Young Engineers – Edinburgh Awesome STEM for East Central Scotland
Big Builders is a programme for children in nursery and primary 1. We aim to get our young children excited and inspired by science early in their life and to start an ongoing curiosity about their world. This class is offered in two formats; an afterschool program typically running at 3.45pm weeknights and a slightly shorter day time program running under the name “K’NEX & CAKE” where classes are offered in softplays, cafes and play centres where families can relax over a coffee and cake while the children are entertained and educated with Young Engineers.
Classes K’NEX bricks which are larger than LEGO and easier for our young engineers to handle. Children develop their tactile, motor, and spatial skills as they build their models and learn science and engineering principles. These programs are conducted in small group settings to ensure that each engineer gains the intended knowledge and experience and that we can give the children plenty of time to ask questions
Average lesson duration: 45 minutes
Suitable for ages: 3 – 5 years
Themes
- Physics Principles: Basic principles such as balance and buoyancy
- Animal Kingdom: Various animals – domestic and wild
- Biology: Natural pest control, pollination and symbiosis
- The Universe: Space, Earth and the Solar System
- Geometry: Characteristics of basic geometric shapes
- Transportation and Traffic Safety: Understanding different types of vehicles including motorcycles, trucks, cars and boats.
Skills for Learning & Life
- Develops motor skills
- Develops social interaction skills
- Develops self-expression ability
- Encourages creative thinking at the “Improvements and Inventions” stage
- Expands horizons and provides broad knowledge on wildlife, transportation, space as well as natural phenomena and basic physics laws
In addition to those skills, the program’s instructors will strengthen the participants’ self-confidence and their social belonging skills.
