2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The demand for STEAM professionals in the U.S. is increasing, yet women and individuals from historically marginalized communities remain significantly underrepresented in these careers. By the age of 13, many students decide that STEAM subjects are either uninteresting or too difficult. As a result, there is a pressing need to boost interest, capability, and confidence in STEAM fields among children, with a particular focus on marginalized students. Spatial Visualization (SV) is a critical skill linked to success in STEAM, involving the ability to think in three dimensions. This skill is often developed through 2D and 3D sketching and hands-on projects. Although it is a learnable skill, it remains under-emphasized in traditional education. One effective approach is through “Making” activities that have been shown to increase interest in STEAM. The beauty of sketching and simple Making activities is that they are accessible to children and build on skills they already have, regardless of the children’s developmental stage. However, to be engaging, especially for marginalized communities, they need to be culturally relevant. This paper outlines the development and implementation of an engineering piñata project in two STEAM programs, one in California and one in Massachusetts, for elementary-aged children. The project aimed to teach spatial visualization (SV) skills while engaging students in a culturally relevant activity that connects these new skills to their everyday lives. ~70% of participants were from communities marginalized in STEAM. The engineering integration in the project centered on strengthening piñatas using folded flat patterns. Children learned the engineering design-build-test-redesign process and were introduced to the use of spatial visualization (SV) in engineering to fold flat materials into 3D structures. They then built and tested piñatas, comparing the strength of those constructed from separate cardboard pieces to those made from folded flat patterns. Finally, students were able to choose a desired shape based on prior testing, and design and decorate their own customized piñata to take home. Surveys were conducted to assess students' interest and self-efficacy in the piñata project, spatial visualization activities, sketching, and STEAM. Students were observed and their work was evaluated. The results indicated that students thoroughly enjoyed the piñata project and expressed a desire to participate in more similar projects. Students reported increased confidence in building through the project. This paper will explore their object choices for personalized piñatas and how the project fostered a sense of achievement. Future directions will focus on refining the culturally relevant piñata project for easier implementation by educators and incorporation into various programs. This project is the first step in the development of additional “Making” projects centered around SV and sketching skills with the goal of increasing STEAM diversity, access, and engagement.