Abstract:

Many students perceive physics as abstract, disconnected from their lives, and hard to grasp. On the other hand, teachers are constantly looking for innovative methodologies to bring STEM disciplines closer to real-life experience. This project reimagines science education through an engaging, gamified approach where primary school pupils (aged 6-10) and middle school students (aged 11–13), under the guidance of a tutor, become engineers of their own homes.

Developed within an educational internship at the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), and in the framework of the INFN Kids outreach initiative, that involves tens of researchers in many INFN Divisions and Laboratories, the project offers a modular, hands-on toolkit that transforms the classroom into a design studio. Students are challenged to plan and “build” their dream home, step by step: from the electric system to water plumbing, from thermal insulation to Wi-Fi distribution.

Each design task is linked to simple experiments that help students to uncover the physics behind real-world systems, such as circuits, pressure, heat transfer, electromagnetic waves, among others. The role-play dimension fosters engagement and decision-making, while the scientific activities strengthen conceptual understanding.

The project empowers students to become active learners, turning the home into a familiar yet rich context for scientific inquiry. It also supports teachers with an innovative, replicable, low-cost, and adaptable resource that aligns with STEM curricula.

By combining storytelling, experimentation, and problem-solving, this initiative aims to bridge the gap between formal education and real-life science, and to ignite a lasting curiosity for how the world works starting from home.

Keywords:

Learning by doing, Gamification in education, Physics outreach.