Engineering is Elementary
Create a Generation of Problem Solvers
We inspire innovation in today’s classroom as children discover their
inner engineer and become lifelong STEM learners.
About EiE
EiE is an engineering curricula for learners in grades Pre-K through 8.
EiE is an award-winning program of the Museum of Science, Boston. Its research-based, hands-on engineering curricula introduce learners to the engineering design process and create a generation of problem solvers.
Simple, fun challenges tailored to today’s preschool setting
Wee Engineer channels preschoolers’ natural curiosity and creativity into structured problem solving. Designed as the first preschool engineering curriculum, Wee Engineer sets young learners up for success in school and life. Four hands-on engineering challenges ease learners into the worlds of science and technology as they practice social, fine motor, cognitive, and language skills. They’ll learn that there’s more than one way to solve a problem, and that it’s okay to fail and try again. With Wee Engineer, show children that anyone, even the youngest learners, can engineer.
This program is excellent for this age. My students are only 4 years old and I was amazed by the ideas they would come up with. I am completely fascinated with the idea of letting them know that we are all engineers.
YESENIA TORRES
PreK Teacher, Lewisville, TX
Set kindergartners up for future success—in school and beyond—with the first engineering curriculum designed just for them
Award-winning, cross-disciplinary curriculum integrates engineering with the science topics you already teach
Engineering is Elementary empowers elementary students to become innovative problem solvers who think creatively as they identify and solve challenges in a real-world context. Twenty standards-aligned, teacher-tested engineering units build a foundation for STEM learning. Each hands-on unit is anchored in your science curriculum and designed to engage learners in ways that align with their learning style. With Engineering is Elementary, all students—including English learners, students who receive special education services, and those who have not flourished in traditional academic settings—can work together to find creative solutions and discover their inner engineer.
EiE is the BEST BEST BEST [STEM] program I have used in the classroom . . . the kids never wanted the unit to end. The way the program engages students’ thinking was the best part and my kiddos made connections with the engineering design process and math. It’s just really a great program! If you can participate, I encourage you to do so—it’s amazing!
JAMI
FOURTH-GRADE TEACHER, HOLYOKE, MA
Engineering Adventures . . . because learning is an adventure
Engineering Adventures engages learners in grades 3 – 5 in fun, creative problem solving. Ten hands-on units are low-cost and flexible to meet the time and budget constraints of out-of-school settings, including afterschool and summer camp. Each unit centers on meaningful, open-ended problems with a global context. Learners find out more about the role engineering plays in their lives and the world around them as they’re introduced to real engineering challenges and asked to design solutions with an engineering design process. Throughout each unit, kids learn to collaborate, communicate, solve problems, and share their solutions with their peers.
Kids talked openly about what needed to be improved [on their “Recycled Racers”] and took criticisms and instruction well. It was great to see them interact this way. One student was very enthusiastic—he wasn’t working on his racer but going around ‘sharing great ideas’! Ha!
BARBARA JOSLIN
MA
Follow India and Jacob as they solve real-life problems by using the engineering design process!
Engineer a better world! Globally relevant engineering challenges empower youth to think creatively and solve problems collaboratively
Engineering Everywhere inspires learners in grades 6 – 8 to shape the world around them. Our twelve hands-on units were tested in afterschool, summer camp, and out-of-school settings and are proven to engage learners in innovative problem solving. Each unit begins with a Special Report video, which sets the context for the engineering design challenge and explores problems like food scarcity, prosthetics, and disease control. As learners work through our design challenges, they’ll sharpen 21st-century skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and communication, preparing them for success in school and in life.
The unit has changed how I feel about leading engineering activities with kids because hands-on participation has really sparked interest.
EDUCATOR
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF SANTA ANA
EiE Curriculum Design Process
Design Parameters
- Every unit uses a field of engineering as a unifying theme.
- Units can stand alone. You can use EiE units in any order.
- Lessons are flexible—they can be adapted for different grades/abilities.
- Lessons are scaffolded—they build logically to the final engineering design challenge.
- All activities use simple, inexpensive materials.
- We choose activities that appeal to ALL students—including girls and members of minority groups.
Your Teaching Methods
We recommend teaching EiE units using pedagogical methods based on a social constructivist view of learning. These include the following:
Contextual Learning and Problem Solving. EiE engineering design challenges show students how what they learn in school connects with the world around them.
Collaborative Learning and Teamwork. Most EiE activities involve small-group work that encourages students to consider more than one solution or idea and work collaboratively.
Communication. All EiE curricula develop students’ communication skills and encourage them to share ideas in several ways: speaking, writing, drawing, and building.
Project-based Learning. EiE’s engineering design challenges engage students in inquiry. As they analyze their own data and make decisions about their designs, students engage with content, hone their critical-thinking skills, and take ownership of their learning.
Testimonials
“EiE curricula provide socially and culturally relevant contexts for students through their well-designed storybooks and their engaging engineering design challenges. Students who experience EiE lessons continue to talk about the characters from the storybooks and the design challenges for a long time after the conclusion of the lessons.”
Tamara J. Moore and Gillian H. Roehrig, Co-directors, STEM Education Center, University of Minnesota
“[Delaware] is employing a program out of the Boston Museum of Science called Engineering is Elementary. It literally starts in first grade, and it’s the greatest little modules at the appropriate level for the grade level. That’s what’s needed. Because by the time a kid gets to eighth grade, it’s almost too late.”
Ellen Kullman, former CEO, DuPont
“Engineering is Elementary teaches students the thinking and reasoning skills they need to be successful learners and workers. Because EiE is built around the engineering design process, it teaches students how to solve problems systematically. It also creates the optimism that every problem can be solved, which is relevant to any subject area. These skills and attitudes are important for our kids’ future. Life is not multiple choice.”
Laura J. Bottomley, Director, The Engineering Place, North Carolina State University