Get the geek bug by learning about mechanics and easy ways to modify everyday gadgets into art. Students (8-10 years old) will learn basic hand tools, explore and disassemble machines, and create simple kinetic sculptures out of household items. Taught at Fleisher Art Memorial, in partnership with The Hacktory.
Pantographs from today’s Gadgets and Kinetics class. We looked at these examples, then built our own pantographs.
Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph
Complex examples
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Pantograph_animation.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Pantograph_Mirror.gif
PermalinkClass four of Gadgets and Kinetics the class got to use tools to start taking things apart, seeing what they are made of, and tinkering with the parts they find. The class disassembled a phone, inkjet printer, timer, keyboard, battery charger, and mouse. The only object of the project was to use tools safely and have fun taking stuff apart! We definitely accomplished both!
PermalinkTime to get down to business the Build Play Learn way! In the third week of class the Gadgets and Kinetics crew finally got to learn about what a floppy disk is, why they aren’t used anymore, explore what is inside, and finally build something from them. NTR and The Hacktory donated a giant box of the obsolete floppys to the class. We all had a lot of fun building bridges, catapults, octopi, and glasses from the vintage digital storage devices!
PermalinkThe second class of G&K was a perfect day for making pinwheels and testing them outside. It was BEAUTIFUL outside. The class learned about the structure of a pinwheel and experimented with size and mechanics. We tested the pinwheels in the courtyard and still had time to fix those that broke!
PermalinkThe first week of the Spring session of Gadgets & Kinetics the class made simple mobiles from coat hangers and cut out drawings. The class then tested their mobiles with a Wii remote and a fan. We wirelessly connected the Wii remote to a laptop so that we could see a visual output of the effect the wind was having on the mobile.
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Tomorrow is the start of our Gadgets and Kinetics spring session! Students will become designers and learn to use critical thinking and their imaginations to create and innovate. This session we’re going to be investigating different types kinetics through a series of small projects. We are going to be taking stuff apart to see how it works. Making and creating cool new gadgets, testing them and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Students will be exploring different technologies to research, document, and analyze their projects.
Check out the photo above; our first project will use a Wii Remote to experiment with wind movement!!!!!
PermalinkThe students showed their robots at the final show. The robots were made of parts re-used from disassembled appliances. Students disassembled the appliances and created concepts for robots based on the parts they collected. Everyone had really great projects. Robots rule!!!!!!!!!
PermalinkWeek 4 of Gadgets and Kinetic Sculpture our students were challenged with building a machine that would knock a ball from the top of a cup. The students were provided with specific materials to work with and could only use those materials. (straws, tape, string, cardboard, paper cups, plastic tubing, coat hanger, popsicle sticks, roll of pennies, rubber bands) The Machine had to be built from the edge of the table and could not be built inside a green square that surrounded the cup & ball. The students named the green square “The Dead Zone” ! ! !
PermalinkWeek three, the class finished up building their machines. We made a movie of the students explaining their inventions that you can view below. Everyone’s machines were very unique and turned out beautifully!
The complete set of photographs can be seen here.
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David Macaulay’s book The New Way Things Work is an update from his classic, The Way Things Work, “expanded to include the digital revolution.” Close to 400 pages of in depth explanations of technology and mechanics of the things we come in contact with every day. Beautiful hand drawn illustrations define purpose, properties, and mechanics behind “things” ranging from drills to fuel injectors and musical instruments. Curious kids and adults alike will love this book!
PermalinkMatt Miller’s Surfer Machine, the week 2 project for Gadgets and Kinetic Sculpture, is a great example of the transfer of linear to radial motion in a simple kinetic machine. Surf’s Up!
PermalinkThis is a moc-up version of our week 2 project for Gadgets and Kinetic Sculpture. It is a simple kinetic machine that will be customized by the students. This example is an owl flying through the forest at night. Enjoy!
PermalinkWeek 1 included learning the functions and safety of using basic hand tools, disassembling household appliances and then sharing what each of the students discovered.
Here is what the students shared …
