Introducing grandkids to ME & mfg 1

[tomwalz]

Introducing grandkids to ME & mfg

Any recommendations on toys and books for kids that will expose them to Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing. Legos and similar are fun but the kids don’t every hear the terms or don’t really know what the process is called and can lead to.

Part of the reason I do what I do is that 50 years ago I read the Tom Swift Jr. books. Science and engineering were really cool stuff.

Thanks,
Tom


Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

 

[Vaporware]

just saw Snap together electrical circuits which I think would be fun for kids who want to light up bulbs and make doorbells.

 

[plasgears]

I found that tearing down an old lawnmower engine revealed much of what ME is about. Point out the lube details, cooling means, bearings, valves, fuel system, dynamic balance means, ignition system, clutch, and safety features.

 

[mjl2023]

Depending on age consider interactive math and science software.
One company that used to have decent programs was The Learning Company. It has been a few years since I looked at what the have now

 

[jistre]

When I was growing up, model rockets were a great tool to learn about conservation of momentum...

Okay, okay, I'll be honest: they were just freaking cool. However, once you get past the kit tubes and start building your own, you have to have an understanding of the physics involved in terms of balance and how the CG moves forward during flight and the effect of the fins and overall geometry to predict if the rocket will soar gracefully several thousand feet up or if it will go on a homicidal corkscrew through the countryside. You also get exposure to predicting total height of flight and landing area based on impulse, ballistic trajectories after engine cutoff, and wind currents and performance of the recovery system. Plus, if you get really fancy, you can incorporate cameras and get some airborne shots of whatever the rocket happens to be pointing at.

I managed to get all the way up to a three-staged rocket before I got out of the hobby. Maybe I'll get back into it, though I don't know if they even sell those solid fuel rockets anymore.

 

[GBor]

Wal-mart. $9.99 for two mini-rocket. Includes launcher, but you get what you pay for

 

[telecomguy]

Partially as a result of this thread, I am about to take on a challenge and would appreciate any ideas you guys/gals might have.

I've been asked to mentor some boys from the youth group at our church. I've struggled with the idea not knowing how to proceed, but now I'm thinking of doing outreach projects that could help others and also help expose the boys to engineering. My original thought was to build park benches or something along those lines that could be donated to nursing homes in the area. Or maybe take on some construction projects for individuals.

I'm trying to think simple yet challenging. Maybe working through the entire design process with them instead of walking in with a pre-drawn plan that says 'cut here'.

Any thoughts of other projects we might could do?

TIA,
<tg>