RAEng launches competition for schoolchildren

THE Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) has launched a new competition, Engineers in the Making, for schoolchildren aged 7–14 across the UK. The academy is looking for budding engineers to take on the challenges and show off their creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills.

RAEng’s education team chose the most practical and hands-on activities to encourage students to try “tinkering, investigating, and problem finding and solving, reflecting real-life engineering challenges”. The activities come with simple instructions and require materials and objects which can be found at home.

To enter the competition, entrants are to carry out activities, challenges, and investigations, using the chosen STEM at Home booklet for inspiration. A new challenge will be set every two weeks, and entrants can submit by sending in photos (up to four per entry) or a short video (up to 30 seconds) along with one or two sentences to explain what they did.

In line with Earth Day 2020, the current challenge involves selecting an activity from RAEng’s Engineering a better world booklet. Earth Day is an annual global event that took place on 22 April in support of environmental protection. The deadline for submission is 1 May, and winners will be announced on 5 May.

Winning entries in the competition will be allowed to choose from a selection of prizes, such as K. Nex building toys or a robot to programme and build.

Parents, carers, and teachers can send entries by e-mail or share them on Twitter.

In addition, RAEng has compiled all of its STEM challenges into one place for use by teachers working remotely with their students or by parents home-schooling their children. These challenges vary from making plastic and exploding volcanoes to STEM projects that invite young learners to find and solve problems and creatively use materials at home. Typical items required include a torch, scissors, glue, cornflour, paper, and cardboard.

RAEng notes that though the challenges are aimed at upper primary and lower secondary students, they can easily be adapted for older or younger children.

Interest parties can learn more about the competition and how to enter, as well as the STEM challenges by visiting the relevant pages on the RAEng website.