STEAM Programs

Engineering (the E in STEAM) consists of more than just building or creating a STEAM project. It includes one of the most important elements of the engineering process: design. Designing can easily be overlooked especially as children are eager to start doing. However, it’s worthwhile emphasizing as it is how engineering and critical thinking work in the real world; one must first design before one builds. This is crucial because as your junior engineer attempts to improve a STEM project, the design will help note what works and what doesn’t. 

Now, the engineering process can look different for kids of different ages/grades, but it should consist of 3 fundamental principles: Design, Build, and Optimize. 

Design

In the design process, your engineer should draw what they intend to build. Here they can include what materials they intend to use. Older kids can write down what materials they want to use, their goals, or what they need to accomplish, as well as any limitations if any. 

Build

This is the most straightforward step of the STEAM engineering process. Here, your junior engineer should try to construct what they designed. If it doesn’t work, they should note what changes they are making and update their design accordingly. This will help for the third step. 

Optimize

As your engineer wishes to improve a design, they need to know what hasn’t worked before to avoid making the same mistakes. Here, they try to make their design better, taller, wider, stronger, etc. Now, as in the real world, should they need to recreate their STEM project, they have a functional, tested design to build off of. 

Keep this in mind as your engineer completes STEAM activities and STEM projects. This will certainly help them build the biggest, strongest tower, bridge, or whatever STEAM challenge they may face.