Episode Details

332: Engineering Exploration at Home

 In this episode, guest Mariselle Gonzalez, a former semiconductor engineer, talks about engineering exploration at home. She offers practical ways homeschool parents can spark their child’s interest in engineering—no tech degree required!

What We Cover in This Episode:

• Mariselle’s journey from electrical engineering to teaching and curriculum design

• The many different types of engineering beyond mechanical and civil (think photonics, semiconductors, environmental, aerospace, and even prompt engineering!)

• Simple, hands-on ways to introduce engineering at home through baking, building forts, and using tinker boxes

• How to identify STEM/engineering aptitude in your child (hint: curiosity is key!)

• Encouraging problem-solving and critical thinking—even without a technical background

• Low-cost materials and DIY engineering tools you can gather for home use

• Recommended books, websites, YouTube channels, and kits that inspire creativity and engineering exploration

Resources Mentioned:

• NASA STEM Activities

• TeachEngineering.org

• Mark Rober YouTube Channel

• Sean Connolly’s The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science

• Scratch Programming (Free tool) plus FundaFunda’s Scratch programming class