simple materials. Test your design for distance and accuracy by launching a projectile at a target.

Eyeglass Cases

Design an Eyeglasses Case

Design and construct a case for glasses or sunglasses that meets 3 basic requirements using materials of your choice.

Potato battery

Design a Battery

Using common household materials, design and construct your own battery that produces enough power to light up an LED bulb.

Paper Airplane

Paper Airplane

Design and construct a model airplane using simple materials that can travel at least 15 feet in a large room or hallway where there is no noticeable draft or air current.

A jar of marbles

Sorting Machine

Design and construct a gravity-powered machine that can sort two different sizes of small spheres like beads or marbles using simple materials.

A stack of hand-made greeting cards

Greeting Card Assembly

Design a greeting card for any holiday or occasion and then design a system for making the cards that maximizes efficiency.

Aerial view of oil spill in ocean

Clean Up an Oil Spill

Using household objects, design and construct a floating boom that will prevent an oil spill from reaching the beach and absorb as much oil as possible from a spill.

Birdge made from toothpicks and marshmallows

Build a Bridge

Design a bridge out of a limited number of toothpicks and marshmallows that is strong enough to support at least 10 pennies in a small cup.