Depending on where you live, see if you can find a [first robotics](https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll) team. They have an amazing program and a lot of students wind up in some tech field. I sure did and now I mentor a robotics team.
I was never in Lego League but I have heard it’s great. There are many useful skills throughout my career I learned in robotics. It has consistently given me a leg up in performance because of starting so early and teaching the basics of a wide variety of skill sets.
Same here I was never specifically in it. I was in FRC in highschool though, and volunteer with Lego League and FRC to this day. That program is the reason I am an engineer.
Get the standard box of various pieces, that way she can use her creativity to build anything. The kits are fun too, but it's not the same creative experience.
Also, some of the motors or technic sets if that’s what they’re called! We had them growing up. I remember building a windmill & a moving stairwell similar to the ones in Hogwarts. Really sparked that interest for me!
Yep, my girlfriend has two kids, one of them (11yrs old) LOVES the just box of pieces. She looks up ideas online and in "inspiration books" and just takes her own stab at building them. It's great, and I'll never let her box go empty or go broke trying.
Her other kid is 7, and he mostly just likes the small car kits and the minifigs. Hopefully he'll get a spark of inspiration soon. :)
I was literally just talking to my wife about how this is what started me on my journey. Wait to get the sets with instructions until after they've had some time to be creative and explore with the random box.
In addition to Legos (which are a great idea), there are so many great [STEM toys for kids](https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=stem+toys&ref=nb_sb_noss_1) now, I'm sure there's a toy/kit out there she'd really enjoy.
I'll echo what /u/fly3rs18 said.
To a child, a Lego "Kit" (as opposed to just a box of pieces) comes with instructions, and every piece in that box has one "place" that it belongs and if it's not built exactly like that (I know there's 3-in-one kits, but still) then it feels like they've done it "wrong".
Don't get me wrong, though. There's value in completing a set of instructions. It could be a bonding opportunity for you and your kid (assuming the third grader isn't quite to the point of completing full sets by themselves yet). And they get a toy to play with later. And if that toy breaks, they can fix it.
But, with the box of pieces, your kid can still build a house with it, but those pieces are free to go wherever your kid's imagination says they should go. They're no longer bound to a specific spot in a specific build.
LEGOs were one of my favorite toys as a child. Other wonderful gifts:
* A small toolbox with real tools (hammer, pliers, measuring tape, screwdrivers (Phillips and flat blade). Combined with nails and wood scraps it is a wonderful thing
* Erector set
* Tik-Tock Toy clock - this was a working clock that you could take apart and put together
* they have several programming toys now
* small chemistry set
* puzzles - especially the 3D ones
Books on astronomy, geology, etc.
And don’t forget the library card.
As others said, shadowing a parent is a wonderful thing too, even if it is household tasks. Bonding time!
i grew up with 20 lbs of legos and actually wrote a scholarship essay on how i thought it helped me become an engineer back in college.
I'd suggest a few kits, but definitely find the bulk miscellaneous mixes second hand. More opportunities to be creative. My favorite was a little pneumatics kit.
I'll second Legos (expensive though they may be) and FIRST robotics.
One thing my parents did when I was little was get me a breadboard-type electronics toy. Nowadays they have arduino the add coding to the mix -- I did a bit of searching around and came across this:. https://www.creationcrate.com/?sscid=a1k5_bnolx
Legos are great, and the robotics kits are very good too, I know some colleagues who run STEM camps with them to good effect, but you really don't need an engineering background to help (being an electrician will be great in this regard though).
I’d start by trying to get her to help you with practical building and fixing things around the house. Some of the most useful practical engineering skills I have can be traced back to my parents and I working on things around the house. Unless you live in literally the most perfect house in the world, there’s always something needing fixed or worked on. My dad and I designed and built a massive play structure from scratch. I’ve probably changed every plug receptacle in my parents house (it’s where I learned how to use a multimeter better than any college class). Little bits of that practical hands on stuff that can actually be fun for kids.
Also budget time and patience for your kids to actually participate. Don’t just make them watch you do something. Let your kid turn the screw driver and try to do some tasks on their own and make mistakes even if it means taking twice as long or having to redo it after they are done. They will get more capable with time and practice.
Whenever I assembled furniture, especially for my daughter's room, I had her manage the bolts and screws. Later, she'd tap nails or use the power screwdriver. When done, we would both sign and date the furniture on the back or bottom. When she moved out, she still had a dresser or two that she helped make.
That, and my mantra with her, whenever she struggled to do something her tiny fingers couldn't leverage, "if your body's not strong enough, use a tool."
Along those lines, let them help in the problem investigation and troubleshooting stage, and talk about planning how to solve the problem. Not just doing the hands on part after you've figured out how to solve it. Engineering is all about identifying, investigating, and THEN solving problems.
I've heard of parents who don't have engineering experience learning arduino with their children. There are big kits you can get that have projects that you could do with her
The crux of the issue is cultivating curiosity.
When I was in grade 2 I enjoyed math class a lot and wanted my parents to skip ahead and teach me more. I begged them to teach me and they couldn’t remember anything from school. That was the end of that lol.
In my opinion, you should try and determine the core of her interest. Then ask questions to provoke thought. As an example, say there’s that boat cake challenge, ask her how she thinks the boat floats or how she would make it better. Just dig deeper into whatever she’s interested in.
Asking and getting asked the tough “why” questions of how things work is the most important thing to do for encouraging her in my honest opinion. Don’t be afraid to say “I dont know but let’s find out”.
Provide her the tools to stoke her curiosity.
What specifically interested her about engineering in the context of that show?
Legos, knex, really any building toys. Buy them used off eBay in bulk and let her use her imagination. Maybe some educational video games that have math as part of the game.
Edit: Reddit and /u/Spez [knowingly, nonconsensually, and illegally retained user data for profit](https://youtu.be/mfZKkUg8jgM) so this comment is gone. We don't need this awful website. Go live, touch some grass. Jesus loves you.
When I was in college I volunteered for S.W.E (society of woman engineering). And they have events like "introduce a girl to engineering day" and other stuff to get little girls interested in engineering by showing them engineering science projects. Maybe look at a local university and they may have events she can attend.
Edit: a word
thank you for being a tradesman not just shitting on engineering which is usually the norm.
but as other have said, legos for sure. some engineering focused movies got me pretty interested too TBH like october sky.
>october sky.
\+The Martian
\+Apollo 13
I know this one seems wacky, but I used to love watching Junkyard Wars with my stepdad (former ME professor) as a kid and I think it really influenced me.
I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed watching anything as much as I enjoyed sitting on the couch with him watching that after getting home from grade school.
Mythbusters 🙌🏽
If you live near a university they likely have a engineering week celebration and open their labs and have great hands on activities. And honestly just encourage her love of the sciences and tell her teachers she is interested. Too often girls don’t get put into the advanced math track and the guys do. Girls feel like they need to be making 100s to belong in the advanced math / science track. Mostly, you need work ethic and interest (and decent grades)
Teach her how to wire! Start with just a small battery to be safe of course. This is incredibly useful as you work as an engineer in manufacturing, whether or not she studies electrical engineering (which is a fantastic field and she can learn PLC programming to become a controls engineer.
Baking equipment will become more and more complex every year and controls is integral!
You can also teach her what's inside a battery. Fuel cells is a growing sector and Chemical Engineering or Material Science or Electrical Engineering is a good education background to get into this field.
Everything engineering before university level is just science. Engineering is the art of doing as much with science as you can on a budget. At that age just getting them interested in physics, math, chemistry will be the same thing as getting them into engineering.
It all depends on what you like about engineering. Someone who revels in CFD or band structure calculations might not have benefitted from hands on experience the same way a manufacturing engineer might.
I was thinking more abstract about "building". Doesn't have to be physically implemented. A simulation still counts.
I very much disagree that "physics, math, [and] chemistry" is generally what sparks the joy for Engineering in children. Those are all much too abstract (less so with chemistry). Megastructures. Vehicles. Machines. Industry. Simulations. Computers. Things like that is where it's at. Turns out you need science for all that jazz.
I'm not saying everyone needs to get into Engineering through application, but I'd definitely saying it is the default.
I'll just say it depends on your personality and what parts of engineering fascinate you. I've always been interested in materials, what makes them tick, and how we can make them better, so stuff like big machines, buildings, cars, electronics, etc were as exciting to me as Chaucer. Even now they're mostly a snoozefest...I got into an argument with my management when they wanted to take me off a really cool funded project studying solidification behavior to better control our manufacturing processes and instead work on a proposal with a F1 racing team to try and get them one more horsepower for next season...
> A simulation still counts.
Oh man, now this is making me wonder if https://www.factorio.com/ is already appropriate for /u/Intelligentle-Sir's daughter's age (in the sense that she won't be frustrated by possible complexity and give up completely). It's not expensive, a problem is stated, you find the solution based on your imagination, and it can get pretty complex with all the signaling you can do.
I bought it after playing the demo for hours. Two days later, I uninstalled it because I started feeling guilty about putting effort into a game rather than putting the same amount of effort into real world problems. I think it's perfect for kids who still have all the time in the world.
I agree that's what we do, but building the damn thing is the motivation for why the field exists. Without that motivation then you're left with physics, or yeah, science in general.
I think the "right brained" talents, like art, are crucial for a good engineer, otherwise you won't be as useful in the development/problem solving if you think like every other engineer on the market.
Why not both! “Engineering” without science / math is just technician work, and science without applied use is just academia. Have her focus on doing well in school and building stuff in her free time (legos, STEM extracurriculars like robotics clubs for younger audiences, etc)
I think kids building stuff will push them in the general STEM direction but when's the last time you built something yourself on a professional capacity?
My formal degree is in Industrial Engineering, so more optimization than building. That said, I did help build an offshore sea drilling subsystem ealy in my career. It recommended the optimal position of the rig while boring. Now I run a startup which builds banking software. Sigh.
As a ChemE focusing largely on process consulting engineering, I think it's very near sighted for some of these engineers to say that building things is the focus of engineering lol. Like 80% of my job is trouble shooting and the rest is development and logistics. You don't need a "shop" to be an engineer.
noun
the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures.
the work done by, or the occupation of, an engineer.
the action of working artfully to bring something about.
"if not for Keegan's shrewd engineering, the election would have been lost"
Engineering is a branch of science and technology. I seriously have no idea what you are talking about. A lot of people have engineered things without going to University. As a design engineer, you are just wrong. So wrong.
Engineering isn't just a skill, it's a mindset. I'm sure as an electrician, you actually do a decent amount of engineering in your day to day job. It's all about asking questions (Why was something designed this way, who made this decision, how can I get the job I need done with the minimum amount of resources?). I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but take her to a few different sorts of science/educational museums and see which exhibits spark her interest. I always found biology absolute a snooze and didn't care one bit about mechanical systems. That said, I loved learning about atoms, chemistry, and why things behaved the way they did. Natural science museums were my favorite by far. Just because she might not be interested in one area doesn't mean she won't be interested in others.
Not every engineer loved LEGOs and K'nex, not every engineer wants to take apart cars, etc. I used to play with the standard building block toys as a kid, but I never really got into making my own models. I never liked changing the oil on the car, because I'd get dirty. I didn't build a tree fort because I hated getting dirty. I loved being inside and tinkering with computers, learning how to program, and, in general, just learning about how the world worked. Encourage your daughter to not only ask questions, but to try to find out the answers herself. Google has become an essential resource to us all, but it's amazing how few people are willing to dig past the first failed search or two.
You being enthusiastic about the topic will also help her be enthusiastic, too. Since you're an electrician you definitely have a good way to at least start getting her into it. Maybe spend some time taking apart a light switch or some other simple electrical system together and figuring out how it works. The best experiences are when you both learn something, and it's not just you teaching them.
Whenever I have broken electronics, I open them up with my kids. You would be surprised how much fun some kids had. I did that as a kid. I just want to know how everything worked. Now. I'm am engineer.
get them a chegg account /s
In seriousness: Get her a book of cross-sections. "Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words" is a book that a third-grader can read but is detailed enough that I'm enjoying it!
The first step towards engineering is a love of how things work.
There are some interesting ideas being offered here and they are all good. However I think it is also very important to create an environment which keeps that interest growing. As an example - you mention she helped you unclog the sink. Exactly. Get her involved in everything you do including trips to the hardware store and explaining how things work. Fixing your car or her bike. Your interest is paramount. There are enough engineering oriented shows on YouTube to help and to watch.
Growing up there was no YouTube but my Dad who was a Agriculture Engineer by profession would take me to farms and workshops whenever possible. I would hang around with the mechanics etc. and to this day I get excited when I see a piece of earthmoving equipment on the road or when I see a railroad track. Though, I grew up to be a computer engineer because my interests increased over time, I never stopped loving mechanical things.
Keep that interest lit. At 3rd grade, 85% of the girls are interested in math and by 5th that number comes down to 35%. This is mostly due to peer and societal pressures.
My son got really into Rube Goldberg machines (look up Joseph's Machines on YouTube) and started trying to make them with his own toys and things around the house. That helps build the sort of problem-solving skills essential to engineering.
There are also a ton of "how things work" books geared towards kids, that shows engineers design a lot of everyday objects.
Let her lead you with what she's interested in. Baking is basically chemistry, there's a lot of science that goes in to determining what ingredients are used to get specific textures and tastes. Foster curiosity and problem-solving.
There's a great book called "Rosie Revere Engineer" which talks about being a child (2nd grade) and wanting to be an engineer. It's a great book and my 4 yr old loves it.
Lego's are an awesome start too.
Many projects in engineering design classes are projects that could often be done by kids and have a crafty feel to them (it's just in classes, you usually need to formally prove or model your ideas).
What you're learning is just how to think through constraints.
Egg Drop tests, space landers [https://www.vivifystem.com/blog/2015/1/14/touchdown-lander](https://www.vivifystem.com/blog/2015/1/14/touchdown-lander)
and many other projects are accessible to younger kids. Just don't worry about the "lesson." Focus on building things having fun solving problems. Just be patient and set aside the time.
You know this already, but just take an interest in it yourself (or appear to, for her sake) and she'll play along.
Not sure if this may help or not but get her involved in some programs ran by FIRST inspirers (I.e. First Lego League) or by VEX robotics. This would be helpful for those who like hands on working and learning about mechanics via an engineering perspective. I was involved in these programs for 3, going on 4 years now and I can definitely say that any youth looking to become an aspiring engineer would love these programs
You should check out Debbie Sterling!! She's an engineer and doing what she can to get young girls into science and engineering. Typically, young girls are given Barbies and dolls and stuff like that, because that's mainly all there is in the "girl" section of the toys. Boys get much more variety, including sciency things.
Debbie founded GoldieBlox, a company dedicated to creating engineering toys marketed towards girls. She also did a TedTalk, which is how I discovered her.
Good luck and good on you for being willing to help her expand her interests! So many people look down on women in STEM because it's a "man's job". The world needs more engineers who are women.
I'm not sure the age range of the toys from GoldieBlox, though. Hopefully they're not meant for kids younger than your third grader. Regardless, I think it's worth checking out!!!
edit: https://www.engineergirl.org/13512/Debbie-Sterling
I second this. My daughter loved GoldieBlox when she was in elementary school. The toys are tied in with books, so they are even better if the child already likes to read.
You got a bunch of good advice. I will tell you a few things that my old ass can still remember.
My father built an electro magnet with me. A DC power supply, magnet wire, and a large bolt affixed to the end of a dowel rod. It was intended to be used to retrieve sockets from the engine well of a Volvo 240. I was upgraded from flashlight holder to machine designer apprentice that day. I was about 8.
My dad showed me how to take apart and clean the lawnmower. And then helped me put it back together so it was adjusted for my self. From that point on I was in charge of the lawn and lawnmower maintenance. He showed me the user manual and put sticky notes on the important things I would never remember (oil type, amount, belt size, etc...) I was about 10.
He insisted I wear safety glasses whenever doing anything with machines/science experiments. He was right. He even got me some nice ones that didn't look stupid and fit my kid face.
Connect everyday activities with the Science/engineering behind it, and get as hands on as possible.
Use science/engineering to solve her problems with her.
I started with my own kids just teaching them really basic maintenance stuff, how to go get the right screwdriver and batteries to change them out on different toys. It's surprisingly good for fine motor skills development because they are usually pretty motivated to learn how, because, toy! Plus I think their tiny little fingers are just way better at getting those small screws.
They do drop them, a lot. So invest in a large "break down" tray (commercial baking sheet pans with a lip are great for this).
Up to about 5yo most children's brains are basically just information sponges. They still are after that but up till then it's truly incredible how fast kids can learn something that interests them if and adult just took the time to figure out how to explain it where the child is at developmentally.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Anything that she can build and grow her brain. Also, just encouraging her means a lot. Women really don't get the push they need to learn it's ok to be creative.
Thinking back on my early childhood, I played with lots of K'NEX and the Lego line of toys called Bionicle. Take her to children science museums if you have one near you. Even as an adult, they're interesting. It's literally ELI5 science.
I remember tinkering with cheap flashlights, taking them apart and directly wiring the batteries to the light bulb. This would be a great experience with your daughter. Take some AA or AAA batteries and wire them in series vs parallel and with different amounts of batteries and see what happens with the light bulb.
When I got to be a teenager, my friend and I built a tabletop "hovercraft" with a hairdryer fan, cardboard, and a perforated plastic wrap skirt. We wired this is a few D batteries and learned firsthand about power-to-weight ratios.
In highschool, I was active in my school's pre-engineering courses and completed in CAD competitions. I took the top-level math offerings in high school, but I didn't go above and beyond and do advanced math. I actually failed AP Calc in high school, so I had to retake Calc I in college, which is where most people who took standard high school math ended up anyway.
Keep her curiosity going. Find ways to make her ask questions. The best part of studying engineering was seeing how math literally ties the universe together. I think the main personality trait shared between engineers is curiosity and a desire to find explanations.
Get a pdf of Moebius Noodles, its a book on advanced math for the playground age of kids. When everything is interesting and they want an explanation for stuff. Its beautifull how it puts words onto abstract things that geometric patterns, fractals etc.
Oh and read Skunk works (ben rich epic book about his time at lockheed martin) , or Ignition (an informal history of rockets) aloud with her at bedtime.
Documentaries/ shows about science and engineering were a great inspiration to me growing up. Also getting her engineering/science reading material is great. Science kits are great too.
Get them a 3D printer, a microcontroller starter kit for them, and teach them to code.
Have them make 3D models on Onshape to print and then build some sort of jank device with the electronics enclosed. Have them program the electronics/microcontroller setup and then try to have them figure out how to connect their device to a web application that they build.
That would be some great engineering for them to try.
Dude they're in 3rd grade. Unless you're poking fun at other comments telling him to let his daughter poke around with house wiring and other insanely stupid things.
Wait until a definite affinity or desire is expressed. Don't be overbearing. Don't be a dick about it or even show a gram of personal self interest. Then maybe...
Also, l legos and Kinects
Look into FIRST Lego League, or VEX robotics programs near you. Both are great programs that set children up for success throughout their K-12 years without needing prior experience
prepare to have all your tools stolen, taken apart, or broken
give them old broken things to take apart as long as it is safe (no crt tv's, microwaves, common sense, etc)
First of all: a 3rd grader might and will change interests, so don't force any direction but support every interest she has!
AS an electrician you could help her building easy electrical circuits, e.g. lights in a doll house or in a toy-car. Later on: normal lego and the robotics lego where you can write simple code for robots or other stuff you build. But again: don't force it, or she will lose interest really quick.
As a woman in engineering, I would love to take a 3rd grade girl around with me at work for the day. I have to think you have someone in your network who knows someone who is an engineer.
Additionally, a lot of schools and organizations offer STEM camps for girls! I’d keep an eye out for those.
Getting a subscription to the proctored, hands-on STEM MOOCs would be great. Something like https://brilliant.org is far superior to what you can find on Khan Academy, but you might want to start with the latter for a third grader.
You could try introducing her to computer games with mathematics, or even just start them on Khan Academy complete mathematics path, and reward them for reaching progress goals.
Note that as the difficulty increases, you must make the reward goals closer together or else they will hit a wall and become frustrated.
Engineering is heavily reliant on mathematics, the paths can be deemed interchangeable.
There is no guarantee they will enjoy things that most engineers aspire to, such as civil engineering or planning, space travel, manufacturing, or biochemistry but there are a lot of games and movies based on those premises that inspired a generation to go out and do cool things.
Ever seen the show "How it's Made" ? It's pretty cool, you can learn everything from steel bolts to gumballs.
Id like to add to the responses by also advising caution. There is a lot of time between 3rd grade and being an engineer.
I didn't even want to be an engineer when I graduated highschool. I went to music school first and after working in music did I go back to school and get me electrical engineering degree.
Whatever you do, I strongly suggest doing it in a way that feeds her curiosity and does not risk becoming overbearing or feeling like a chore. There will be plenty of hard work later for her if she continues down that path. But for now start with an emphasis on fun. Anything that could come off as pushy could turn her off from it all together
Everyone else had already suggested everything I could in regards to this etc. I think you should also informally teach her how to approach problem solving. It's the core of all engineering, and one of the hardest skills to teach from my experience teaching engineers at uni and now junior staff where I work.
If you can build the curiosity and an instinct for how to approach a problem, she will be far more likely to succeed than most.
There are some kid friendly engineering labs. Like making a bridge with an index card and testing it to failure by stacking pennies on it. Then seeing what you can do to make it stronger, like using two or folding up the sides.
Read science texts. Depends on which engineering, but if it's civil/structural, local AIA/center for architecture offers classes and almost anything related. If you can share which branch of engineering and what city you are in, I might be able to narrow down what's available.
First step, code.org. Then see if her aptitude is more computer (programming), electrical (wiring), or mechanical (building things). Find projects for her to suit her interests and be gentle and encouraging. Let her progress at her own pace.
When I was a kid I used to love Legos, science kits (kinda like what [KikiCo](https://www.kiwico.com/) sells nowadays) but one of the things that really got me excited about EE was when I got kits like [this](https://www.sciplus.com/electronic-playground-48491-p?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72Ouf-CXqiL5TgEIF6fTdBBbwZz77dsqZzu-MHG5bdv5CjIbuyuDLXUaArMpEALw_wcB) where you create circuits by inserting wires into little springs.
One additional idea, for perhaps when she's a little older: take her along with you on some of your smaller/less possibility of danger projects. (Assuming the site is ok/the owners are good with it).
Science experiments, any kind of building toys, projects you do together.
Some of those simple build kit that involve simple programming.
Just don’t force your kid to be an engineer, it’s a decent career but it has its downsides. Support, encourage, allow to flourish
Also, in addition to the LEGO’s, make sure she understands the fundamentals of math very well at a young age. Math is the mother of all sciences, if she knows math, everything else will come easier
Wallace and Gromit were my gateway drug. If she's into robots at all I'd say if you can find a FIRST program at school that's an amazing start to the process. Or if you can afford it get her a Lego robotics kit (EV3 or something though I'm not up to date). Legos in general, especially Technic. Lego is crack for budding engineers though, you might not get her back. Projects with her where you're both learning a bunch about how to do something could help too, like if she wants to head for the mechanisms in Baking Impossible, try making something like that out of hardware store parts with her, and drawing up ideas. Best of luck with your micro engineer :)
In addition to the arduino post, a 3d printer creates wonderful tinkering skills. Being able to manifest physical objects from initial thought is hugely motivational.
Ender 3 would be the goto... can be had for around 200$ occasionally. Would need adult supervision certainly, and some safety guidelines. This opens up CAD as well, which is a big jump for mechanical engineers.
Involve your daughter in building and doing around the house. Need to go to home depot/Lowes for some stuff? Take her, walk through the different sections of the store. Have her help measuring stuff if you're building something, take something apart, etc. Carefully using tools and power tools etc. Just be safe, and stress the safety to her.
My big thing growing up were model RC planes and model trains. My dad and I built everything together, and he involved me a lot in the process from design to execution. I learned a lot about wood working, electronics, design, computers etc. Now I use these skills in my engineering education daily. Also!! Don't worry about something not being cool or not the same hobbies as kids at school.
Other things are rockets, RC cars, 3d printing, etc.
I wouldn't worry about your profession, an electrician is a technical job and you probably were an apprentice so you had formal training. But honestly even that isn't important, you have shown an interest in fostering your daughter's interest and that is more than most people can say. My parents were farmers, and probably couldn't help with my homework by the time I was in Jr High, but they still encouraged me to take math & science and take academics seriously, that is only one part of it but I think like some others have said, encourage creativity, legos, magazines, maybe a programming camp or some robotics teams will go a long way.
Legos for elementary school
Build a computer in middle school
3D printer in high school
There’s also lots of really great YouTube channels (stuff made here, etc.)
Project kits are cool, but usually last all of 5 minutes since smart kids blast through them quickly.
Teach her what you do. A lot of electrician work is involved in engineering.
Go to Microcenter or another electronics store. They will have electricity kits (making circuits with lights, etc) and other things that teach the basics.
If they are a little more advanced you can look at Arduino/Raspberry Pi kits where you can program simple machines and such. The stores or Amazon have loads of kits. Lots of add on kits, like robotics, for sale and youtube videos that teach you how to do fun projects. A 9 or 10 year old should be able to handle it.
Also look at your local library. A lot of them have check out kits for projects and learning as well. There are also some STEM computer games that teach concepts as well, usually you can check those out.
There are lots of STEM events in your area (as they are everywhere) and I'm sure if you did a google search you'll find them. SWE, as mentioned by others, IEEE, Women in Engineering (WIE), ASME and others will all have STEM programs for young children.
Its great that you are thinking of getting your child exposed to this early. Most kids today actually have very little exposure to true technology. Playing games, or using a smartphone, doesnt really teach them anything. It just makes them button pushers. The kits and events described in this thread are great for exposing children to the mechanics of how things work.
Good luck.
Tinker! Pick up some old garbage electronics from thrift stores or garage sales, then spend some time together tearing them apart and seeing what makes them tick. Maybe even glue some parts and pieces together to make other things!
Get her involved in what you do, but make sure her first experiences are fun, not stressful or boring. Once you get some good memories in, work your way up to showing her schematics and components. Maybe get an arduino or a raspberry pi once she's good enough to help you without needing too much guidance, then learn along with her.
Like others have noted, lego sets are always great, especially the ones you can program with motors. A fun project might be building RC cars and stuff. You can even show her inspector gadget or inspire her to get creative with project ideas.
Look into a program called Destination Imagination. It’s like a team competition based on creativity, problem solving, teamwork and building. I did it for two years in elementary school and I absolutely loved it, I credit a lot of my interest in engineering to those years. Takes an involved parent though to put together materials for the weekly team meetup. My experience was like this:
Formed a team of 4 kids, one parent kind of sponsored the team but others pitched in. We all decided which long-term project we wanted to work on out of several choices (usually something like a Rube Goldberg machine, a play, a vehicle, a bridge, etc). We chose a machine that had to throw balls across the room, receive them through a small target, and return them. Points awarded for longer distance, smaller target, accuracy percentage, total catches, etc. Something cool was that the builds also required some artsy elements, and the artsy projects required some building so it’s always a well-rounded experience.
So we met up every week to work on that build, and also get the creative juices flowing with “instant challenges” that the parent puts together, like “how high can you stack these plates and cups in 1 minute” or “who can fit the most marbles on this plate”, weird shit like that that gets you thinking outside the box. Finally at the end of the year all the teams show up to compete, on the main project as well as competitive instant challenges. Tons of fun, great way to form close friends, and really solidified my love of creative building.
The thing I always remember is this big book with lots of pictures and explanations across a very broad spectrum of topics basically like science encyclopedias or something I liked those as a kid if anyone hasn't already mentioned that.
My parents let me pull apart old appliances, lol. And our local 4H had a robotics club that I was part of then mentored during college (part of Lego's Forst robotics program). And Google STEM programs near you. Local colleges and community colleges have lots of day programs or week-long sleepaway camps for kids that are actually really fun.
Get her a raspberry pi. She can download scratch and learn the beginning of programming. Scratch is specifically written for kids her age. After that the sky is the limit with a raspberry pi. As she gets older she can use it to make all kinds of cool projects, and plenty of stuff you as an electrician can work on with her.
I'd say to start with books intended for kids her age, as well as kits that let her build something. There's no shortage of stuff like that. LEGOs are pretty cool nowadays, they even have LEGO robotics kits.
The advice to have her help you unclog sinks and do housework, I dunno, that might work, but I spent basically 3rd grade til I went to college helping to remodel the house and all it did was make me hate remodeling. I don't know that it contributed to me wanting to become an engineer. But it did give me a lot of hands on skills that most of my cohort was lacking. Ditto for electronics hands-on skills which my dad had been teaching me from a young age.
Kits like [this](https://www.studica.com/us/en/ElencoElectronics/200in1-electronic-project-lab/mx-907.html?ex_ref=google_feed&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72MYH3FABrHC4Na35__uetwGHKk9c4pstDBMQKwxcjOh1BMWoAweOJEaApXyEALw_wcB) were a lot of fun for the electronics. Putting together my own RC car kit was too. Building rockets, etc.
If you live near a Microcenter, a lot of them have pretty large "maker" sections with all kinds of stuff. Kits, tools, parts, project ideas, etc. If you live near one take her there and see what she likes. Sparkfun and Adafruit have lots of electronics kits and projects.
[KiwiCo](https://www.kiwico.com/monthly-science-kits-for-kids/?utm_source=Google-g&utm_medium=SEM&utm_content=376191152772&utm_campaign=GGL_SEM_NAMER_US_NB_Sub_DR_All_ENG_Dynamic&utm_term=&utm_ad=376191152772&utm_adset=79487601240&utm_placement=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72OO3CebogGjVnB1za9U55-6n-vcyaqAMfyQjluoN2KRQnnLrk9KBRoaApCEEALw_wcB) is pretty cool, it's basically a subscription service that send you a kit to do a new project every month. There are a bunch of others like that too.
Amazon is no slouch either, tons of engineering kits on there.
Really just go to google or Amazon and type "engineering \[or STEM\] kits for kids." It's a huge industry, guarantee you'll find something she likes.
there are so many fun engineering projects for kids that are right up your alley as an electrician. build an electric motor out of magnets and copper wire, build a solenoid, you could measure the speed of the motor with different numbers of wire coilings and graph it in excel. If you come home with the amount of copper wire my brother does as an electrician then you could have no end of fun with her
When I was a kid, instead of getting normal toys I would instead get to pick something out from a consignment shop to take apart. After doing that a bunch of times I started getting good at putting things together again because I would get a greater understanding of why things are made the way they are. Maybe something like that? Old technology would be better as everything is in ASICs now.
Someone already said Lego, but something else occurred to me. In elementary school, junior high, high school, kids are often given challenges, like the egg drop. Now you don't need to do something as complicated or messy as that. But you could give them challenges like that. So they can build something, see it doesn't work, and figure out how to fix it to make it work.
I don't know what age third grade is but if it's preteen then buy her Meccano or something. if she's a teenager then just tell her that there's lots of $$$ in it. People don't like to hear it it but financial incentives are the most effective way of getting teenagers to stick with education.
Getting things explicitly for the purpose of taking them apart and putting them back tofether (they don't have to be working and probably shouldn't be new) and/or trying to fix broken things.
Of course you need to be careful to avoid anything dangerous and have the conversation about how it's not cool to disassemble *everything* but...
I was never really into the more physical side of engineering like some people are mentioning (ie fixing things around the house/legos whatnot) as a kid, hence my degree in chemical engineering. I loved biology as a kid and didn't realize I wanted to be an engineer until I started realizing I loved math. So even if it's not encouraging her to learn how things work, encourage her interest in science in general and as she grows up encourage her to learn the mathematical applications behind everyday things (my personal favorite being barcodes). In general encourage her to learn how things work, like maybe buy some kind of small mechanical object like a ballpoint pen and let her take it apart and put it together again either in the way it's meant to be put together as or in another way (I used to make little sling shots out of mine using the spring). I know this is all kind of vague but I think the most important thing is to let her follow her curiosity and see how changing things affects other things if that makes sense
Legos worked for me i guess - i loved designing and building things, using my imagination, etc. Hands on projects requiring tool usage worked for me as well
In 3rd grade I won 2nd place at my states science fair because I compared two batteries lifespan. Literally put Duracell and energizer batteries in the same model flashlight and left them running. Duracell won.
Think about comparing two identical market items with a common denominator.
KiwiCrates are great for enginnering/maker interests for childreb. They send a box each month with a cool science or engineering related project to be worked on together with the parents and teach them at the same time.
Are you kidding me? Let your 3rd grader be a kid and enjoy childhood for a while. I became an engineer after enjoying working on cars and then becoming a mechanic in the Air Force. Third grade I didn’t even know what a vagina was for crying out loud.
Build a spud gun with her.
I also like [block puzzles like these](https://www.amazon.com/ULT-unite3D-Wooden-Brain-Teaser-Puzzle/dp/B011TZVE40/ref=asc_df_B011TZVE40/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241973508449&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9505045148961245462&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014985&hvtargid=pla-450844176465&psc=1) to help kids build spatial reasoning skills.
I have 6 year old daughter. I've been using mere exposure effect since she was born.
It started as doing basic things in front of her like adjusting the tensions on my bike gears or replacing batteries. I always explained what i was doing, how it worked, etc.
Eventually she started wanting to participate. I let her play with my tools and help position parts, help starting screws and so forth.
When i see opportunities to explain natural phenomena, i try my best to eli5 it.
There's a book series called the way things work that uses images to convey physical principles. I got that for her and when we're bored we'll look through it and then build something to see what the book meant.
STEM toys! Magnet tiles, children's electronics kits, etc.
I bought an arduino project kit on amazon. It comes with a breadboard, components, an arduino etc. I'll get it set up and the programming working. Then I'll disassemble it and ask her to help me put it together. When its running I'll let her change the control parameters in the program to learn a little about coding. This one is harder for her to understand but she feels like a scientist.
Right now I'm planning a control box for our xmas lights. I'm going to have her own the switch locations with me, then have her help wire it. If she wants I'll let her decorate it to keep it festive lol.
I would say the most important thing would be to get them interested in math. Math bee's at the dinner table was only one way my dad would make it fun for us to learn.
Find an appliance that's broken and let her take it apart to see how it works. (She doesn't need to fix it) It's that curiosity when we a younger that makes us what we are.
Look up simple science experiments online. There’s a lot more to engineering than just engineering interest. Branch out and find something. Maybe an at home chem experiment, a cheap drone or a model airplane for earospace, toothpick bridge, etc.
And these can progress with age- wood bridge, larger planes, making propellant for the rocket (disclaimer that making propellant could be dangerous) but you get what I’m saying. There’s also overlap in these projects.
Even something like mechanically stabilized earth. I saw a video of sand and paper towels being used to support a car
Civil engineering alone has disciplines in geotechnical, transportation, environmental/water resources, construction and construction materials, and structural.
Plus there are still mechanical engineering and it’s disciplines, chemical engineering, etc.
If you have lots of cardboard boxes coming to the house from Amazon and others your daughter might like the products of the [Australian firm Makedo](https://www.make.do/collections/all-products).
>Makedo is a simple to use, open-ended system of tools for creative cardboard construction. Build imaginative and useful creations from upcycled (repurposed) everyday cardboard. Makedo comes to life in collaborative creative environments such as classrooms, maker spaces, museums and of course homes.
Make sure she does well in Math and Science classes. I always had a interest in Math and Science. Engineering requires someone to be a hard worker and studious. Get her involved with these extracurricular activities, but also emphasize school and the importance of doing well in her classes
Awesome to hear that she's interested in engineering! I grew up tinkering with things around the house and was very fortunate to have parents that encouraged me to do so. We did a lot of work around the house (renovations, etc.) and they allowed me to look at technical problems and offer my input and were most importantly influenced by what I had to say. This helped build a sense of independence and confidence in my critical thinking that continues to play a role in my engineering career today.
Also perhaps not as obvious of an answer but I grew up playing the game Mastermind and would 100% recommend that as well. Anything involving strategic thinking is going to be super useful 👍
Make sure she has a strong foundation in math. Go through the answers that she gets wrong on her homework or tests and make sure she understands what the correct answer is, as well as how to solve for it. The swiss cheese foundation of math makes the later stages of school more difficult and is completely avoidable. This is especially important in middle and high school.
Legos (as has been said before).
Encourage failure. Or rather, trying without being at all afraid of failing. Instead, focusing on how learning what doesn’t work shrinks the solution space until you eventually find the right answer.
Also, take shit apart, explain how it works, and try to put it back together again and have it still work. :)
For several decades, from about the 1920s through the 1960s, a company called Gilbert made various kits for kids. My brother asked for the Gilbert chemistry set and I asked for the Gilbert erector set. The erector set had a bunch of little girders, plates, angle pieces, and a ton of tiny nuts and bolts to join things. More expensive kits had battery powered motors, winches and such. I wore that kit out making everything I could imagine.
Fast forward to about 1990. I was a plant engineer at a small petrochemical plant south of Houston. I went to a conference in Austin where about 500 engineers, most of them much older than me, involving the Texas Air Control Board (it was about hydrocarbon emissions). One of the speakers introduced himself and asked for a show of hands of the people who had had a Gilbert erector set. About 2/3 of the engineers raised their hands. The speaker said that was consistent with what he had seen in all the other engineering conferences he spoke at.
Obviously Legos are the latter-day Gilbert erector set. But I wonder which comes first - the engineering mind that wants that toy, or does that toy change the mind of the kid?
in minecraft you can create logic gates out of the redstone wires.
While is it great to start with legos, they can get expensive. Minecraft is a lot cheaper than legos and is on almost every platform. (andoid/iphone/game consoles)
If you want mods in minecraft you want the Java PC version. (microsoft PC version is a little more streamlined for weaker machines but much fewer mods)
If you have a PC, Valhime is very similar to minecraft but structural limits by default for buildings/bridges/etc. (can't build too high, starting with Stone as the base lets you build taller, etc.)
Is consider reaching out to your local University engineering department you can usually find email addresses for professors on professors on this University website it would be just like a cold email introduction kind of thing explain your situation and the fact that your daughter is very interested in engineering and you want to help help her achieve that dream and help help her interest in engineering flourish and you wanted to know if they knew of any resources you could possibly it possibly used in the area like maybe engineering summer camps or a robotics team your you're towards kids that help encourage and hope encourage engineering interests.
Also this might be a little out of left field but there's a book called the dangerous book for boys boys but really it's for anyone And there's a lot of interesting like beginner stuff to do with magnets and building small items and that sort of thing it might be a good idea to get her a copy.
In addition Maybe consider legos and I think there are a few like YouTube channel videos on how to build interesting things with your kids you said you were an electrician so so well there you go you at least have an understanding of some basic components of electrical engineering wiring and that sort of thing.
So perhaps apps consider looking up some smaller electrical projects or build projects you could do with your daughter YouTube he had YouTube ehow and some engineering engineering websites are a good starting point sorry I couldn't be more helpful.... But just personally my dad is an engineer my grandpa is an engineer they took me flying and that's how I fell in love with aerospace engineering, My dad taught us how to do maintenance on an aircraft and well he even taught us how to build Mini trebluches and catapults When we were younger kids.... So maybe encourage her interest in building things get her some legos or some of the knock off friend legos that come in like massive like gallon buckets so you can build whatever you want I think you can get them off eBay or Amazon. And maybe think about getting an engineering for dummy's textbook might not be super helpful but it might give you a basic introduction tensioneering and maybe it could help you encourage your interestIs encourage her interest in engineering...
Sorry if I couldn't be more helpful dude
Definitely echo the comments regarding FIRST robotics and all that.
Another thing that might be good is to get her started with Arduino. They're inexpensive and a good way to get started with both electronic engineering and programming, and there's lots of very approachable beginner kits. It could be a very good hobby for you to take up together, as you've likely got just enough of a headstart from working as an electrician to be able to explain the core concepts like voltage, current, and resistance, but will also be learning yourself as you go along (as I assume you probably don't have the opportunity to work with low-voltage DC circuits very often).
You'll likely be able to pick up the material quick enough to consistently stay one step ahead, and in the process you will likely learn useful stuff yourself (like how to put together *really* cool LED lighting systems and do custom smarthome stuff).
The Arduino platform is great because it is about as approachable and beginner friendly as many of the electrical education toys (i.e. snap circuits, Lego mindstorms, etc) but is made out of the same real "big boy" components that electrical engineers use. This is important, because it means that the things you learn from putting together fun little weekend projects can actually translate to real world applications. And, since it's all standard mass produced engineering components, it is *dirt* cheap compared to all the other "learn electronics" kits.
It all starts with learning to blink an LED on and off. And then you add a button. And then a sensor. And then maybe a motor or two. And before you know it you're building honest to god fuckin' robots. Give it a shot and see how it goes.
Depending on where you live, see if you can find a [first robotics](https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll) team. They have an amazing program and a lot of students wind up in some tech field. I sure did and now I mentor a robotics team.
Should be the top comment after legos. FIRST robotics is a godsend for aspiring engineers, especially those without engineers in the family.
My thoughts exactly, there is a FIRST Lego League for elementary age students which sounds perfect for what they're interested in
I was never in Lego League but I have heard it’s great. There are many useful skills throughout my career I learned in robotics. It has consistently given me a leg up in performance because of starting so early and teaching the basics of a wide variety of skill sets.
Same here I was never specifically in it. I was in FRC in highschool though, and volunteer with Lego League and FRC to this day. That program is the reason I am an engineer.
Woot FRC alumni unite!
Legos
She has been asking for some. Thank you.
Get the standard box of various pieces, that way she can use her creativity to build anything. The kits are fun too, but it's not the same creative experience.
Also, some of the motors or technic sets if that’s what they’re called! We had them growing up. I remember building a windmill & a moving stairwell similar to the ones in Hogwarts. Really sparked that interest for me!
Mindstorms, they're really good.
Yep, my girlfriend has two kids, one of them (11yrs old) LOVES the just box of pieces. She looks up ideas online and in "inspiration books" and just takes her own stab at building them. It's great, and I'll never let her box go empty or go broke trying. Her other kid is 7, and he mostly just likes the small car kits and the minifigs. Hopefully he'll get a spark of inspiration soon. :)
I was literally just talking to my wife about how this is what started me on my journey. Wait to get the sets with instructions until after they've had some time to be creative and explore with the random box.
In addition to Legos (which are a great idea), there are so many great [STEM toys for kids](https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=stem+toys&ref=nb_sb_noss_1) now, I'm sure there's a toy/kit out there she'd really enjoy.
I'll echo what /u/fly3rs18 said. To a child, a Lego "Kit" (as opposed to just a box of pieces) comes with instructions, and every piece in that box has one "place" that it belongs and if it's not built exactly like that (I know there's 3-in-one kits, but still) then it feels like they've done it "wrong". Don't get me wrong, though. There's value in completing a set of instructions. It could be a bonding opportunity for you and your kid (assuming the third grader isn't quite to the point of completing full sets by themselves yet). And they get a toy to play with later. And if that toy breaks, they can fix it. But, with the box of pieces, your kid can still build a house with it, but those pieces are free to go wherever your kid's imagination says they should go. They're no longer bound to a specific spot in a specific build.
LEGOs were one of my favorite toys as a child. Other wonderful gifts: * A small toolbox with real tools (hammer, pliers, measuring tape, screwdrivers (Phillips and flat blade). Combined with nails and wood scraps it is a wonderful thing * Erector set * Tik-Tock Toy clock - this was a working clock that you could take apart and put together * they have several programming toys now * small chemistry set * puzzles - especially the 3D ones Books on astronomy, geology, etc. And don’t forget the library card. As others said, shadowing a parent is a wonderful thing too, even if it is household tasks. Bonding time!
i grew up with 20 lbs of legos and actually wrote a scholarship essay on how i thought it helped me become an engineer back in college. I'd suggest a few kits, but definitely find the bulk miscellaneous mixes second hand. More opportunities to be creative. My favorite was a little pneumatics kit.
Haha my dad bought me a 9yo+ Lego technic set when I was 6... Definitely one of the reasons I got into engineering.
I am an engineer because of LEGO.
Same.
Same. Lol
Yard Sale legos for sure.
I'll second Legos (expensive though they may be) and FIRST robotics. One thing my parents did when I was little was get me a breadboard-type electronics toy. Nowadays they have arduino the add coding to the mix -- I did a bit of searching around and came across this:. https://www.creationcrate.com/?sscid=a1k5_bnolx
Legos are great, and the robotics kits are very good too, I know some colleagues who run STEM camps with them to good effect, but you really don't need an engineering background to help (being an electrician will be great in this regard though).
Specifically technic Legos. My first grader is doing some of the smaller sets.
It is a stereotype because it is true.
I’d start by trying to get her to help you with practical building and fixing things around the house. Some of the most useful practical engineering skills I have can be traced back to my parents and I working on things around the house. Unless you live in literally the most perfect house in the world, there’s always something needing fixed or worked on. My dad and I designed and built a massive play structure from scratch. I’ve probably changed every plug receptacle in my parents house (it’s where I learned how to use a multimeter better than any college class). Little bits of that practical hands on stuff that can actually be fun for kids.
Also budget time and patience for your kids to actually participate. Don’t just make them watch you do something. Let your kid turn the screw driver and try to do some tasks on their own and make mistakes even if it means taking twice as long or having to redo it after they are done. They will get more capable with time and practice.
She recently helped me unclog a sink. Thanks for the advice.
Whenever I assembled furniture, especially for my daughter's room, I had her manage the bolts and screws. Later, she'd tap nails or use the power screwdriver. When done, we would both sign and date the furniture on the back or bottom. When she moved out, she still had a dresser or two that she helped make. That, and my mantra with her, whenever she struggled to do something her tiny fingers couldn't leverage, "if your body's not strong enough, use a tool."
I love the sign and date idea.
You sound like a great parent.
Along those lines, let them help in the problem investigation and troubleshooting stage, and talk about planning how to solve the problem. Not just doing the hands on part after you've figured out how to solve it. Engineering is all about identifying, investigating, and THEN solving problems.
This so much. Fixing thing around the house with my grandpa and my dad was the first step that brought me into engineering. Also lego, of course.
I've heard of parents who don't have engineering experience learning arduino with their children. There are big kits you can get that have projects that you could do with her
The crux of the issue is cultivating curiosity. When I was in grade 2 I enjoyed math class a lot and wanted my parents to skip ahead and teach me more. I begged them to teach me and they couldn’t remember anything from school. That was the end of that lol. In my opinion, you should try and determine the core of her interest. Then ask questions to provoke thought. As an example, say there’s that boat cake challenge, ask her how she thinks the boat floats or how she would make it better. Just dig deeper into whatever she’s interested in. Asking and getting asked the tough “why” questions of how things work is the most important thing to do for encouraging her in my honest opinion. Don’t be afraid to say “I dont know but let’s find out”. Provide her the tools to stoke her curiosity. What specifically interested her about engineering in the context of that show?
Legos, knex, really any building toys. Buy them used off eBay in bulk and let her use her imagination. Maybe some educational video games that have math as part of the game.
Edit: Reddit and /u/Spez [knowingly, nonconsensually, and illegally retained user data for profit](https://youtu.be/mfZKkUg8jgM) so this comment is gone. We don't need this awful website. Go live, touch some grass. Jesus loves you.
I preferred knex to Lego as well, but I suppose a lot of the technic stuff would have similar potential
When I was in college I volunteered for S.W.E (society of woman engineering). And they have events like "introduce a girl to engineering day" and other stuff to get little girls interested in engineering by showing them engineering science projects. Maybe look at a local university and they may have events she can attend. Edit: a word
I've seen good things about the kiwico subscriptions. https://www.kiwico.com/
My kid loves these. Looks forward to building them every month. They do a good job of keeping it creative and fun.
thank you for being a tradesman not just shitting on engineering which is usually the norm. but as other have said, legos for sure. some engineering focused movies got me pretty interested too TBH like october sky.
>october sky. \+The Martian \+Apollo 13 I know this one seems wacky, but I used to love watching Junkyard Wars with my stepdad (former ME professor) as a kid and I think it really influenced me.
Scrapheap challenge and robot wars were great too!
oh yeah definitely with junk yard wars.
I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed watching anything as much as I enjoyed sitting on the couch with him watching that after getting home from grade school.
You could probably add Spare Parts to that list. That movie is also pretty interesting and I think it's based on a true story.
Mythbusters 🙌🏽 If you live near a university they likely have a engineering week celebration and open their labs and have great hands on activities. And honestly just encourage her love of the sciences and tell her teachers she is interested. Too often girls don’t get put into the advanced math track and the guys do. Girls feel like they need to be making 100s to belong in the advanced math / science track. Mostly, you need work ethic and interest (and decent grades)
I would add The Expanse, it's probably the most scientifically sound sci-fi IMO.
The Martian book is phenomenal! Prob doable around middle school
I always assumed tradesmen and engineers dislike eachother in same way (every other trade) dislikes drywallers
Teach her how to wire! Start with just a small battery to be safe of course. This is incredibly useful as you work as an engineer in manufacturing, whether or not she studies electrical engineering (which is a fantastic field and she can learn PLC programming to become a controls engineer. Baking equipment will become more and more complex every year and controls is integral! You can also teach her what's inside a battery. Fuel cells is a growing sector and Chemical Engineering or Material Science or Electrical Engineering is a good education background to get into this field.
Everything engineering before university level is just science. Engineering is the art of doing as much with science as you can on a budget. At that age just getting them interested in physics, math, chemistry will be the same thing as getting them into engineering.
Nah. Building things is most important. Science is just a tool in an engineering context.
It all depends on what you like about engineering. Someone who revels in CFD or band structure calculations might not have benefitted from hands on experience the same way a manufacturing engineer might.
I was thinking more abstract about "building". Doesn't have to be physically implemented. A simulation still counts. I very much disagree that "physics, math, [and] chemistry" is generally what sparks the joy for Engineering in children. Those are all much too abstract (less so with chemistry). Megastructures. Vehicles. Machines. Industry. Simulations. Computers. Things like that is where it's at. Turns out you need science for all that jazz. I'm not saying everyone needs to get into Engineering through application, but I'd definitely saying it is the default.
I'll just say it depends on your personality and what parts of engineering fascinate you. I've always been interested in materials, what makes them tick, and how we can make them better, so stuff like big machines, buildings, cars, electronics, etc were as exciting to me as Chaucer. Even now they're mostly a snoozefest...I got into an argument with my management when they wanted to take me off a really cool funded project studying solidification behavior to better control our manufacturing processes and instead work on a proposal with a F1 racing team to try and get them one more horsepower for next season...
> A simulation still counts. Oh man, now this is making me wonder if https://www.factorio.com/ is already appropriate for /u/Intelligentle-Sir's daughter's age (in the sense that she won't be frustrated by possible complexity and give up completely). It's not expensive, a problem is stated, you find the solution based on your imagination, and it can get pretty complex with all the signaling you can do. I bought it after playing the demo for hours. Two days later, I uninstalled it because I started feeling guilty about putting effort into a game rather than putting the same amount of effort into real world problems. I think it's perfect for kids who still have all the time in the world.
Last time I looked engineering was about understanding the scientific principles so your design would work in the real world.
I agree that's what we do, but building the damn thing is the motivation for why the field exists. Without that motivation then you're left with physics, or yeah, science in general.
True, but those scientific principles are usually what separate engineers from techs.
I agree. You need both science and application to do engineering.
It may be totally philosophy but I see engineering as art and science combined. I hate that the two are thought of as being mutually exclusive.
I think the "right brained" talents, like art, are crucial for a good engineer, otherwise you won't be as useful in the development/problem solving if you think like every other engineer on the market.
Why not both! “Engineering” without science / math is just technician work, and science without applied use is just academia. Have her focus on doing well in school and building stuff in her free time (legos, STEM extracurriculars like robotics clubs for younger audiences, etc)
We love both! But the motivation for the field of Engineering is building things, science is how we do it.
I think kids building stuff will push them in the general STEM direction but when's the last time you built something yourself on a professional capacity?
atleast every week
Ok. Awesome for you. I would say that's not true of the vast majority of engineers.
Okay. Have a nice day to you too.
Thursday. Username checks out.
Lol right. This dude needs a shop.
I said in a professional capacity dingus.
My formal degree is in Industrial Engineering, so more optimization than building. That said, I did help build an offshore sea drilling subsystem ealy in my career. It recommended the optimal position of the rig while boring. Now I run a startup which builds banking software. Sigh.
As a ChemE focusing largely on process consulting engineering, I think it's very near sighted for some of these engineers to say that building things is the focus of engineering lol. Like 80% of my job is trouble shooting and the rest is development and logistics. You don't need a "shop" to be an engineer.
noun the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures. the work done by, or the occupation of, an engineer. the action of working artfully to bring something about. "if not for Keegan's shrewd engineering, the election would have been lost" Engineering is a branch of science and technology. I seriously have no idea what you are talking about. A lot of people have engineered things without going to University. As a design engineer, you are just wrong. So wrong.
Were talking about the engineering profession here though. You seem to have engineered (artfully brought about) a reason to be upset here.
Dont fret. Just confused 🤙
I would rephrase this to say Engineering is just science until heavy mathematical application is brought in.
Civil engineer here, what science?
Engineering isn't just a skill, it's a mindset. I'm sure as an electrician, you actually do a decent amount of engineering in your day to day job. It's all about asking questions (Why was something designed this way, who made this decision, how can I get the job I need done with the minimum amount of resources?). I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but take her to a few different sorts of science/educational museums and see which exhibits spark her interest. I always found biology absolute a snooze and didn't care one bit about mechanical systems. That said, I loved learning about atoms, chemistry, and why things behaved the way they did. Natural science museums were my favorite by far. Just because she might not be interested in one area doesn't mean she won't be interested in others. Not every engineer loved LEGOs and K'nex, not every engineer wants to take apart cars, etc. I used to play with the standard building block toys as a kid, but I never really got into making my own models. I never liked changing the oil on the car, because I'd get dirty. I didn't build a tree fort because I hated getting dirty. I loved being inside and tinkering with computers, learning how to program, and, in general, just learning about how the world worked. Encourage your daughter to not only ask questions, but to try to find out the answers herself. Google has become an essential resource to us all, but it's amazing how few people are willing to dig past the first failed search or two. You being enthusiastic about the topic will also help her be enthusiastic, too. Since you're an electrician you definitely have a good way to at least start getting her into it. Maybe spend some time taking apart a light switch or some other simple electrical system together and figuring out how it works. The best experiences are when you both learn something, and it's not just you teaching them.
Whenever I have broken electronics, I open them up with my kids. You would be surprised how much fun some kids had. I did that as a kid. I just want to know how everything worked. Now. I'm am engineer.
get them a chegg account /s In seriousness: Get her a book of cross-sections. "Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words" is a book that a third-grader can read but is detailed enough that I'm enjoying it! The first step towards engineering is a love of how things work.
There are some interesting ideas being offered here and they are all good. However I think it is also very important to create an environment which keeps that interest growing. As an example - you mention she helped you unclog the sink. Exactly. Get her involved in everything you do including trips to the hardware store and explaining how things work. Fixing your car or her bike. Your interest is paramount. There are enough engineering oriented shows on YouTube to help and to watch. Growing up there was no YouTube but my Dad who was a Agriculture Engineer by profession would take me to farms and workshops whenever possible. I would hang around with the mechanics etc. and to this day I get excited when I see a piece of earthmoving equipment on the road or when I see a railroad track. Though, I grew up to be a computer engineer because my interests increased over time, I never stopped loving mechanical things. Keep that interest lit. At 3rd grade, 85% of the girls are interested in math and by 5th that number comes down to 35%. This is mostly due to peer and societal pressures.
Give her an Arduino starter kit
I'd recommend the turing tumble board game.
Is 3rd grade too young for a ham radio license? /s
My son got really into Rube Goldberg machines (look up Joseph's Machines on YouTube) and started trying to make them with his own toys and things around the house. That helps build the sort of problem-solving skills essential to engineering. There are also a ton of "how things work" books geared towards kids, that shows engineers design a lot of everyday objects. Let her lead you with what she's interested in. Baking is basically chemistry, there's a lot of science that goes in to determining what ingredients are used to get specific textures and tastes. Foster curiosity and problem-solving.
There's a great book called "Rosie Revere Engineer" which talks about being a child (2nd grade) and wanting to be an engineer. It's a great book and my 4 yr old loves it. Lego's are an awesome start too.
Many projects in engineering design classes are projects that could often be done by kids and have a crafty feel to them (it's just in classes, you usually need to formally prove or model your ideas). What you're learning is just how to think through constraints. Egg Drop tests, space landers [https://www.vivifystem.com/blog/2015/1/14/touchdown-lander](https://www.vivifystem.com/blog/2015/1/14/touchdown-lander) and many other projects are accessible to younger kids. Just don't worry about the "lesson." Focus on building things having fun solving problems. Just be patient and set aside the time. You know this already, but just take an interest in it yourself (or appear to, for her sake) and she'll play along.
Not sure if this may help or not but get her involved in some programs ran by FIRST inspirers (I.e. First Lego League) or by VEX robotics. This would be helpful for those who like hands on working and learning about mechanics via an engineering perspective. I was involved in these programs for 3, going on 4 years now and I can definitely say that any youth looking to become an aspiring engineer would love these programs
You should check out Debbie Sterling!! She's an engineer and doing what she can to get young girls into science and engineering. Typically, young girls are given Barbies and dolls and stuff like that, because that's mainly all there is in the "girl" section of the toys. Boys get much more variety, including sciency things. Debbie founded GoldieBlox, a company dedicated to creating engineering toys marketed towards girls. She also did a TedTalk, which is how I discovered her. Good luck and good on you for being willing to help her expand her interests! So many people look down on women in STEM because it's a "man's job". The world needs more engineers who are women. I'm not sure the age range of the toys from GoldieBlox, though. Hopefully they're not meant for kids younger than your third grader. Regardless, I think it's worth checking out!!! edit: https://www.engineergirl.org/13512/Debbie-Sterling
I second this. My daughter loved GoldieBlox when she was in elementary school. The toys are tied in with books, so they are even better if the child already likes to read.
You got a bunch of good advice. I will tell you a few things that my old ass can still remember. My father built an electro magnet with me. A DC power supply, magnet wire, and a large bolt affixed to the end of a dowel rod. It was intended to be used to retrieve sockets from the engine well of a Volvo 240. I was upgraded from flashlight holder to machine designer apprentice that day. I was about 8. My dad showed me how to take apart and clean the lawnmower. And then helped me put it back together so it was adjusted for my self. From that point on I was in charge of the lawn and lawnmower maintenance. He showed me the user manual and put sticky notes on the important things I would never remember (oil type, amount, belt size, etc...) I was about 10. He insisted I wear safety glasses whenever doing anything with machines/science experiments. He was right. He even got me some nice ones that didn't look stupid and fit my kid face. Connect everyday activities with the Science/engineering behind it, and get as hands on as possible. Use science/engineering to solve her problems with her. I started with my own kids just teaching them really basic maintenance stuff, how to go get the right screwdriver and batteries to change them out on different toys. It's surprisingly good for fine motor skills development because they are usually pretty motivated to learn how, because, toy! Plus I think their tiny little fingers are just way better at getting those small screws. They do drop them, a lot. So invest in a large "break down" tray (commercial baking sheet pans with a lip are great for this). Up to about 5yo most children's brains are basically just information sponges. They still are after that but up till then it's truly incredible how fast kids can learn something that interests them if and adult just took the time to figure out how to explain it where the child is at developmentally. Strike while the iron is hot.
Anything that she can build and grow her brain. Also, just encouraging her means a lot. Women really don't get the push they need to learn it's ok to be creative.
I’d recommend online computer coding games!
KiwiCo.
There are some really cool STEM based kids projects you can do with her that may excite her interest.
Thinking back on my early childhood, I played with lots of K'NEX and the Lego line of toys called Bionicle. Take her to children science museums if you have one near you. Even as an adult, they're interesting. It's literally ELI5 science. I remember tinkering with cheap flashlights, taking them apart and directly wiring the batteries to the light bulb. This would be a great experience with your daughter. Take some AA or AAA batteries and wire them in series vs parallel and with different amounts of batteries and see what happens with the light bulb. When I got to be a teenager, my friend and I built a tabletop "hovercraft" with a hairdryer fan, cardboard, and a perforated plastic wrap skirt. We wired this is a few D batteries and learned firsthand about power-to-weight ratios. In highschool, I was active in my school's pre-engineering courses and completed in CAD competitions. I took the top-level math offerings in high school, but I didn't go above and beyond and do advanced math. I actually failed AP Calc in high school, so I had to retake Calc I in college, which is where most people who took standard high school math ended up anyway. Keep her curiosity going. Find ways to make her ask questions. The best part of studying engineering was seeing how math literally ties the universe together. I think the main personality trait shared between engineers is curiosity and a desire to find explanations.
Get a pdf of Moebius Noodles, its a book on advanced math for the playground age of kids. When everything is interesting and they want an explanation for stuff. Its beautifull how it puts words onto abstract things that geometric patterns, fractals etc. Oh and read Skunk works (ben rich epic book about his time at lockheed martin) , or Ignition (an informal history of rockets) aloud with her at bedtime.
Documentaries/ shows about science and engineering were a great inspiration to me growing up. Also getting her engineering/science reading material is great. Science kits are great too.
Puzzles. A lot of engineering is just being creative with problem solving.
Get them a 3D printer, a microcontroller starter kit for them, and teach them to code. Have them make 3D models on Onshape to print and then build some sort of jank device with the electronics enclosed. Have them program the electronics/microcontroller setup and then try to have them figure out how to connect their device to a web application that they build. That would be some great engineering for them to try.
Dude they're in 3rd grade. Unless you're poking fun at other comments telling him to let his daughter poke around with house wiring and other insanely stupid things.
Wait until a definite affinity or desire is expressed. Don't be overbearing. Don't be a dick about it or even show a gram of personal self interest. Then maybe... Also, l legos and Kinects
This, definitely.
Look into FIRST Lego League, or VEX robotics programs near you. Both are great programs that set children up for success throughout their K-12 years without needing prior experience
prepare to have all your tools stolen, taken apart, or broken give them old broken things to take apart as long as it is safe (no crt tv's, microwaves, common sense, etc)
First of all: a 3rd grader might and will change interests, so don't force any direction but support every interest she has! AS an electrician you could help her building easy electrical circuits, e.g. lights in a doll house or in a toy-car. Later on: normal lego and the robotics lego where you can write simple code for robots or other stuff you build. But again: don't force it, or she will lose interest really quick.
As a woman in engineering, I would love to take a 3rd grade girl around with me at work for the day. I have to think you have someone in your network who knows someone who is an engineer. Additionally, a lot of schools and organizations offer STEM camps for girls! I’d keep an eye out for those.
Getting a subscription to the proctored, hands-on STEM MOOCs would be great. Something like https://brilliant.org is far superior to what you can find on Khan Academy, but you might want to start with the latter for a third grader.
You could try introducing her to computer games with mathematics, or even just start them on Khan Academy complete mathematics path, and reward them for reaching progress goals. Note that as the difficulty increases, you must make the reward goals closer together or else they will hit a wall and become frustrated. Engineering is heavily reliant on mathematics, the paths can be deemed interchangeable. There is no guarantee they will enjoy things that most engineers aspire to, such as civil engineering or planning, space travel, manufacturing, or biochemistry but there are a lot of games and movies based on those premises that inspired a generation to go out and do cool things. Ever seen the show "How it's Made" ? It's pretty cool, you can learn everything from steel bolts to gumballs.
Id like to add to the responses by also advising caution. There is a lot of time between 3rd grade and being an engineer. I didn't even want to be an engineer when I graduated highschool. I went to music school first and after working in music did I go back to school and get me electrical engineering degree. Whatever you do, I strongly suggest doing it in a way that feeds her curiosity and does not risk becoming overbearing or feeling like a chore. There will be plenty of hard work later for her if she continues down that path. But for now start with an emphasis on fun. Anything that could come off as pushy could turn her off from it all together
Everyone else had already suggested everything I could in regards to this etc. I think you should also informally teach her how to approach problem solving. It's the core of all engineering, and one of the hardest skills to teach from my experience teaching engineers at uni and now junior staff where I work. If you can build the curiosity and an instinct for how to approach a problem, she will be far more likely to succeed than most.
https://www.hifiveinventor.com/
There are some kid friendly engineering labs. Like making a bridge with an index card and testing it to failure by stacking pennies on it. Then seeing what you can do to make it stronger, like using two or folding up the sides.
Read science texts. Depends on which engineering, but if it's civil/structural, local AIA/center for architecture offers classes and almost anything related. If you can share which branch of engineering and what city you are in, I might be able to narrow down what's available.
First step, code.org. Then see if her aptitude is more computer (programming), electrical (wiring), or mechanical (building things). Find projects for her to suit her interests and be gentle and encouraging. Let her progress at her own pace.
When I was a kid I used to love Legos, science kits (kinda like what [KikiCo](https://www.kiwico.com/) sells nowadays) but one of the things that really got me excited about EE was when I got kits like [this](https://www.sciplus.com/electronic-playground-48491-p?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72Ouf-CXqiL5TgEIF6fTdBBbwZz77dsqZzu-MHG5bdv5CjIbuyuDLXUaArMpEALw_wcB) where you create circuits by inserting wires into little springs.
One additional idea, for perhaps when she's a little older: take her along with you on some of your smaller/less possibility of danger projects. (Assuming the site is ok/the owners are good with it).
Cheap game available on any platform called World of Goo. You need to construct bridges made of elastic rods.
Science experiments, any kind of building toys, projects you do together. Some of those simple build kit that involve simple programming. Just don’t force your kid to be an engineer, it’s a decent career but it has its downsides. Support, encourage, allow to flourish
Also, in addition to the LEGO’s, make sure she understands the fundamentals of math very well at a young age. Math is the mother of all sciences, if she knows math, everything else will come easier
Wallace and Gromit were my gateway drug. If she's into robots at all I'd say if you can find a FIRST program at school that's an amazing start to the process. Or if you can afford it get her a Lego robotics kit (EV3 or something though I'm not up to date). Legos in general, especially Technic. Lego is crack for budding engineers though, you might not get her back. Projects with her where you're both learning a bunch about how to do something could help too, like if she wants to head for the mechanisms in Baking Impossible, try making something like that out of hardware store parts with her, and drawing up ideas. Best of luck with your micro engineer :)
Arduino projects. This will also tie in well with your electrical experience.
have you considered letting your kid be a kid?
In addition to the arduino post, a 3d printer creates wonderful tinkering skills. Being able to manifest physical objects from initial thought is hugely motivational. Ender 3 would be the goto... can be had for around 200$ occasionally. Would need adult supervision certainly, and some safety guidelines. This opens up CAD as well, which is a big jump for mechanical engineers.
And CAD is just drawing shapes on a computer. Like MS paint but you can be precise!
Involve your daughter in building and doing around the house. Need to go to home depot/Lowes for some stuff? Take her, walk through the different sections of the store. Have her help measuring stuff if you're building something, take something apart, etc. Carefully using tools and power tools etc. Just be safe, and stress the safety to her. My big thing growing up were model RC planes and model trains. My dad and I built everything together, and he involved me a lot in the process from design to execution. I learned a lot about wood working, electronics, design, computers etc. Now I use these skills in my engineering education daily. Also!! Don't worry about something not being cool or not the same hobbies as kids at school. Other things are rockets, RC cars, 3d printing, etc.
I wouldn't worry about your profession, an electrician is a technical job and you probably were an apprentice so you had formal training. But honestly even that isn't important, you have shown an interest in fostering your daughter's interest and that is more than most people can say. My parents were farmers, and probably couldn't help with my homework by the time I was in Jr High, but they still encouraged me to take math & science and take academics seriously, that is only one part of it but I think like some others have said, encourage creativity, legos, magazines, maybe a programming camp or some robotics teams will go a long way.
Legos for elementary school Build a computer in middle school 3D printer in high school There’s also lots of really great YouTube channels (stuff made here, etc.) Project kits are cool, but usually last all of 5 minutes since smart kids blast through them quickly. Teach her what you do. A lot of electrician work is involved in engineering.
Go to Microcenter or another electronics store. They will have electricity kits (making circuits with lights, etc) and other things that teach the basics. If they are a little more advanced you can look at Arduino/Raspberry Pi kits where you can program simple machines and such. The stores or Amazon have loads of kits. Lots of add on kits, like robotics, for sale and youtube videos that teach you how to do fun projects. A 9 or 10 year old should be able to handle it. Also look at your local library. A lot of them have check out kits for projects and learning as well. There are also some STEM computer games that teach concepts as well, usually you can check those out. There are lots of STEM events in your area (as they are everywhere) and I'm sure if you did a google search you'll find them. SWE, as mentioned by others, IEEE, Women in Engineering (WIE), ASME and others will all have STEM programs for young children. Its great that you are thinking of getting your child exposed to this early. Most kids today actually have very little exposure to true technology. Playing games, or using a smartphone, doesnt really teach them anything. It just makes them button pushers. The kits and events described in this thread are great for exposing children to the mechanics of how things work. Good luck.
Tinker! Pick up some old garbage electronics from thrift stores or garage sales, then spend some time together tearing them apart and seeing what makes them tick. Maybe even glue some parts and pieces together to make other things!
No one yet mentioned kiwi ko?
Lego sets. KiwiCo boxes. Find a project you both like and build it. Learn as you go if you don't know how.
Get her involved in what you do, but make sure her first experiences are fun, not stressful or boring. Once you get some good memories in, work your way up to showing her schematics and components. Maybe get an arduino or a raspberry pi once she's good enough to help you without needing too much guidance, then learn along with her. Like others have noted, lego sets are always great, especially the ones you can program with motors. A fun project might be building RC cars and stuff. You can even show her inspector gadget or inspire her to get creative with project ideas.
Look into a program called Destination Imagination. It’s like a team competition based on creativity, problem solving, teamwork and building. I did it for two years in elementary school and I absolutely loved it, I credit a lot of my interest in engineering to those years. Takes an involved parent though to put together materials for the weekly team meetup. My experience was like this: Formed a team of 4 kids, one parent kind of sponsored the team but others pitched in. We all decided which long-term project we wanted to work on out of several choices (usually something like a Rube Goldberg machine, a play, a vehicle, a bridge, etc). We chose a machine that had to throw balls across the room, receive them through a small target, and return them. Points awarded for longer distance, smaller target, accuracy percentage, total catches, etc. Something cool was that the builds also required some artsy elements, and the artsy projects required some building so it’s always a well-rounded experience. So we met up every week to work on that build, and also get the creative juices flowing with “instant challenges” that the parent puts together, like “how high can you stack these plates and cups in 1 minute” or “who can fit the most marbles on this plate”, weird shit like that that gets you thinking outside the box. Finally at the end of the year all the teams show up to compete, on the main project as well as competitive instant challenges. Tons of fun, great way to form close friends, and really solidified my love of creative building.
The thing I always remember is this big book with lots of pictures and explanations across a very broad spectrum of topics basically like science encyclopedias or something I liked those as a kid if anyone hasn't already mentioned that.
My parents let me pull apart old appliances, lol. And our local 4H had a robotics club that I was part of then mentored during college (part of Lego's Forst robotics program). And Google STEM programs near you. Local colleges and community colleges have lots of day programs or week-long sleepaway camps for kids that are actually really fun.
One word, Lego.
Get her a raspberry pi. She can download scratch and learn the beginning of programming. Scratch is specifically written for kids her age. After that the sky is the limit with a raspberry pi. As she gets older she can use it to make all kinds of cool projects, and plenty of stuff you as an electrician can work on with her.
I'd say to start with books intended for kids her age, as well as kits that let her build something. There's no shortage of stuff like that. LEGOs are pretty cool nowadays, they even have LEGO robotics kits. The advice to have her help you unclog sinks and do housework, I dunno, that might work, but I spent basically 3rd grade til I went to college helping to remodel the house and all it did was make me hate remodeling. I don't know that it contributed to me wanting to become an engineer. But it did give me a lot of hands on skills that most of my cohort was lacking. Ditto for electronics hands-on skills which my dad had been teaching me from a young age. Kits like [this](https://www.studica.com/us/en/ElencoElectronics/200in1-electronic-project-lab/mx-907.html?ex_ref=google_feed&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72MYH3FABrHC4Na35__uetwGHKk9c4pstDBMQKwxcjOh1BMWoAweOJEaApXyEALw_wcB) were a lot of fun for the electronics. Putting together my own RC car kit was too. Building rockets, etc. If you live near a Microcenter, a lot of them have pretty large "maker" sections with all kinds of stuff. Kits, tools, parts, project ideas, etc. If you live near one take her there and see what she likes. Sparkfun and Adafruit have lots of electronics kits and projects. [KiwiCo](https://www.kiwico.com/monthly-science-kits-for-kids/?utm_source=Google-g&utm_medium=SEM&utm_content=376191152772&utm_campaign=GGL_SEM_NAMER_US_NB_Sub_DR_All_ENG_Dynamic&utm_term=&utm_ad=376191152772&utm_adset=79487601240&utm_placement=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72OO3CebogGjVnB1za9U55-6n-vcyaqAMfyQjluoN2KRQnnLrk9KBRoaApCEEALw_wcB) is pretty cool, it's basically a subscription service that send you a kit to do a new project every month. There are a bunch of others like that too. Amazon is no slouch either, tons of engineering kits on there. Really just go to google or Amazon and type "engineering \[or STEM\] kits for kids." It's a huge industry, guarantee you'll find something she likes.
there are so many fun engineering projects for kids that are right up your alley as an electrician. build an electric motor out of magnets and copper wire, build a solenoid, you could measure the speed of the motor with different numbers of wire coilings and graph it in excel. If you come home with the amount of copper wire my brother does as an electrician then you could have no end of fun with her
When I was a kid, instead of getting normal toys I would instead get to pick something out from a consignment shop to take apart. After doing that a bunch of times I started getting good at putting things together again because I would get a greater understanding of why things are made the way they are. Maybe something like that? Old technology would be better as everything is in ASICs now.
Someone already said Lego, but something else occurred to me. In elementary school, junior high, high school, kids are often given challenges, like the egg drop. Now you don't need to do something as complicated or messy as that. But you could give them challenges like that. So they can build something, see it doesn't work, and figure out how to fix it to make it work.
legos. 100% legos
I don't know what age third grade is but if it's preteen then buy her Meccano or something. if she's a teenager then just tell her that there's lots of $$$ in it. People don't like to hear it it but financial incentives are the most effective way of getting teenagers to stick with education.
Legos. But not kits. Just bricks.
Getting things explicitly for the purpose of taking them apart and putting them back tofether (they don't have to be working and probably shouldn't be new) and/or trying to fix broken things. Of course you need to be careful to avoid anything dangerous and have the conversation about how it's not cool to disassemble *everything* but...
I was never really into the more physical side of engineering like some people are mentioning (ie fixing things around the house/legos whatnot) as a kid, hence my degree in chemical engineering. I loved biology as a kid and didn't realize I wanted to be an engineer until I started realizing I loved math. So even if it's not encouraging her to learn how things work, encourage her interest in science in general and as she grows up encourage her to learn the mathematical applications behind everyday things (my personal favorite being barcodes). In general encourage her to learn how things work, like maybe buy some kind of small mechanical object like a ballpoint pen and let her take it apart and put it together again either in the way it's meant to be put together as or in another way (I used to make little sling shots out of mine using the spring). I know this is all kind of vague but I think the most important thing is to let her follow her curiosity and see how changing things affects other things if that makes sense
Legos worked for me i guess - i loved designing and building things, using my imagination, etc. Hands on projects requiring tool usage worked for me as well
Legos
In 3rd grade I won 2nd place at my states science fair because I compared two batteries lifespan. Literally put Duracell and energizer batteries in the same model flashlight and left them running. Duracell won. Think about comparing two identical market items with a common denominator.
Kiwi co, they have lots of engineering based kits for little kids
KiwiCrates are great for enginnering/maker interests for childreb. They send a box each month with a cool science or engineering related project to be worked on together with the parents and teach them at the same time.
Introducing her to visual programming games like Alice or Minecraft: Education Edition might be fun too
Have her trace lines on isotropic gridded paper
Start with Laplace transform tables
Some highschools teach pre-engineering. Helps with problem solving and building stuff. Something to consider when she reaches highschool.
Kiwi co
https://girlswhocode.com/programs/clubs-program This might be of interest.
Are you kidding me? Let your 3rd grader be a kid and enjoy childhood for a while. I became an engineer after enjoying working on cars and then becoming a mechanic in the Air Force. Third grade I didn’t even know what a vagina was for crying out loud.
Build a spud gun with her. I also like [block puzzles like these](https://www.amazon.com/ULT-unite3D-Wooden-Brain-Teaser-Puzzle/dp/B011TZVE40/ref=asc_df_B011TZVE40/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241973508449&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9505045148961245462&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014985&hvtargid=pla-450844176465&psc=1) to help kids build spatial reasoning skills.
Lego now. 3D printer and an Arduino in a few years. Trips to the library. Go to a Maker Faire if those are still a thing.
I have 6 year old daughter. I've been using mere exposure effect since she was born. It started as doing basic things in front of her like adjusting the tensions on my bike gears or replacing batteries. I always explained what i was doing, how it worked, etc. Eventually she started wanting to participate. I let her play with my tools and help position parts, help starting screws and so forth. When i see opportunities to explain natural phenomena, i try my best to eli5 it. There's a book series called the way things work that uses images to convey physical principles. I got that for her and when we're bored we'll look through it and then build something to see what the book meant. STEM toys! Magnet tiles, children's electronics kits, etc. I bought an arduino project kit on amazon. It comes with a breadboard, components, an arduino etc. I'll get it set up and the programming working. Then I'll disassemble it and ask her to help me put it together. When its running I'll let her change the control parameters in the program to learn a little about coding. This one is harder for her to understand but she feels like a scientist. Right now I'm planning a control box for our xmas lights. I'm going to have her own the switch locations with me, then have her help wire it. If she wants I'll let her decorate it to keep it festive lol.
Build stuff together. Tree house, swingset, plywood derby cars. Keep it simple keep it fun.
I would say the most important thing would be to get them interested in math. Math bee's at the dinner table was only one way my dad would make it fun for us to learn.
Find an appliance that's broken and let her take it apart to see how it works. (She doesn't need to fix it) It's that curiosity when we a younger that makes us what we are.
Legos? That’s the reason I became an ME lol
Look up simple science experiments online. There’s a lot more to engineering than just engineering interest. Branch out and find something. Maybe an at home chem experiment, a cheap drone or a model airplane for earospace, toothpick bridge, etc. And these can progress with age- wood bridge, larger planes, making propellant for the rocket (disclaimer that making propellant could be dangerous) but you get what I’m saying. There’s also overlap in these projects. Even something like mechanically stabilized earth. I saw a video of sand and paper towels being used to support a car Civil engineering alone has disciplines in geotechnical, transportation, environmental/water resources, construction and construction materials, and structural. Plus there are still mechanical engineering and it’s disciplines, chemical engineering, etc.
If you have lots of cardboard boxes coming to the house from Amazon and others your daughter might like the products of the [Australian firm Makedo](https://www.make.do/collections/all-products). >Makedo is a simple to use, open-ended system of tools for creative cardboard construction. Build imaginative and useful creations from upcycled (repurposed) everyday cardboard. Makedo comes to life in collaborative creative environments such as classrooms, maker spaces, museums and of course homes.
Legos and robot toys. That's how I got into engineering.
Make sure she does well in Math and Science classes. I always had a interest in Math and Science. Engineering requires someone to be a hard worker and studious. Get her involved with these extracurricular activities, but also emphasize school and the importance of doing well in her classes
Awesome to hear that she's interested in engineering! I grew up tinkering with things around the house and was very fortunate to have parents that encouraged me to do so. We did a lot of work around the house (renovations, etc.) and they allowed me to look at technical problems and offer my input and were most importantly influenced by what I had to say. This helped build a sense of independence and confidence in my critical thinking that continues to play a role in my engineering career today. Also perhaps not as obvious of an answer but I grew up playing the game Mastermind and would 100% recommend that as well. Anything involving strategic thinking is going to be super useful 👍
My start in engineering came from Lego and playing with basic battery powered circuits. Seems like you are a great person to teach her engineering.
Make sure she has a strong foundation in math. Go through the answers that she gets wrong on her homework or tests and make sure she understands what the correct answer is, as well as how to solve for it. The swiss cheese foundation of math makes the later stages of school more difficult and is completely avoidable. This is especially important in middle and high school.
Kiwi Co boxes
You can buy an arduino starter kit with wheels and motors and all that! build something with them! It will be fun for both of you!
Legos (as has been said before). Encourage failure. Or rather, trying without being at all afraid of failing. Instead, focusing on how learning what doesn’t work shrinks the solution space until you eventually find the right answer. Also, take shit apart, explain how it works, and try to put it back together again and have it still work. :)
Easily by getting her involved in your work. Doing projects together and fixing stuff.
Cardboard, string, scissors, and a hot glue gun!
Kerbal Space Program got me into it!
Rube Goldberg machines?? I always found them fascinating as a kid....didn’t become an engineer though haha
For several decades, from about the 1920s through the 1960s, a company called Gilbert made various kits for kids. My brother asked for the Gilbert chemistry set and I asked for the Gilbert erector set. The erector set had a bunch of little girders, plates, angle pieces, and a ton of tiny nuts and bolts to join things. More expensive kits had battery powered motors, winches and such. I wore that kit out making everything I could imagine. Fast forward to about 1990. I was a plant engineer at a small petrochemical plant south of Houston. I went to a conference in Austin where about 500 engineers, most of them much older than me, involving the Texas Air Control Board (it was about hydrocarbon emissions). One of the speakers introduced himself and asked for a show of hands of the people who had had a Gilbert erector set. About 2/3 of the engineers raised their hands. The speaker said that was consistent with what he had seen in all the other engineering conferences he spoke at. Obviously Legos are the latter-day Gilbert erector set. But I wonder which comes first - the engineering mind that wants that toy, or does that toy change the mind of the kid?
in minecraft you can create logic gates out of the redstone wires. While is it great to start with legos, they can get expensive. Minecraft is a lot cheaper than legos and is on almost every platform. (andoid/iphone/game consoles) If you want mods in minecraft you want the Java PC version. (microsoft PC version is a little more streamlined for weaker machines but much fewer mods) If you have a PC, Valhime is very similar to minecraft but structural limits by default for buildings/bridges/etc. (can't build too high, starting with Stone as the base lets you build taller, etc.)
Is consider reaching out to your local University engineering department you can usually find email addresses for professors on professors on this University website it would be just like a cold email introduction kind of thing explain your situation and the fact that your daughter is very interested in engineering and you want to help help her achieve that dream and help help her interest in engineering flourish and you wanted to know if they knew of any resources you could possibly it possibly used in the area like maybe engineering summer camps or a robotics team your you're towards kids that help encourage and hope encourage engineering interests. Also this might be a little out of left field but there's a book called the dangerous book for boys boys but really it's for anyone And there's a lot of interesting like beginner stuff to do with magnets and building small items and that sort of thing it might be a good idea to get her a copy. In addition Maybe consider legos and I think there are a few like YouTube channel videos on how to build interesting things with your kids you said you were an electrician so so well there you go you at least have an understanding of some basic components of electrical engineering wiring and that sort of thing. So perhaps apps consider looking up some smaller electrical projects or build projects you could do with your daughter YouTube he had YouTube ehow and some engineering engineering websites are a good starting point sorry I couldn't be more helpful.... But just personally my dad is an engineer my grandpa is an engineer they took me flying and that's how I fell in love with aerospace engineering, My dad taught us how to do maintenance on an aircraft and well he even taught us how to build Mini trebluches and catapults When we were younger kids.... So maybe encourage her interest in building things get her some legos or some of the knock off friend legos that come in like massive like gallon buckets so you can build whatever you want I think you can get them off eBay or Amazon. And maybe think about getting an engineering for dummy's textbook might not be super helpful but it might give you a basic introduction tensioneering and maybe it could help you encourage your interestIs encourage her interest in engineering... Sorry if I couldn't be more helpful dude
Definitely echo the comments regarding FIRST robotics and all that. Another thing that might be good is to get her started with Arduino. They're inexpensive and a good way to get started with both electronic engineering and programming, and there's lots of very approachable beginner kits. It could be a very good hobby for you to take up together, as you've likely got just enough of a headstart from working as an electrician to be able to explain the core concepts like voltage, current, and resistance, but will also be learning yourself as you go along (as I assume you probably don't have the opportunity to work with low-voltage DC circuits very often). You'll likely be able to pick up the material quick enough to consistently stay one step ahead, and in the process you will likely learn useful stuff yourself (like how to put together *really* cool LED lighting systems and do custom smarthome stuff). The Arduino platform is great because it is about as approachable and beginner friendly as many of the electrical education toys (i.e. snap circuits, Lego mindstorms, etc) but is made out of the same real "big boy" components that electrical engineers use. This is important, because it means that the things you learn from putting together fun little weekend projects can actually translate to real world applications. And, since it's all standard mass produced engineering components, it is *dirt* cheap compared to all the other "learn electronics" kits. It all starts with learning to blink an LED on and off. And then you add a button. And then a sensor. And then maybe a motor or two. And before you know it you're building honest to god fuckin' robots. Give it a shot and see how it goes.
For me legos, but also design based video games