Engineering, 7–10 years — 20 topics · MyLeoNes™ Kuks
20 engineering topics written for 7–10 years — not a older text simplified. In teaching order, each a deck of five cards: the idea, why it exists, a worked example, the common trap and where you meet it.
Engineering · 7–10 years
The engineering design cycle
Engineers turn a real need into a plan, a model and a better solution by testing it.
Why triangles strengthen structures
A triangle keeps its shape, so it can help a bridge, roof or tower resist pushing and pulling.
Levers make lifting easier
A bar turning around a fixed point can trade distance for force.
How a simple water filter works
Different layers can catch different kinds of dirt, but clearer water is not necessarily safe to drink.
Gears change movement
Learn how toothed wheels pass movement along, change its direction and trade speed for turning strength.
How arches hold weight
An arch spreads a load through its curved shape, helping openings stay strong without a solid wall across them.
A circuit needs a complete path
See how a battery, wires, switch and lamp work together only when electricity has a complete route to follow.
Insulation slows heat transfer
Discover how trapped air and suitable materials slow heat moving between a warm object and its surroundings.
Compression and tension
Structures stay standing because their parts push or pull in different ways.
Choosing materials by their properties
Engineers choose a material for what it needs to do, not simply because it looks strong.
Inclined planes make lifting easier
A ramp trades a shorter, steeper lift for a longer path with less force.
Pulleys change how we lift
A wheel with a groove guides a rope, changing the direction or amount of force needed to lift a load.
Friction can help or hinder movement
Friction is a contact force that engineers sometimes need and sometimes try to reduce.
Screws turn twisting into holding
A screw’s sloping thread helps it enter a material and hold parts together.
Foundations spread a building’s weight
A foundation passes a building’s weight safely into the ground instead of letting it sink or tilt.
Feedback helps a system stay on target
A system can measure what is happening, compare it with a target and make a useful change.
The balance point of an object
An object is easier to balance when its weight is supported in the right place.
Water pushes harder deeper down
The weight of water above creates pressure, so depth matters when engineers build tanks and dams.
Bridges need room to expand
Materials change size with temperature, so engineers leave safe gaps instead of forcing a bridge to stay fixed.
Wind turbines turn wind into electricity
Moving air can turn blades, and a generator changes that rotation into electrical energy.
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