4 can HOW TO BE AN ENGINEER It's helpful to have a notebook or journal where you can write down your notes and thoughts about your experiments and the world around you OBSERVE Carry your engineering notebook around with you and take notes on things that you see If you go for a walk write down or draw different types of buildings or vehicles you spot The more you notice about the world around you the more you'll be able to think of new questions ASK QUESTIONS How do really tall buildings stay standing How do elevators and escalators work Keep thinking of questions and writing them down If you find out the answer later you can always add that to your notebook too TRY TO GUESS WHAT WILL HAPPEN BEFORE IT HAPPENS This is called making a prediction What will happen if you try to build a car out of plastic What will happen if you change the shape of the rocket or use a different chemical to make a bouncy ball Write down what you think will happen before you do the experiment DO THE EXPERIMENT Make notes on how you do the experiment All sorts of things make a difference on how the results turn out Did you use glue instead of tape or swap the order of the steps Write down what happened If you took any measurements write them down Draw pictures or take photos to tape into your notebook
5 WHAT IF IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE IT SHOULD An important aspect of being an engineer is problem solving Sometimes the experiment won't work perfectly right away so you will need to put your engineer's hat on and look at how you can make it better This is something engineers need to be good at Your engineering notebook will be very helpful COME UP WITH NEW QUESTIONS Use your results to think up other questions How would you do things differently next time What do you think would change Start the process all over again This process is known as the scientific method People have been following these steps for over a thousand years and it has helped scientists figure out the answers to questions from What happens if I hit this thing with a big rock to What shape is the Universe NOTES FOR GROWN UPS Engineering is a big topic so don't worry if you don't know all the answers If your child asks you something you're not sure about think together about how you can change the experiment to find out or where you can look it up When doing these experiments with your child keep things light and fun and let your child take the lead Help them with the tricky parts ask lots of questions and make sure they stay safe WARNING Some of the experiments in this book involve potential hazards such as heat or sharp implements The publisher strongly recommends that parents guardians supervise their children during ALL activities paying special attention to stages marked with a triangle warning sign Whenever starting on one of these experiments always read through the instructions and consider what safety precautions are necessary It is a good idea to involve your child with this discussion identifying risks and taking sensible precautions is a key part of laboratory life Talk about questions like whether it would be best to wear protective clothing such as goggles or rubber gloves and whether it is best to do the experiment inside or outside in a safe place Always use your judgment and stay safe
EXHILARATING EXPERIMENTS
EXHILARATING EXPERIMENTS Have you ever wondered how a roller coaster car goes so fast or how a parachute really works Have you looked at something and thought it's good but I can make it better If so then you are thinking like an engineer What's the first question every engineer should ask No it's not where are the snacks It's What is the problem that needs solving Use these experiments to help you look at problems like how to reach things up high or how to make a call using just string and paper cups and find new and exciting ways to solve them
