Growing up, working with my hands, disassembling and reassembling tractor parts without the use of manuals or instructions, allowed myself to grasp how and why things work and move the way they do. This is one of the reasons why I decided to pursue an engineering career. I take this same approach for my labs, allowing my students the ability to create machine motion with their hands by operating certain computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines. I ask them why and how the machine moves the way that it does. From the key stroke to the driver, to the stepper motor to the rotation of the spindle, each component relies on one another for correct and smooth operation. These questions and hands-on experiences allow the students the ability to problem solve and trouble shoot as if they were an engineer in the real world.