Roller Coaster Engineering

Lower Age: 6
Upper Age: 106
Website: https://store.thamesandkosmos.com/products/roller-coaster-engineering
Price: $49.95
Year Added: 2022
Roller Coaster Engineering
This building toy by Thames and Kosmos is the perfect introduction to hands-on engineering experience while introducing fundamental physics and mathematical concepts.

The instruction booklet contains information regarding the physics and formulas that go into creating roller coasters, including an interview with a real-life roller coaster engineer. The toy itself allows kids to make any design they can think of. 

The toy shines when the design doesn’t work as intended. Instead of giving up on the design, you have to think about the aspects of the design that didn’t work and try different iterations and tests. Running multiple tests and adjusting the design after each one is fundamental in any engineering project and is a fantastic introduction to the engineering design process. The toy serves as a great way to introduce advanced concepts in engineering, physics, and mathematics in an informal and fun manner. - D. C. Coble, Purdue Reviewer

Framework Categories

Processes of Design (POD)
Concepts of Engineers and Engineering (CEE)
Apply SEM Knowledge (SEM)
Spatial Reasoning
Engineering Thinking (EThink)

Moore, T.J., Glancy, A.W., Tank, K.M., Kersten, J.A., Smith, K.A., & Stohlmann, M.S. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of Precollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13.