Brainstorming

Parents! You can use the Nucor Strength of Steel program to sharpen your child's innovative engineering skills as they develop a steel structure that can be used to support another object or objects and is suitable for use in the home, school, or a transportation vehicle.

Brainstorm with your family and motivate your child to build a steel structure for your home! Please note that the Nucor Strength of Steel Challenge is a team competition - so motivate your child to team up with friends and brainstorm!

Look around your home — are there supporting structures that can be improved upon? Is there something you really need that hasn’t been invented yet? Think about your child’s hobbies — could he or she use a structure to hold sporting or band equipment?

Look at the three categories below. Help your child come up ideas for at least two inventions in each category.

Steel at Home

1. ____________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

Steel in School
1. ____________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

Steel in the Car
1. ____________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

Review your child's ideas and help him or her refine them by answering the following questions:

1. Can the structure hold AT LEAST 5 pounds? What is the maximum load it can bear? Encourage your child to push the limit as far as he or she can.

2. How much steel is used in the construction? Can more be used?

3. What percentage of the building materials is recycled? Is there any way to make the structure greener?