Junk Drawer Engineering: 25 Construction Challenges That Don't Cost a Thing

by Bobby Mercer

Overview

There's no need for expensive, high-tech materials to test your engineering skills—you probably have all you need in your home junk drawer. Each hands-on project in this book will challenge you to come up with a unique solution to a specific design problem. Construct a Pasta Bridge strong enough to support a heavy load, using only dry linguini and glue. Build a Marble Roller Coaster from recycled cardboard tubes, in which the marble "car" jumps a track to land safely at its final destination. Or design an Egg Catch device to safely capture a free-falling egg. Test yourself or use them for friendly competitions—who can come up with the best solution?

These 25 open-ended design challenges can be performed for just pennies . . . or less. Each project has a suggested materials list, step-by-step instructions with illustrations for one possible solution, and suggestions on how to adapt each challenge for different ages and skill levels. Educators and parents will find this title a handy resource to teach children problem-solving skills and applied physics, all while having a lot of fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613737194
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/01/2017
Series:	Junk Drawer Science , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	9 Years

About the Author

Bobby Mercer has been a high school physics teacher for over two decades. He is the author of Junk Drawer Physics, Junk Drawer Chemistry and The Flying Machine Book, and he lives with his family outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: What Is Engineering? ix

1 Energy 1

Zip Line Madness 1

Lunchroom Catapult 10

Bounce with Me 18

Gravity Slide 26

Marbleous Roller Coaster 32

Slow Down 40

Leap of Faith 46

Fridge Run 55

Almost Totally Tubular Roller Coaster 62

Mint Can Challenge 70

Windmill Challenge 76

2 Structures 89

Index Card Textbook Challenge 89

Newspaper Table 97

Paper Tower 107

Marshmallow Tower 116

Pasta Bridge 130

Penny Boat 144

Egg Catch 153

Candy Mobile 161

SOS-Save Our Socks 168

3 Waves 173

Talk Talk 173

Sound Explosion 177

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall 182

Musical Mystery 189

Secret Monitor 196

Glossary 211

Editorial Reviews

"The compilation and suggested modifications for youngsters with different backgrounds and skill sets make this particularly welcome for science teachers as well as young learners... Hours of fun for STEM-inclined kids, parents, caregivers, and teachers.” —Kirkus Reviews


"...this is a solid collection of STEM activities for tweens. Science teachers will want to investigate." —School Library Journal


“A fun, hands-on resource for anyone who wants to inspire STEM-minded kids.” —Publishers Weekly


"Recommendations for adapting each project for children of different ages and skill levels round out this educational and entertaining repository! Highly recommended." —Midwest Book Review


"It's perfect for kids to learn and let their creative side show.”—Test Try Results


“It’s educational and fun. I think this book would be good in schools and home-schools. There’s a science explanation at the end of each experiment.”—Kids' BookBuzz


“Teachers and librarians with small or nonexistent budgets looking for STEM projects will find this book a very useful resource.” —School Library Connection

From the Publisher

04/01/2017
Gr 4–8—As the title suggests, most of the tasks described in this volume require readily available or recycled materials. The projects range in complexity from old-fashioned cup-and-string phones to "secret computer monitors" that demonstrate polarized light. They are divided into three general categories: energy (which features a variety of roller-coaster challenges), structures (buildings designed to hold a certain amount of weight), and waves (experiments with light and sound). Each project is presented with step-by-step instructions and illustrated with black-and-white photos, followed by an explanation of the science involved and ways to adapt the activity for different age groups. The strength of the text lies in the simple but clear descriptions of the science behind each challenge. Tips on how to extend or simplify each project for different ages are interesting and useful, too, although the author often proposes having middle and high school students "do the math" or calculate the forces involved, sometimes without providing much additional assistance. Readers without a background in physics may need to consult other sources. In addition, the projects are presented one after the other, with new ones often starting in the middle of a page, which makes the book harder to browse. VERDICT Aside from some minor formatting issues, this is a solid collection of STEM activities for tweens. Science teachers will want to investigate.—Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
Step-by-step suggestions for possible solutions to 25 engineering challenges use readily available materials.A high school physics teacher complements his Junk Drawer Physics (2014) and Junk Drawer Chemistry (2015) with this collection of engineering problems involving energy, structures, and waves. The materials he uses often come from the recycling bin or can be purchased inexpensively. He suggests appropriate modifications for different age levels. For most of his examples, simply constructing the gizmo—a windmill, a roller coaster, a bridge, a mechanical sound amplifier—is enough in early grades. Middle schoolers can add some math and further complications; high schoolers will use more-complex math to explain their results and more-challenging tools, such as hot glue guns. Step-by-step instructions are illustrated with his own black-and-white photographs. These pictures also demonstrate some useful techniques, such as the use of a protractor. Mercer stresses imaginative use and reuse of materials, experimentation, and finding alternate solutions, and he explains the science behind the solution he illustrates. The problems are not surprising: they can be found on many websites, in science magazines, and even in textbooks. But the compilation and suggested modifications for youngsters with different backgrounds and skill sets make this particularly welcome for science teachers as well as young learners who won't mind the crowded design. Hours of fun for STEM-inclined kids, parents, caregivers, and teachers. (Nonfiction. 8-16)

Kirkus Reviews