Looking for new ways to incorporate hands-on engineering lessons into your classroom, but unsure of what toys and tools to include in your K-12 curriculum?
Fear not, our in-house engineer, Dr. Dominga Sanchez, has the inside scoop on which engineering STEAM kits you and your students will love. These kits provide high-impact return on investment when used in the classroom, engaging imagination and creative problem-solving skills, with core engineering and design concepts. This collection of kits allows educators at all grade levels to integrate STEM learning in the classroom through play and collaboration.
Snap Circuits – “Snap Circuits is one of my go-to kits to use with students when discussing energy or circuits because it transforms abstract concepts into visible, exciting results. You can watch students thinking light up, that “aha” moment. They begin thinking like innovators: exploring ideas, troubleshooting challenges, revising designs, and trying again. It’s hands-on learning at its best. Great for all ages.”
Pitso Can Crusher – “The Can Crusher transforms abstract physics concepts into hands-on experience exploring how different materials respond under applied forces and begins analyzing how design influences strength and performance. They start asking deeper questions: Why did that deform the way it did? How does leverage multiply effort? What would happen if we modified the design? It becomes more than an activity- it becomes an investigation.”
Invention Box – “The Invention Box activity is where creativity meets engineering innovation, thinking in an energizing way. When students open the box, they’re met with an assortment of unexpected, random materials and one clear challenge: design a solution. There’s no single right answer. Students brainstorm, sketch, prototype, test, and redesign. They negotiate ideas with teammates, adapt when something doesn’t work, and discover that constraints actually spark innovation. What begins as a pile of parts becomes a lifting device, protective structure, or something entirely original.”
Magna Tiles – “Magna-Tiles might look simple, but they’re secretly packed with engineering design lessons. They’re a gateway to spatial reasoning, structural design, and creative problem solving. The moment students begin connecting the magnetic shapes, they’re exploring geometry in motion- experimenting with symmetry, balance, angles, and stability without really realizing it. It’s joyful, inquiry-based learning that strengthens both confidence and critical thinking – one magnetic connection at a time.”
Sphero Indi – “Sphero Indi brings early engineering and computational thinking to life in a way that feels playful and engaging. It’s great for helping students understand foundational programming concepts, collaboration, and perseverance. They design a path, test it, troubleshoot it — and that iterative process is the heart of engineering.”
Structure Testing Instrument – “There’s nothing like testing a student-built structure under real pressure. The Structure Testing Instrument transforms structural design into an exciting, evidence-based investigation. It applies controlled force, and students watch closely as their structure responds- bending, holding, or reaching its breaking points. That moment of testing is powerful. Students see how load distribution, joint connections, material choice, and overall design directly influence performance. This experience shifts learning from “Did it work?” to “Why did it work?” or “How can we improve the design?”- turning hands-on building into authentic engineering analysis and conceptual understanding. Definitely one of my top favorite experiences for students.”
Engineering isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about asking better questions. With these engineer-approved STEAM kits, you can create space for curiosity, collaboration, and real-world problem solving in your classroom. When students design, test, and redesign, they’re not just learning engineering concepts — they’re learning how to think like engineers.
The STEAM kits recommended by Dr. Sanchez are available for check-out to the patrons of the Educator Lending Library. Become a Lending Library Patron (it’s free!) and gain access to over 130 STEAM Kits.
