Engineering Explorers

”If the squirrel comes down from the tree this way, we can trap him under here!" exclaims six-year-old Elliott.

The playground equipment sits empty as Elliott, Harper, and their fellow "squirrel trappers" gather at the base of a towering oak tree in our neighborhood park. 

The children have long been captivated by this venerable old oak, which has served as a stimulating "natural laboratory" for many mathematical and scientific inquiries disguised as play.

Today's outdoor learning adventure may look like simple child's play to the neighborhood residents strolling through the park. But nothing could be further than the truth.

This morning, the children are engaged in deep learning and forming new neural connections as they use their creative thinking, observation, planning, and problem-solving skills—along with their emerging knowledge of science, engineering, and math—to build a squirrel trap at the base of their favorite tree.  

 

“Wait! Wait!" intervenes five-year-old May, who sounds panicked as she blurts out: "Are you trapping Miss Suzy?"

The urgency in her voice stops the squirrel trappers in their tracks. “No, no, May," the boys reassure her. "We aren’t trapping Miss Suzy! We are trapping the red squirrels. They’re the ones that fight a lot. We want them out of this tree.”

A book lover with a vivid imagination, May is worried about the beloved squirrel featured in our favorite autumn book, Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young.

This captivating story about a gray squirrel whose cozy home is invaded by a group of six red squirrels has been in our library since day one. If you haven’t read this classic, see if you can find it in your library. It’s an oldie but a goodie. We have been reading this book to the children in our program for more than 30 years.

Every autumn, without fail, I hear the children in our program say, “Hello, Miss Suzy,” to every squirrel they see. This charming literary tradition has been passed down through decades and generations of early learners in our program.

Relieved and intrigued, May joins the squirrel-trap design team. The older boys are shouting orders to the younger trappers.

“We need some sticks—about this long!” Elliott declares, using his hands to show how long the sticks should be. “And bark! We will need some bark!”

The younger children scatter in all directions to search for the materials that the older boys have requested. As they pick up sticks, I see them glancing over at the tree to see if any of the sticks might be the right size for the trap.

“We can use these tree roots as the base, and put the sticks on the sides,” suggests one of the older boys, engaging in a bit of design thinking while the younger children forage for building materials.

“And we can leave this opening here for the squirrel to get in," says Harper, pointing to a natural gap between the roots.

"Let's put some acorns inside," adds another squirrel trapper. "The squirrel will eat them and get fat, and it won't be able to get back out through the hole. Like when Winnie the Pooh ate too much honey.”

Meanwhile, four-year-old Owen has been busy scooping up sticks. He lugs several over to the tree and drops them in front of the older boys. 

“That stick's too short, and so is that one and that one,” says Owen's older brother, Robert, the project's self-appointed head engineer. Robert tosses the sticks over his shoulder one by one as he rejects them. "And this one is too long!"

Owen's frustration is mounting as his sticks fail to "measure up." Glaring at his big brother, he defiantly snaps the long stick in half and hands it to Elliott, one of the other lead engineers.

Elliott—who is kinder and (even better) unrelated—smiles at Owen's ingenuity and adds the two shorter sticks to the structure. Moments like these help build non-traditional measuring skills, spatial awareness, and social-emotional skills. 

I listen and observe as the children predict the possible routes that the red squirrels might take as they come down out of the tree and brainstorm some ways to fortify the squirrel trap so that the wind won’t blow it down. Discussions like these promote the development of critical thinking skills and spark creativity as the children search for solutions to potential problems.

Hands-on learning opportunities like this one also deepen children's understanding of the engineering process. Whether they're building a squirrel trap, a fort, or a sand castle, engineering adventures challenge children to think, observe, problem-solve, and persevere—traits that will serve them well in the years to come.

"Keep this square right here open for the door," Harper reminds his fellow trappers. "That is where the squirrel will go in. We need more sticks—and this time we will need some smaller sticks."

"Oh, and we need acorns!" he adds. "May, go get some acorns and crack them open. We can leave a trail of acorns that will lead the squirrels right up to the door.”

Years ago, I threw some nutcrackers into a bucket of acorns so that the children could work on their fine motor skills and strengthen the small hand muscles that they will need for drawing, gluing, painting, and writing. Little did I know how much children love to deconstruct nuts of any kind, including acorns!

Engineering is all about designing, building, and trying out new ideas. The younger girls begin to add leaves and dried grass to the trap to make it more inviting to the red squirrels.

Engineering can be as complex as an aerospace project or as simple as adding a few leaves and pine cones to a squirrel trap.

The design and construction process involves inspiration, imagination, observation, and research—engineering steps that are taking place in front of my eyes under the giant oak tree.

This simple act of communal creation teaches children about the value of teamwork as they build their squirrel trap.

It also empowers our youngest learners to become early engineering explorers by showing them that they really can't go wrong by adding a stick or two.

A morning of collaboration, problem-solving, and ingenuity—with a little sibling rivalry thrown in—yields an impressive squirrel trap and a whole lot of STEAM learning!

This autumn, consider heading out into the natural world to create authentic, engaging, and accessible engineering experiences through outdoor play.

If this extended engineering adventure throws you off schedule for the day, go with the flow and throw away your “curriculum stopwatch."

If the children are still engaged in the engineering process when snack time rolls around, hand out the snacks onsite and let the children refuel while they brainstorm solutions to their design challenges.

Then sit back, observe this child-led engineering adventure, and enjoy the crisp autumn air as you check off your early learning standards one by one!