This self-guide tutorial is full of tips and advice on leading a group of kids through a hands-on engineering experience. This step-by-step guide is full of helpful tips like “Don’t hand out the materials until you want the kids to start touching them” to important messages to share with students about engineering. Whether you are a new volunteer or a seasoned veteran, a review of this workshop will help to increase your effectiveness.

1. Leading Kids Through a
Successful Engineering
Experience
An online workshop for volunteers.

2. DiscoverE Training
Are you looking for the formula for
leading kids through a successful
engineering outreach experience?

3. The Formula
Positive engineering messages
+
=
Hands-on activities
a successful outreach
experience.

4. The Messages
Research has shown that effective and
positive messages about engineering can
increase a student’s understanding and
interest in engineering.

5. The Messages
Find opportunities to share the following
effective and positive messages with
students during your visit.

6. Message #1
Engineering is creative
.

7. Message #2:
Engineering is about teamwork.

8. Message #3
Engineering
makes a
difference in
the world.

9. The Messages
Incorporate these messages when you
introduce yourself to the kids and briefly
explain your job.

11. The Activity
The second part of the formula is
combining the messages with a
hands-on activity.

12. The Activity: Selecting the Best
One
Go to DiscoverE.org and check out “Cool
Content and Activities.”

13. The Activity: Selecting the Best
One
Choose an activity that fits your criteria.
Sort by:
Time
Engineering discipline
Age range

14. The Activity: Selecting the Best
One
Choose an activity that you can connect to
the real world.
Example on DiscoverE.org:
Harmless Holder

15. The Activity: Selecting the Best
One
Find more activities at:
www.pbs.org/designsquad
www.pbs.org/buildingbig
www.pbskids.org/zoom

17. The Activity: Testing It Out
Do the activity before your visit!

18. The Activity: Testing It Out
Identify the learning goals you want kids to
walk away understanding.

19. The Activity: Testing It Out
Anticipate where kids may need extra
help. Where might they get stuck?

20. The Activity: Testing It Out
Make modifications to the activity as
necessary – such as adding or taking away
materials.

21. The Activity: Testing It Out
Think of ways to extend the challenge for
kids who finish early.

23. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
How does the activity reinforce the
messages of teamwork, making a
difference, or creativity?
Look for opportunities to weave these
messages into your presentation.

24. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
What connections can you make from the
activity to the real world or your area of
engineering? Use photos or real life
examples.
This is a great place to insert the “engineers
make a difference in the world” message.

25. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
Write down some open-ended questions to
ask kids during the activity – starting with
“where” or “why?”

26. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
Plan your time.
Come up with a schedule to help keep the
activity on track.
Be sure to leave time for wrap-up: time to
summarize, reflect on results, and clean
up.

27. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
Gather all the materials and supplies kids
will need.
Confirm how many children you will have
with your group’s teacher or leader.
Be sure to have extra materials on hand!

28. The Activity: Getting Ready to Lead
Decide how you will group kids.
Will they work alone or in small groups (24 kids)?
Will each team create one project?

30. The Activity: Setting the Tone
When you arrive…
Introduce yourself and talk briefly about
your job. Weave in the 3 messages!

31. The Activity: Setting the Tone
Establish a signal–such as ringing a bell
or quickly flashing the lights–that tells
kids to stop working and listen.
If kids are talking while you are, stop
and wait. They will tend to quiet down
in response to your silence.

32. The Activity: Setting the Tone
Introduce the engineering design process…
brainstorm, design, build, test, redesign
…and emphasize the value of brainstorming
and exploration, rather than right and wrong.

33. The Activity: Setting the Tone
Share your enthusiasm for the subject—it
will be contagious.
Have a sense of humor and be patient!

35. The Activity: Introducing It
Make your activity intro enticing and
short.
You can choose to connect the activity to
real-life examples now or during the wrapup.

36. The Activity: Introducing It
Give clear instructions.
Fully explain what the activity is and what
kids will be exploring.
Give directions in multiple ways (e.g.,
verbally, written on the board).

37. The Activity: Introducing It
Break kids into teams. This a great time to
tell them how engineers work in teams.
Describe a project that you’ve worked on
that has been a success because of
teamwork.

38. The Activity: Introducing It
Pass out materials only when you are
ready for the kids to use them.

40. The Activity: Keeping Kids Engaged
During the activity…
Walk around and ask kids to describe what
they’re doing.
Kids are sensitive about having the "right"
answer, so emphasize the design process
again.

41. The Activity: Keeping Kids Engaged
Point out things that different teams are doing to
the whole group.
This lets kids know that the activity is do-able and
that they can make a contribution.
Explain that this isn't "copying," but rather
collaborating and building on new information as
engineers do.

42. The Activity: Keeping Kids Engaged
If a group is not progressing, ask a leading
question to put them back on track,
rather than telling them what to do.
Use open-ended questions starting with:
where, why, or how might you…

43. The Activity: Keeping Kids Engaged
Have extension ideas ready for those kids
who race through an activity ahead of the
rest of the group.

45. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
Be sure to leave time to clean up,
summarize and reflect on results.
And give kids a 5-minute warning first!

46. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
For the discussion, consider changing
locations to capture kids attention (e.g. sit
on floor – away from work stations)

47. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
If you haven’t already, connect the big idea
of the activity back to the "real world.”

48. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
Ask: What do you know now that you
didn't know before the activity?

49. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
Record kids' reflections and explanations in
writing (on flip chart or dry erase board).

50. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
Keep conversation moving. Have only a few
kids share their designs but ask all kids
“does anyone have a similar design?”

51. The Activity: Wrapping It Up
If kids worked individually, allow them to
take their products home to share with
their families!

52. The Formula
Positive engineering messages
+
=
Hands-on activities
a successful outreach
experience.

53. The Results
You did it!