Engineering Studio

Step into the role of a master builder in our ultimate construction hub! The Engineering Studio houses a massive collection of manipulatives and recycled loose parts - cardboard, fabric scraps, plastic lids, pipe cleaners, fasteners, gears, paper rolls, and more - inviting young innovators to see potential in everyday items. This hands-on workshop celebrates the Engineering Design Process where experimentation is encouraged and every mistake is simply a step toward a better design. 

Build prototypes at sturdy workspaces equipped with tools for cutting, connecting, and constructing. Test how different materials and shapes combine to create functional structures. Work independently to solve personal engineering challenges or collaborate in open zones where teams tackle large-scale architectural problems together. From bridges and towers to vehicles and contraptions, anything is possible with resourcefulness and imagination. 

This exhibit proves that innovation doesn't require expensive materials - just creative thinking, willingness to test ideas, and the understanding that the best inventions often come from building, testing, modifying, and trying again. 

    • Loose Parts Bins: A massive collection of manipulatives, including cardboard, fabric scraps, fasteners, and gears 

    • Building Stations: Sturdy workspaces equipped with the tools necessary for designing and testing structural prototypes 

    • Collaborative Zones: Open areas where teams of builders can work together to solve large-scale architectural challenges 

    • Engineering: Understanding the design cycle through building, testing, and iterative problem-solving 

    • Math: Practicing spatial reasoning, recognizing patterns, and taking measurements during construction 

    • Technology: Exploring how simple machines and tools can be used to join and transform materials 

    • Engineering Basics: Modifying plans in real-time and testing the structural integrity of a build 

    • Tangible World: Hands-on engagement through the stacking, balancing, and connecting of diverse objects 

    • Problem Solving: Identifying a specific structural need and engineering a custom solution to meet it 

Explore More 

This exhibit is located in Parrish House. Also explore: Creative Space | Test Lab 

  • A boy wearing a blue Costa Rica t-shirt and a grey cap, sitting at a table, reaching into a bowl of small items. A woman nearby is weaving with pipe cleaners, with various craft supplies on the table.
  • A young boy reaching into clear plastic storage bins on black shelving to select craft supplies or items.
  • A young boy with curly blonde hair smiling and tearing paper, standing next to a table with craft supplies in a room with a yellow wall and a window.
  • A woman and four children gathered around a table with craft supplies, working on a craft project during a children’s party.
  • A woman assisting a young girl with a medical device on her arm in a room with beige walls and a white door.
  • Woman and children engaged in arts and crafts activity at a table, creating a structure with sticks, glue, and cardboard.
  • A young boy with red hair and glasses focusing on a small, orange paper cup using a glue gun, with an adult's hand guiding him, on a table.
  • Children sitting at a table, using glue guns to decorate cupcakes, with adults standing in the background, in a classroom or activity room.
  • Two young boys with plaid shirts playing with colorful building blocks at a table.
  • Two young girls are at a sorting station with labeled plastic bins on a black shelf. One girl is holding a clear container, while the other girl is kneeling and picking items from a bin.
  • A display of colorful handmade crafts and clocks on a shelf, including a sun-shaped clock with purple and yellow sticks, a small model bicycle, and various other decorative items.
  • A woman showing a young girl how to make a craft project with colored paper, stamps, and stickers at a table.