Yes, teaching engineering to kids is actually a class you can get course credit for! Built into my major (and probably the other engineering majors) are technical electives where you can explore different engineering majors or other aspects of engineering, so I chose to take a course called teaching engineering to kids.
The course is taught by Iridescent, a company that specializes in making design challenges for kids to promote STEM. As a student, we work in groups to create design challenges for young kids in a family after school program in the surrounding USC area. My group’s theme is “Super Savers,” which means that each week students will create a design to save someone or something from a non so great situation or save the environment. For example, someone is doing a design challenge about creating a shark tank where the students will learn about structures and materials for underwater use. I’m working on a spinning machine to save energy!
An after school family learning sessions taught by USC students!
I’m so excited to start teaching after spring break, but in the mean time, we’ve been learning about the state of STEM education in the United States and about the local schools around USC.
