As the world
becomes more and more developed, the wide-ranging fields of engineering are
quickly becoming important. Here to help children enter this under-taught
subject is Engineering 4 Kids.
April 12, 2017 – There is no denying that STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) fields are on the rise. As technology becomes more
prevalent in more and more areas of life, employers everywhere are crying out
in an attempt to find potential employees with engineering degrees. In turn,
the STEM fields are quickly becoming a necessity in early education to acclimate
more children to the fields of the future from a young age. However, there are
simply not enough comprehensive instructional materials to entertain children
while providing a full, progressive education. As a father of a five-year-old
girl, one professional engineer by the name of Ernst Bergen noticed this lack
of a comprehensive set of high-end materials, so he set out to create his own
materials for both his child and other children to enjoy and learn from.
As a parent of a home-schooled child and an instructor of adults in
the professional world, the Ernst feels up to the challenge of formally
constructing a full-fledged, hands-on engineering curriculum. Despite the
complexity of engineering concepts, Ernst has found ways to make core ideas
seem intuitive, breaking them down to a level any child can understand. The
teaching style incorporates visual, auditory, and hands-on elements to ensure
that all types of learners are both receptive and entertained.
As for the course's topics, the curriculum is planned to cover an
array of the main engineering fields including mechanical, electrical,
computer, and civil engineering, giving learners a vast knowledge pool to pull
from as they grow. In each of these subject, Ernst has developed a variety of
activities, many of which sound appealing to even adults. These activities
include a spaghetti bridge challenge, building homemade speakers, circuit
designing, constructing water rockets, and more. But what sets this curriculum
apart from other online materials is that it is truly comprehensive and
progressive, meaning that a child can build a foundation of knowledge instead
of being simply overwhelmed by a hodgepodge of science experiments. The K-4 curriculum
even begins with a proper introduction that speaks to the importance of
engineering while teaching a few problem-solving techniques.
Sadly, for a father to build such a broad curriculum largely on his
own is not an easy or cheap task. To remedy this issue, Ernst has launched a
crowdfunding campaign to support the curriculum's development. Those who
support the campaign will be rewarded with recognition on the Engineering 4
Kids website alongside a series of lessons made for the final curriculum.
Additionally, anyone who visits the Kickstarter campaign page will
be treated to a sample lesson, which Ernst has released as a free demo. With
the support of readers, Ernst hopes to inspire both his daughter and kids
around the world to change the world through the power of engineering.
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