We are proudly sharing our exciting programme 'Think like an Engineer' developed by Maker{Futures} at The University of Sheffield and funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering.
Between September 2020 and July 2021, we worked with real engineers from a range of engineering backgrounds to develop ten class projects.
This site has all the information you need to run engineer inspired projects in your class. We hope you enjoy!
We can also run an introduction session for teachers, a 'Meet an Engineer' online live Q&A and a project celebration event for a school or cluster of schools for a small charge.
Y1 - Y3
Materials attachment and prototyping
Design and build a boat to meet the criteria
Y3 - Y6
Digital Literacy: stop motion animation
Produce a stop motion animation campaign film
Y4 - Y6
Paper and construction
Design and make a piece of furniture (model or life sized)
Throughout the project, children will be encouraged to ‘think like an engineer’ using the following three elements.
Pupils use the Maker{Cycle} to evolve and *iterate their ideas and prototypes. Children begin to understand that making improvements is key to being able to 'think like an engineer'.
Each project has been inspired by engineers from different areas of engineering. Our engineers have recorded a welcome message for each activity.
Our engineers introduce tinker time in a short video, providing an authentic context for the final activity. This is motivating for pupils who love the opportunity to work in real-life scenarios.
Head to the This is engineering page for more links and information.
This is Engineering is a UK national campaign to bring engineering to life for young people, and give more people the opportunity to pursue a career that is rewarding, future-shaping, varied, well-paid, and in-demand.
This video is designed to show young people what engineering really looks like, and how it could be an exciting aspiration.