IEEE WIE & TryEngineering – Hands-On Activities

Earlier this year, IEEE Women In Engineering and TryEngineering put out a call to the STEM community, seeking inspiring hands-on activities developed by WIE members. These activities would aim to equip volunteers and educators around the globe, enriching their STEM outreach programs for school-aged children (ages 5-17).

There was a great response from the STEM community, and 4 outstanding activities rose to the top! Below is a preview of the activities and what technical topics they cover. Be sure to check back on TryEngineering.org soon to see these activities included in our collection of Lesson Plans!

In this activity, designed for ages 5-9. students will be introduced to the Scratch Interface and its basic components. The session begins with an introduction to Scratch, by exploring sprites and the different types of blocks utilized to move, turn, change appearance, and insert dialogue and sound effects. Students will use their newfound knowledge to design an interactive game with their sprites, where the sprite navigates through a maze, catches falling objects, or jumps in a platformer game. 

The activity concludes with a “Show and Tell” session, where students are encouraged to present what they have created, and explain what they have learned. To learn more about this activity, click here!

In this hands-on activity, aimed at ages 14-17, students will explore the exciting world of RFID technology! They will learn how RFID systems work, including how RFID tags communicate with readers through RF signals. Students will perform experiments with RFID tags to measure the maximum read range under various conditions, such as orientation, placement, and material type.

This activity combines theoretical learning with practical experimentation, making it an engaging way for students to understand the principles of RFID and its applications in everyday life. By the end of the activity, students will have a practical understanding of RFID technology and an increased interest in communication and engineering fields. To learn more about this activity, click here!

This activity, designed for ages 14-17, teaches students about reverse engineering by taking a simple electronic object (such as a toy), asking them to disassemble it, and then figure out how the components work.Student will work in teams to enhance their teamwork skills, present their findings, and explain what conclusion were they able to derive. To conclude the activity, students will then reassemble their object. 

By participating in this group activity, students will be instilled with the knowledge of teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to tackle and solve a problem in an efficient manner.

This activity, targeted at ages 10-13, introduces students to Boolean Algebra Basics through logic gates, using descriptions and real world examples, before testing their new-found knowledge with the “Logic Gates for Younglings” Website. This interactive workshop is designed to teach students while they play and compete among themselves, maximizing their focus and ensuring the information is etched into their memories. The dynamic interfaces of the website allow for experimentation, and give room for critical thinking.

After participating in this activity, students will know how computers and circuits fundamentally work, understand the language of 0s and 1s used in computers, and feel encouraged to join STEM (specifically the world of Computer Science). To learn more about this activity, click here!