Builder's Lab
12 engineering challenges with paper, tape and cardboard. Build, test, improve.
Free, start to finish. No card. Every week opens without signing in.
- Grade
- Kindergarten to Grade 5, ages 5 to 11
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Pace
- 6 short lessons a week, about 20 minutes each
- Price
- Free, every week
About this course
Builder's Lab is the engineering counterpart to the Code Crew coding line. Each week is one real challenge: a tower that holds a tennis ball five inches off the table, a paper airplane that flies at least 10 feet, a marble run that takes 5 seconds or more. Kids plan, build, test, change one thing, and test again, using household materials. For K-5 with a grown-up reading along and helping with anything sharp.
Kids will
- Sketch a design before building
- Test, measure, and record what happened
- Identify why a design failed (load, balance, friction, geometry)
- Iterate: change one variable at a time
- Compare two designs honestly using a measurement
- Explain a design choice in plain language
The 12 weeks
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Week 1
Think Like an Engineer
Ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve
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Week 2
Tall Tower
The tallest tower made of paper
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Week 3
Ball on Top
A tower that holds a ball up high
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Week 4
Bridge the Gap
A paper bridge that holds the most coins
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Week 5
Fly Far
A paper airplane that flies 10 feet
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Week 6
Slow Drop
A parachute that falls slowly
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Week 7
Marble Run
A marble run that takes 5 seconds or more
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Week 8
Float It
A foil boat that carries the most coins
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Week 9
Balloon Car
A car pushed by balloon air
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Week 10
Keep It Cold
A holder that keeps an ice cube from melting
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Week 11
Lift It
A lever or pulley that lifts a small load
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Week 12
Your Own Challenge
Design, build, test and share
Try Week 1 today.
Open the course, pick Day 1 and go. Make a free parent account when you want progress saved for each kid.