Build a roller coaster for a marble. Fine. But what if the marble has to travel as slowly as possible without stopping? Now your students actually have to think.

Criteria and constraints aren't fine print — they are the design of your engineering challenge. In this episode Nicole breaks down what criteria and constraints actually mean, why getting them wrong tanks the whole experience, and how to set them intentionally before you hand out a single piece of tape.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What criteria and constraints actually are
• Why a challenge that's too easy isn't fun — and how the right constraints add the right amount of struggle
• What you lose when criteria are vague
• How to ground your constraints in something real
• Two questions to ask yourself before your next engineering challenge

LINKS MENTIONED:

📬 iExploreScience Substack — free weekly newsletter and resources for grades 3–5 teachers: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/

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