"E" is for Engineering
 
I’m sure your house is already full of engineering projects: car tracks, marble runs, couch cushion forts, and block towers. Engineering is great for your developing littles as it encourages creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking. Exposing children early to the engineering design process helps them build a strong cognitive foundation. Engineering is all about problem solving! This is a skill that we all want our children to learn and build at a young age. 
 
What are some ways to dive into Engineering at home? Give your kids engineering challenges: build things out of recycled materials, make paper airplanes, construct a blanket fort that stands all day. Allow them the time and space to experiment, fail, and make it better. Enforce that this is about the process and not the final product. Most importantly, don’t jump in and do it for them- perfection is not the goal. Remember that what happens when they fail is just as important as what happens when they succeed. 
 
For more learning and inspiration, check out Just for Kids-  a free video resource! If asked for a username and password, use: Username: handleyPL, Password: digital. 
Check out Kanopy Kids for videos like this one and find other cute shows with science and engineering to watch. You will need to log into Kanopy with your library card, and then click on the “kids”button on the top right of the screen. If you’re a movie fan, you can search our catalog for films that incorporate engineering like this one to inspire you and your child.
 
 
Environmental engineering and the science of sustainability
by Robert Snedden

Examines how environmental engineers combine scientific concepts with the engineering design process to find ways to increase the health and comfort of people today, with the smallest negative impact to the environment
Build your own car, rocket, and other things that go
by Tammy Enz

"Provides children with instructions and tips on how to build a variety of vehicles"
Stay curious and keep exploring : 50 amazing, bubbly, and creative science experiments to do with the whole family
by Emily Calandrelli

"From the host and co-executive producer of Netflix's Emily's Wonder Lab and executive producer of Xploration Outer Space, comes a book designed to introduce the wonders of science to the whole family. Emily Calandrelli, MIT engineer and scientist, shares exhilarating experiments for junior scientists and their lab assistants, ranging from homemade ice cream to disappearing ink. The book features 50 experiments that use easy-to-find grocery store items. Each experiment includes the science behind how it works, a Hypothesize section for everyone to think about what they think will happen, science vocabulary that helps apply the STEM research to real life (did you know that ketchup is a non-newtonian fluid?) and Try This! prompts with even more ways to experiment, with your experiment. Science experiments can help spark curiosity and critical thinking. So grab your googles and a family member and get started!"
Teaching STEM in the early years : activities for integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
by Sally Moomaw

"The foundation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education begins in the early years. This book provides more than ninety activities and learning center ideas that seamlessly integrate STEM throughout early childhood classrooms. These hands-on STEM experiences enhance cooking, art, and music activities, block play and sensory table exploration, and field trips and outdoor time. Information on assessment and early learning standards is also provided.Sally Moomaw, EdD, has spentmuch of her career researching and teaching STEM education. She is an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati and the author of several early education books"
Triumphs of engineering
by Nicolas Brasch

Introduces some of the world's most remarkable structures from an engineering standpoint--including the Channel Tunnel, the Panama Canal, the Sydney Opera House, and the Gateway Arch--and discusses their unique features
Engineering the city : how infrastructure works
by Matthys Levy

Explains how cities obtain water, gas, and electricity and how these infrastructure systems developed along with the cities themselves; and provides experiments, games, and construction diagrams for interactive learning

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