In a middle school classroom, the science of fluidics was introduced using the rig. Afterwards the students were able to make informed choices about using air or water as the medium inside their syringes. The three kits available through the NFPA were explored, reverse-engineered, discussed, and analyzed as a lead-in to the in-house culminating activity: the design of a warehouse shelving system. Hand tools and safety glasses were already available, so the only cost involved was the NFPA Challenge kit for each team of four students. The vital element of the portfolio work made this an excellent culminating activity, covering many elements of STEM curricula as attested by the standards addressed in this article. The students demonstrated great ingenuity and inventiveness when faced with the open-ended design problem. They retained and used the scientific content in their portfolio explanations and used acquired engineering practices in the technological design process.