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Build, test, and explain a real-world solution in this three-week engineering course for elementary school students on Bryn Mawr College’s campus.
Course Description
A toothpick tower must stand tall without toppling. A pizza-box oven needs enough heat to work. Everyday materials give young engineers a lot to figure out.
In this course your child will take objects apart, put them back together, and try playful building challenges. Ancient and modern engineering wonders introduce the problems chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers solve. Drawing on science, math, and art, your child will use shapes to plan structures and investigate how heat, materials, and forces affect a design. Each attempt gives them something to notice and change.
For their own invention, your child will choose a real-world concern connected to one of those engineering fields. They’ll create a model, prototype, detailed blueprint, or original product to help solve it, then explain their choices to classmates. The next big idea can start with something they’ve noticed and want to make better.
This three-week course for elementary school students is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on Bryn Mawr College’s campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The course is available to commuter students.
What You Will Do
• Take objects apart and put them back together
• Explore ancient and modern engineering wonders
• Build a toothpick tower using different shapes
• Turn a pizza box into an oven
• Compare the problems different kinds of engineers solve
• Invent a solution and explain it to classmates
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Use a build, test, and improve process to solve problems
• Explain how shapes, heat, materials, and forces affect a design
• Use observations to explain why a design works or needs changes
You’ll leave with your hands-on challenge work, original engineering project, and a certificate of completion.
Why Engineering Skills Matter
Engineering helps children turn “What if?” into something they can build and test. Geometry supports planning and balance. Observing heat, materials, and physical forces helps students explain why a design works or needs another try.
Tinkering also teaches persistence. A tower that falls or a model that does not work yet provides useful information. Students practice changing one part, testing again, and explaining what improved. Sharing tools and ideas strengthens collaboration, while presenting a finished solution helps students communicate the thinking behind what they made.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade.
If your child likes taking things apart or drawing plans for something new, this course gives those ideas room to grow. Playful challenges introduce different kinds of engineering, with time to test a design and try again. No prerequisites are required.
Institute for the Gifted eligibility requirements apply; see the program FAQ.
Your Summer at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr gives elementary students a welcoming place to spend the day learning, creating, and meeting new friends. Its historic, tree-lined setting near Philadelphia makes a summer class feel special and academically structured while remaining close enough for students to return home each afternoon.
The commuter-day format combines hands-on academics with a clear daily routine and shared activities throughout the program day. Students can try something new, build confidence through participation, and enjoy the fun of learning on a college campus without an overnight stay. For families, Bryn Mawr offers a thoughtful balance of creativity, academic challenge, friendship, and age-appropriate independence in a structured day-program environment.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification of completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive