Over the next three weeks, you'll think like an engineer and a community planner — exploring what makes bridges strong, and how bridges (and barriers) shape who can get where in a community. This week, it's time to become a Bridge Engineer!

In this activity, your family will design and build your own mini Rube Goldberg machine using simple, everyday materials from around the house, things like cardstock, straws, craft sticks, toilet paper rolls, dominoes, and marbles.

What is a Rube Goldberg machine? It's a machine that uses a long, silly chain of steps to complete a simple task!

Last week, you explored your neighborhood through the eyes of an urban planner, observing public spaces, identifying community strengths, and documenting challenges that affect the people who live there. This week, you'll take the next step.

This week, kids will become Community Designers by exploring their neighborhood through the eyes of urban planners, engineers, architects, and community leaders.

In this engineering challenge, kids will design a space lander that protects a passenger during a landing. Through testing and redesigning, students will explore how forces like gravity and drag affect motion and how engineers use creativity, experimentation, and problem-solving to overcome challenges.

Did you know the sun provides the energy that powers nearly all life on Earth? In this activity, kids will design and build a simple solar oven using household materials to investigate how sunlight transfers heat energy. They can even use it to make s’mores! 🍫

Have you ever seen a maple seed spinning through the air like a tiny helicopter? In this activity, kids can create their own paper “helicopters” inspired by real maple tree seed pods — also known as “helicopter seeds.”