Engineering activities for the school holidays

Is engineering in your future? Here are five engineering activities for the school holidays that’ll keep your curious mind satisfied and hands tinkering!

1. Build a simple circuit

Using a pizza box! We give this project two big thumbs up coz no soldering is required and it’s a fun way to learn about circuits and how electricity flows. Follow these steps (or watch the video below) and you’ll also be able to do cool things like change the path of the electric current and switch between lighting an LED or activating a buzzer.

2. Read about amazing engineers

One of the best things about our job is talking to so many inspiring engineers, scientists, mathematicians and tech experts! If you’re keen to kickstart a career in engineering, take a look at all our engineering career profiles. We’ve spoken to structural engineers, robotics engineers, industrial design engineers, biomedical engineers… the list goes on! They all shared their study and career pathways with us, and gave some fantastic advice for those who want to follow in their footsteps.

3. Take our engineering quizzes

What better way to pass the time than do some STEM themed quizzes! Here are some of our favourite engineering themed ones for you to try:

• Which area of engineering should you study?
• What’s your engineering + X?
• Which engineer are you?
• Which famous landmark are you?

4. Play around with a robotics kit

If you’re interested in robotics, this one should be on top of your engineering activities for the school holidays list. The best way to start is to get yourself a robot kit. There are all different types – screen free, constructible, interactive and expandable – and they can teach you skills like coding and artificial intelligence (AI). Our tip? Work out what kind of robot you’d like to build then research kits based on this, plus your budget and skill level. Popular starter kits include LEGO Mindstorms, Sphero and Makeblock.

5. Watch our engineering webinar

In this webinar, you’ll hear from Huy Nguyen, a disability inclusion activist who switched from industrial design to humanitarian engineering, Genevieve De Michele an engineer taking on the challenges of designing future cities, and Emillie Thiselton, a software engineer improving banking services. You’ll find out how they forged their engineering career paths and what challenges they’ve face. They also bust some myths on the industry. It’s a must-watch for any future engineer!

Author: Louise Meers

Louise is the acting digital editor for Careers with STEM. She has a journalism degree from the University of Technology, Sydney and has spent over a decade writing for youth. She is passionate about inspiring young people to achieve their biggest goals.