S1.E3: Build it Challenge (And Gain a Few Minutes for Yourself) - Raising Thinkers Podcast

Today I would like to share with you a way that you might be able to gain an half hour for yourself, while still promoting thinking in your children.  I like to call this the “build it challenge”.   It's really quite simple. You choose three to five different materials that you have around your house, ones that would be safe for your children to use. Then you give them a time limit and a purpose. For example, I might find toothpicks, string, tape, paper, and some Legos.  Then I would give my kids the challenge to build a bridge that can withstand the weight of one small paperback book within a half hour.

I would not give them a large quantity of these materials either. The goal is for them to figure out what solution they can engineer with limited materials. So don't give them the whole tub of Legos, just give them just 10 or 20 Lego pieces. You also don't give them the whole roll of tape or a whole spool of string, but rather, give them a limited quantity of each item, but still enough to successfully create something.

Another thing to remember, as you try to raise a thinker, is that a part of the engineering process is planning. I recommend you have them set a timer for 5 minutes (maybe more or less depending on the age of the child), and tell them that they need to plan it out first. They can touch the materials and examine them but they cannot start building until they have drawn out a plan. Once the timer is up, that signals that they can start building.

It's also important to share with your children that this is a part of the engineering cycle. Let them know that they are truly being engineers as they design and build. Let them know that engineers also look at and examine the materials they have, then they make a plan before they actually start building. This is an important step in the process to help them understand why they're doing what they're doing and why they don't just start building immediately.

Another aspect I love about this challenge, is that it's one that can be done in teams or competitively. Depending on your child's personality, and if you have more than one child, you can have them work on their own, sort of racing against one another. Or you can have them work together collaboratively. Also, it really doesn't matter how old your child is, teenagers and tots can all be involved in building challenges.

Finally, remember that failure is okay in this scenario. They might not be able to create a bridge that can withstand the weight of that one book, or maybe they will... it's all okay because it's a part of the process. If time is up and they haven't built what they wanted to accomplish yet, you can always extend the time limit or give them a few more materials (and then gain a few more minutes for yourself as well). Process is more of the focus here than the final product.

In case you're looking for a few suggestions of possible product challenges for them, here are a few ideas:

• build a swing for a stuffed animal
• create a vehicle that can move across the desert with wind power (test it with a fan)
• construct the tallest tower
• make a house for your family pet
• assemble a boat that can float for at least 2 minutes

Also, if you're not sure about what materials to use, think: Reuse! This is a great type of challenge for using materials over again. Plastic bottles, bottle caps, cans, newspaper, magazines, even old clothes.  Any product and any materials you have will work.  The main point is to get them thinking, building, and to give yourself a few minutes to breathe.  

You might decide that you want to get involved too.  Being a part of the process is definitely fun and throughout each step you can model how you think as an engineer. It's also beneficial for them to see you struggling through how to build something with limited materials. As I've mentioned previously, having you as a model helps them learn.

After they finish, be sure to ask them about how the process was for them what works well what was challenging? What would they do differently next time? What materials do they think might have been more useful? Reflection is an important part of the thinking process and just because the building finished, it doesn't mean that the thinking is done.

I hope this might help you out a little bit one of these days when you need some time for yourself, and I hope your child has fun with it too!