On Monday, about a dozen Manassas teachers presented to their peers an array of hands-on “engineering” projects they did with kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The teachers were part of an 18-member team that had just completed a 12-week children’s engineering class led by James Madison University adjunct professor Marcia Hickey.

Although teachers said students loved the hands-on activities, there were kinks and challenges. Several teachers said students had a hard time writing down the problems they encountered and working in groups. And teachers admitted having trouble stepping back and letting the children be creative on their own. “We all ran into some of the same issues because the children haven’t experienced this kind of learning before,” said Grissom, who had her students make either a house that moved through the seasons or seasons that scrolled by a house. “They had trouble using skills they need when they leave school, like brainstorming and working together.”