Engineers know how to make fun
On Sat., Feb. 2, professional engineers from organizations like TVA, McKee Foods, Chattanooga State, UTC and others will provide fun hands-on activities that engage kids in the kinds of problem solving and innovative thinking that engineers do all the time. Activities will be in the Museum’s Atrium from noon-4 p.m.
“We want to get kids interested in engineering,” said Erica Campbell, museum experience manager for Creative Discovery Museum. “When they get engaged in fun activities that use problem solving skills, they can see that engineering is not just about math. It’s also about being inventive and innovative. This is a good way to get kids to see what engineers can do in their profession.”
Activities include the Cup Tower — using cups to make a tower as high as the Museum’s second story — and Hoop Gliders — making gliders out of two paper hoops and a plastic straw.
In the Sneaker Launch, kids get to help build a catapult, choose a target, then try to hit the target by catapulting one of their sneakers through the air.
Kids can also make a Puff Mobile, a car made out of straws, Life Savers, paper clips, a piece of paper and tape. “The trick is to design a car that rolls with a puff of air,” said Campbell. She said the Museum does help the kids out a little by giving them mint Life Savers to make the wheels, since they aren’t as sticky as the fruity kind.
Then there’s the Flinker. A flinker is something that doesn’t FLoat or sINK ‘ get it. Kids will use a variety of materials to create something that floats under water, halfway between floating on the surface and sinking to the bottom.
Creative Discovery Museum’s Engineering Fun Day is part of a variety of activities during the month of February leading up to Engineering Week.