Summer Family Workshop Series

On June 19th we launched our Summer Family Workshop Series with our first session: Mini Hoops and Catapults. This basketball-themed workshop challenged kids to make a catapult that could launch a mini basketball into a mini hoop! When playing basketball, even the professionals can have a bit of a struggle getting the ball to go in the net - this was proven true for our young engineers as well.

At The Works Museum, we emphasize every step of the Engineering Design Process, especially “Try It Out” and “Make It Better.” If you've seen our Engineering Design Process graphic in our classrooms and on the museum floor, you may have noticed that it isn't a straight line - it's a continuous loop. Engineers rarely get something exactly how they imagined it on the first try. Instead, they test ideas, learn from what happens, make improvements, and try again. They may even revisit an old idea later to make improvements once they have new technologies they can work with! Engineers need to be persistent.

Our workshop participants embraced this challenge with creativity and determination. They thought outside the box (sometimes literally). They built more nets, more backboards, taller walls, etc. to increase their odds of getting the ball into a net! We really enjoyed seeing the wide variety of designs that these engineers thought to create! 

And we have more summer fun planned for you and your family. Join us on July 17th for the second workshop in the Summer Family Workshop Series: Mini Claw Game.

In this workshop, kids will play to win by engineering their own Mini Claw Game. They will design a mechanism to pick up prized pom poms and drop them into their collection. Then, they can challenge friends to see who can collect the most pom poms the fastest.

Written by Kailey Kreienbrink