Every child has the ability to engineer. At The Works Museum, kids are the engineers, using real tools and materials and applying the engineering design process to solve problems. They create, collaborate, iterate to improve their ideas, and learn how to persist through setbacks.

When kids have hands-on experiences with engineering, critical STEM concepts come to life and reinforce learning. Through our Engineering for All program, children across our region can access these quality STEM experiences.

Engineering for All programs:

K-6 school workshops – programs delivered as part of field trips or directly at schools. Workshops reinforce classroom concepts and are aligned with the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Science
Family Engineering Nights – brought directly into communities, students explore engineering activities with their adults and siblings, encouraging multi-generational learning
Summer and school break camps – with camps to serve a variety of interests, kids continue learning when school isn’t in session
Tech Fest family event – explore hands-on engineering activities and demonstrations with engineers and scientists from our partner organizations.
Engineering activities for kids – downloadable activities
Resources for Educators – downloadable posters and activities

Engineering is Cool

Show your support for The Works Museum and help us get more kids engineering.

Proceeds raised through donations and t-shirt sales* go towards our Engineering for All education programs, helping us increase equity in STEM education by providing subsidized programs to under-resourced schools.

T-shirts are available in toddler, youth, and adult sizes.

Purchase a T-Shirt / Donate

Why Engineering for All Matters

We know that our programs create opportunities for each child we serve to experience personal experiences that bring engineering to life, build STEM knowledge and confidence, and open their minds to the possibilities of STEM career dreams. Our programs also allow children to practice engineering habits of mind including creative problem solving, communication, collaboration and persistence. These are key skills that every child needs.

Supporting statistics and insights:

Children begin learning STEM-related material as soon as they enter school, and their early experience and achievement in mathematics and science may affect their attitudes about, and confidence in, STEM subjects for the rest of their school careers [National Science Board, State of U.S. Science & Engineering 2020, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20201]
STEM workers enjoy higher median earnings than those in non-STEM occupations. In 2019, median earnings for full-time, year-round workers ages 25 and older in a STEM job were about $77,400. The comparable median for workers in non-STEM occupations was $46,900 (Pew Research Center, Fact Tank, April 14, 2021)
STEM jobs are projected to grow at more than twice the rate of all jobs by 2029 (STEM Connector: 10 Reasons You Need a STEM Strategy 2018)
STEM workers have the flexible skills needed for the modern economy (STEM Jobs: 2017 Update, Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Commerce)

Our Impact

To date we’ve served hundreds of thousands of students through Engineering for All including over 23,000 at 309 schools in 2022.
Through 19 years of our annual Tech Fest family events, over 15,000 family visitors have experienced hands-on activities and demonstrations with over 1,000 volunteers from our corporate, education, and non-profit partners.
We’ve also served more than 12,500 campers in our summer and school break camps.

Get Involved

To learn more about volunteering, sharing your STEM story, or getting involved as a corporate partner, please contact Emily@theworks.org. or Sarah@theworks.org.