Be an engineer
Engineers play a vital role in all aspects of the modern world. They solve problems to make living in OUR world easier and more convenient.
The way they solve those problems is to follow the engineering cycle: Idea, Design, Build, Test, Evaluate.
Engineers will have lots of ideas, one of which will lead to a design, that will be built, tested and then evaluated. STEM, and STEM skills are very important for engineers!
Can you complete these tasks to learn the core skills that will start you on the path to becoming an engineer?
SESSION ONE: ROPE TYING
Rope tying is a mind, hand, eye coordination challenge, which will develop your problem-solving skills, which in essence is the role of any engineer.
Your task is to learn four commonly used knots in boating and fishing. The step-by-step instructions and images are below for you to practice this hands-on skill.
Once you've learned the skill - move onto lesson two 'The Raft Challenge'. Your knot tying skills might come in handy!
SESSION TWO: THE RAFT CHALLENGE
Building a raft is a real engineering challenge. You'll need to come up with some good ideas and then choose the best one which you will then design, build and test!
Embrace your inner Viking and build a raft fit to sail the open seas. Can you build a better raft than your friends? Who will be crowned 'Floki of the Ravens' – the most infamous Viking boat builder of them all.
Get stuck into the session via the plan below.
SESSION THREE: HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT STEM?
What's your knowledge on all things science, technology, engineering and maths?
Now's your chance to find out - take the quiz below in accordance with your age and see where the gaps in your knowledge are.
SESSION FOUR: THE BALLISTA CHALLENGE
Using some skills you learnt from the Raft Building Challenge can you take your engineering skills to the next level and build a more complex engineering structure! The Ballista Catapult! Learn a little bit about the history of this weapon, what it was used for and then have a go at building your own. Once built, its time to test it out, Challenge 1 - can you fire your projectile? Challenge 2 - Can you accurately fire your projectile at a specific target! The two videos will show you how! We hope you have fun!
SESSION FIVE: KS2 & KS3 STEM Quiz
Test your STEM knowledge again with another of our great quizzes! Can you improve your previous score and beat your friends!
SESSION SIX: PLIMSOLL LINES
Plimsoll Lines or Load Lines have been used on ships for hundreds of years. This step by step hands on workshop will teach you why we need them and what they are for. It’s a great one for teachers to try with small groups of children in schools or if you’re an ambitious parent wanting a slightly longer task to challenge your kids at home then give it a go!
SESSION SEVEN: BUILDING PAPER STRUCTURES
Test your building skills this week with our multi level tasks. Start your challenge with Books on Stilts and then move on to the Paper Structure Building Challenge. These tasks will show you how strong paper can be by simply making it into different shapes. You will have to use design and manufacture skills on this one!
SESSION EIGHT: STEM QUIZZES
Back this week are our very popular STEM quizzes! Can you beat your previous score? Maybe make it a competition this time and ask some friends to join you for a virtual quiz, choose who the quiz master is and pit your wits against each other to find out who is the Quiz Champion.
SESSION NINE: SWEET DENSITY RAINBOW
Have you ever noticed oil floating in water? This happens because the oil’s density is lower than the water’s density. Density is the amount of matter (mass) that can fit in a given volume (density = mass / volume). By dissolving increasing amounts of sugar in different coloured water, you increase the water’s density enabling lower density to be layered on top. In this activity you will make a rainbow while gaining knowledge about density by layering coloured sugar water.
SESSION TEN: THE BIG BRIDGE BUILD
A real BIG challenge for you this week with The BIG Bridge Build! This will test your Engineering skill to an advanced level. You will design, build and test a bridge from cardboard. If you have done the Building Paper Structures Session the skills learnt there will help you here, if not why not give those ones a try first.
SESSION ELEVEN: THE CARTESIAN DIVER
Have you ever wondered what makes something buoyant? Why some things float and others do not? Using a fun Cartesian diver experiment will help us to understand this. Watch the fun video, then have a go at making your own diver. The presentation sheets will give you some handy hints to help you and go deeper into the explanation of how it works!
SESSION TWELVE: FUN WITH FLAGS
Have fun with flags in this session all about nautical flags and how to use them. Build valuable knowledge of nautical flags in case of danger at sea or breakdowns in electrical communication systems e.g. radio, satellite. Work your way through the activities to help you learn the patterns and meaning by drawing, colouring, code breaking, and more.
SESSION THIRTEEN: LAND YACHT
Can you build a land yacht out of recycled materials you might otherwise think are rubbish? That's your challenge here. Then who can make their yacht travel the furthest using nothing but one single breath!
SESSION FOURTNEEN: GET KNOTTED AND RAFT CHALLENGE
This week we are revisiting two of our first challenges! The Get Knotted Challenge & The Raft Challenge. We have created two full virtual workshops for you this time. Each task has a 10min video for you to follow our step by step guide to complete the challenge. Please send us some photos of how you got on to swilkinson@ms-sc.org
TOUR THE POD
This week we are posting a special video for our Sea Cadets. The video shows you our amazing Marine Engineering POD! The mobile training unit that can be booked for your unit to allow you to take part in the Marine Engineering Pathway Courses. The POD can be used for the Basic & Intermediate level courses. Speak to your CO for information on how to enroll on these courses. The POD can also be adapted for School use for small groups of pupils with an interest in engineering. Pupils will get a hands on experience of real life engines and how they work. Enjoy!
SESSION FIFTEEN: NAVIGATION
This week we are delving into Navigation related topics! Our first tasks will teach you about The Compass, its history, and how it is used it. You will then be set the challenge of making your own Compass. Task two will see you completing our Marvellous Map Challenge where you will learn all about maps, how to read, use, and navigate around with them. Our third and final task this week looks at an instrument called a Barometer. This is a device used to help us predict the Weather. Today you are going to have a go at making your own Balloon Barometer! Barometers are used widely by sailors and help them to navigate safely across the seas, and by Aircraft Pilots, to guide them safely through the skies. If a sailor or pilot can predict roughly the location of a storm, they can try to Navigate around this, or if they can predict an area of good calm weather, they can try to navigate to this. A barometer detects rises and falls in atmospheric pressure which is the key to detecting a weather changes, good or bad. We hope you enjoy our challenges this week!
SESSION SIXTEEN: BOAT BUILDING
Boats, boats, boats! Boats come in all sorts of sizes, shapes and materials—but why is this? Using all your STEM skills have a go at our ‘Boat Building’ workshop we usually deliver in school. Explore scientific and mathematical relationships with lines, shapes and patterns to construct, test, and improve your engineered boats from simple resources: card, foil and tape. Can you get your boats to hold 1kg (or more!!) of cargo?
SESSION SEVENTEEN: HOVERCRAFTS
"Floating on a cushion of air" sounds like a very relaxing way to travel. However, if you have experienced the force and speed of a hovercraft you will know how exciting "floating on a cushion of air" can be! Investigate the engineering science of hovercrafts, also known as air cushion vehicles (ACV), by creating your own hovercraft with a balloon, CD & reused drinks lid. Think like an engineer: how can you make your hovercraft travel further for longer?
SESSION EIGHTEEN: KNOW YOUR ENGINES
This week learn all about the Marine Engineering Pathway and our custom built PODs. Then test your knowledge of all things engines with our in depth quiz. A great one for all you budding engineers out there!
SESSION NINETEEN: STEAM ENGINGES
When you hear ‘steam engine’, you will probably conjure a train (locomotive) or boat. Steam engines revolutionised transport, but, did you know they were developed during 1700s to solve a very specific problem: removing water from flooded mines. Today, steam power has become a major power source, with steam turbines now producing more than 80 percent of the world's electrical energy. They can use any source to generate heat, like our traditional fossil fuels, but nuclear, biofuels and waste incineration are becoming more common. To gain a greater understanding of the science at work in a steam engine, build your own simulation with common home materials: a bottle, a balloon and some water (hot/cold).
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