Find, create, and assign lessons in dynamic project-based learning hub.

Workbench is a free project-based learning platform where students complete tasks in class or individually, using everything from basic art supplies and recyclable materials to innovative technologies such as Sphero EDU, Parrot, Jamboard, and more. The site houses lessons for teachers to use as they are or to copy and modify for a variety of grade levels and curricular goals. There are also Channels where teachers can find device- or platform-specific lessons for over 30 partner sites.

Grades: PreK-12 Price : Free

Kids use block code and wireless blocks to program, design, and create.

SAM Labs is a programming site where students develop engineering skills by using SAM blocks and the SAM Space app to create, modify, or enhance designs. Depending on the kit, hardware may include buttons, DC motors, LED lights, sliders, buzzers, and more, while software commands control behaviors, sound, timing, color, logic, and other aspects. On the SAM Space app, kids pair blocks with their device via Bluetooth and then connect and control the blocks using drag-and-drop software commands. On the SAM Labs site, kids can create and share programs using block coding as well as browse or post to the gallery of shared creations.

Grades: 2-8 Price: Free, Paid

Kids build, share, receive pro feedback with awesome engineering site.

Curiosity Machine offers more than 60 engineering projects grounded in the work of current scientists and powerfully supported by online mentors. Challenges are grouped into topics (such as aerospace and satellite systems). Users must create accounts to share work and receive feedback, but any site visitor can view all projects.

Grades: 2-12 Price: Free

Fun engineering problems encourage classroom competition, innovation.

The Design Squad Global website complements the PBS Kids television show Design Squad, in which students compete to create the most novel solutions to engineering challenges. The games, lesson plans, and video demonstrations of the brainstorming and prototyping that go into design make the website a great learning tool for kids.

Grades: 3-8 Price: Free

Design, build, and share new things offline and online.

In DIY, kids use everyday materials to complete challenges in various skill areas. After an adult approves their membership, kids create a unique login and design an avatar. They start exploring more than 50 skills on the homepage, where popular topics are listed along with a featured challenge and news about who's earned a new badge. Some skills involve the outdoors (Gardener, Entomologist, Forager), and others focus on the indoors (Baker, Front End Developer, Stitcher). Some encourage problem-solving (Industrial Designer, Mechanical Engineer), and some are just for fun (Dancer, Prankster, Sound Effects Wizard).

Grades: 3-8 Price: Free

Endless collection of DIY projects; good for sharing and inspiration.

Instructables is a vast repository of DIY projects contributed by people of all ages around the world. Users upload instructions and photographs that guide others through the steps. On the homepage, kids are greeted by four tabs: Explore, Create, Contests, and Community. Under Explore, they’ll find a list of categories (technology, food, living, play, and outside) and featured and recent projects. The Create tab guides kids through the process of uploading their own creations using a Wordpress-style content management system. Kids who want to upload their own Instructable must create an account, but those who only want to read others’ projects can browse anonymously.

Grades: 6-12 Price: Free

Creative music video-inspired STEAM design challenges.

OK Go Sandbox hooks kids with indie group OK Go's music videos and then follows up with guided inquiry and engineering design challenges. Elementary through high school students get ideas from the videos and use them to make their own creations.

Lessons are linked to physical science, math, and art standards. Kids use parabolas to figure out how the band achieved zero gravity in the "Upside Down & Inside Out" video. The flip books in the "One More Moment" video inspire students to make their own flip books, where art and innovation are emphasized more than any particular content. Each video is paired with lesson plans that include worksheets and directions for hands-on challenges. For example, students are asked to graph the parabolas they find in two differently shaped bowls.

Grades: 1-12 Price: Free

Amazingly simple yet powerful online CAD tool turns kids into makers.

Tinkercad is a free, kid-friendly online computer-aided design (CAD) program where users can design, modify, and print 3D objects. 3D printing has become a given in much of today's tech-rich environment, but students are still fascinated by both the capabilities and the process of such innovations. Available to anyone with an internet connection via a web browser (Chrome is recommended), Tinkercad makes it easy for students to learn a staple of the design process: combining multiple simple objects to make more complex shapes. It also allows students to design their own shapes or pick shapes to subtract from their projects, providing an easy way to create arches or holes using negative space as a tool. Beyond these two basic procedures, students also get a slew of other tools at their disposal, such as stretching, rotating, and deforming. Even better, designers can order 3D prints of their creations, making it very easy to create their own smartphone cases, custom Lego pieces, or whatever they can imagine making with flexible combinations of 3D objects.

Grades: 3-12 Price: Free

Safety engineering site blends in-class experiments with online sim.

UL Xplorlabs are modules designed to help middle school students "solve through science," specifically by creating solutions to real-world safety engineering problems. Currently, there are two modules: Fire Forensics and Portable Electrical Power. Modules include interactive videos, online simulations, and hands-on Xperiments that can be done in the classroom.

Grades: 6-8 Price: Free

Outstanding project-based tutorials for popular engineering software.

Autodesk Design Academy is a large and growing library of engineering and design projects tailored for use with Autodesk's catalog of digital design tools, all of which are free for educational users. The projects cover loads of STEAM applications from animation and architecture through civil and electrical engineering and beyond. Each project includes everything you'll need from start to finish, including design files, student materials (such as problem sets and step-by-step guides), an instructor's manual, and phenomenal videos demonstrating the steps necessary for each project.

Grades: 6-12 Price: Free

Make learning meaningful through 3D design.

SketchUp is a 3-D design tool that can be connected to any content area and is a nice mix of simplicity and complexity. While it's user-friendly as far as digital design tools go, students and teachers will need to watch the introductory videos to get a handle on how things work. Once you're comfortable with the basics, get creative; SketchUp can be used in just about any classroom, and there's no limit to what can be built -- from small to large scale and from basic to intricate. It's a great platform for demonstrating learning, designing solutions, and illustrating concepts.

Grades: 6-12 Price: Free, Paid

Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications.

NOVA’s website both features and supports the acclaimed science television series of the same name. Videos, articles, and interactives are available on topics including Ancient Worlds, Body+Brain, Evolution, Military+Espionage, Nature, Physics+Math, Planet Earth, Space+Flight, and Tech+Engineering. Users are connected to multiple award-winning companion websites including Nova Education, Nova scienceNow, Nova Labs, Nova Next, The Nature of Reality, and The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers.

Grades: PreK-12 Price: Free

Support kids' sense of wonder with outstanding short video lessons.

TED-Ed is a website featuring a curated series of educational video lessons on a huge variety of subjects. From the folks at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), whose TED Talks have featured some of the world's brightest minds, TED-Ed is a place where students can get some of that same inspiration. Students can use keyword searches to find content or browse by theme, including some ongoing video series, such as How Things Work and Superhero Science. Lessons are available for students of all ages, and the library is extensive enough to have something for practically any subject focus. In addition to each video (the Watch section), lessons include Think, where students answer some questions about the video, Dig Deeper, which is a listing of additional related resources, and Discuss, which includes guided and open-ended discussion questions.

Grades: 3-12 Price: Free

Clever animated hosts Tim and Moby masterfully tackle complex topics.

Moby and Tim "host" animated videos on BrainPOP, a website that teaches students about a wide range of challenging topics such as genetics, geometry, and economics. It's easy to get lost in the mountain of videos, but the site is logically arranged, with most videos sorted by content. Monthly features, such as a February spotlight on U.S. presidents, keep things relevant. The Tim and Moby videos are the bread and butter of BrainPOP, but each video comes with links to quizzes, deeper reading materials, activities, and sometimes games from BrainPOP GameUp (a featured video game section that forges further connections). Students can also make concept maps with the Make-A-Map feature, which can then be shared with teachers.

Grades: 4-8 Price: Paid

Stellar collaboration tools, controls make Minecraft classroom-ready.

Minecraft: Education Edition takes everything teachers love about Minecraft and adds new collaboration tools, classroom controls, and more (now also available on the iPad). The Classroom mode gives teachers a map view of the world and the ability to interact with the students in one central location; if a student wanders away from the group, the teacher can easily bring the avatar (student) back to the working area. Teachers can create "chalkboards" of different sizes to display their learning objectives within the game, as well as non-playable characters (NPCs) to act as guides with links to more information. A camera tool has opened up new opportunities, as well. Students can now take pictures (and selfies) of their creations and generate a portfolio of their work to show the learning process. Newer features include the Code Builder that lets students use programming to perform tasks in the game, and an update that gets students experimenting with introductory chemistry, and the addition of underwater biomes and oceanography content.

Grades: K-12 Price: Free