While concept of engineering may bring to mind far older and more studious children, it is possible to have fun with engineering activities even in elementary school. Here is how you can use this activity in your elementary homeschool classroom. Start with the story of the “Three Little Piggies”. This can consist of either a story telling session or an actual reading of a picture book. Once you have the huff and puff down pat, ask them to actually build the homes of the piggies in miniature on the dining table.
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Provide them with materials and ideas
You can use ice cream sticks to make one house, another one could be constructed out of shredded paper strips to simulate straw. Paper cards of 3X5 inches could be provided to construct another one while building blocks could be used in place of bricks. Do remember to give them glue and tape in ample measure to make the houses.If you can come up with other construction material feel free to use it in this engineering task.
Each one build one or work as a team
Ideally if you can build different types of houses with all the children making one kind it would be a sort of competition that they could indulge in as well. However some smaller children may not take too kindly to having their hard work blown away. If you don’t want the bother of judging the houses then just let everyone contribute to each house before you test its power to withstand the huff and puff of the big bad wolf.
Use the big bad hair dryer
Blowing with just the mouth will not be enough to make some of the more sturdily constructed homes. In this case you can bring out the big guns by using your hair dryer as the one simulating the huff and puff of the big bad wolf. The children will love to use the hair dryer to blow away the miniature homes on the dining table. Set a ten second time limit and if house survives, it will have beaten the big bad wolf and protected the little piggies inside.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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