Structural Engineering Projects for Kids

My son built a model building frame and learned about structures.

As a follow up to our Bridge Unit Study (scroll down to see lessons) we read the book Art of Construction and completed many of the activities. Like the book Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build and Test, which we used for our bridge study, the Art of Construction contained lessons which are part of structural engineering. The books did contain some overlap, but were both worth studying.

 The above photo shows the beginning of a building frame model. Studying the book teaches how differences in structural member cross section affects the strength. Kids learn these concepts by reading about them and then performing simple experiments with paper.

If you have a budding engineer, or a student who enjoys hands-on technical projects, this is a great book. The book Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build and Test, is written for a slightly younger audience, upper elementary to middle school, and a better place to start. I would recommend Art of Construction for any student who enjoyed Bridges or middle school and up.