Builder's Lab
Towers, bridges, paper airplanes, parachutes, marble runs and balloon cars. Twelve weeks of build, test and improve with household materials.
Start free → A Rocket & Raven series · Engineering
Builder's Lab
A free online engineering course: 12 build challenges with paper, tape and cardboard.
About the series
Builder's Lab is a free online engineering course and the building counterpart to the Code Crew coding courses. 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 follow the design process (ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve) with Rocket, Raven and Nova. Short lessons run Monday to Friday, and Saturday is Build Day, a family build-off with a note for the grown-up. It is written for Kindergarten to Grade 5, with a grown-up reading along and doing any cutting.
In every course
- Twelve build challenges, one per week
- Short lessons Monday to Friday, about 20 minutes each
- Household materials: paper, tape, cardboard, straws, cups and string
- Plan, build, test, change one thing, test again
- A Saturday Build Day for the family, with a note for the grown-up
- Each week mapped to an NGSS engineering design expectation
- Free, start to finish. No card.
The course
The course is free, start to finish.
Questions families ask
What does it cost?
Nothing. Builder's Lab is free from start to finish, with no card. A free parent account saves each kid's progress.
What ages is it for?
Kindergarten to Grade 5. The reading is kept simple so younger kids can follow with a grown-up reading along, and the challenges have room for older kids to push further.
What materials do I need?
Things most homes already have: paper, tape, cardboard, straws, string, paper cups, craft sticks, rubber bands, marbles, a ruler and a timer. There is no kit to buy.
Is it safe?
A grown-up does all cutting with sharp tools, and kids never use hot glue. Nothing is launched at people or animals. Marbles come with a choking-hazard note for young siblings.
Does my kid need a tablet or computer?
Yes. Builder's Lab is an online course, so it needs a tablet, phone or computer with a web browser. The building happens away from the screen.
More from Rocket & Raven
Coding, science, engineering, math and AI literacy from kindergarten through Grade 12. Every course is free.