What do you Wonder about?
Wonder is the first step to learning and potentially developing a new concept or creating a new invention! In our project based workshop we will practice a design process to create unique inventions! After we are presented with a design challenge, we will wonder a bit... and then begin the design process.
Our Design Process:
1. Research the work of artists and scientists who might inspire us to come up with a solution to our design challenge.
2. Sketch and write about our research and ideas in our Inventor's Notebook
3. Build Prototypes
4. Test Prototypes
5. Make adjustments and fine tune our inventions
Our Design Process:
1. Research the work of artists and scientists who might inspire us to come up with a solution to our design challenge.
2. Sketch and write about our research and ideas in our Inventor's Notebook
3. Build Prototypes
4. Test Prototypes
5. Make adjustments and fine tune our inventions
The Notebook
Follow Leonardo's lead. As a researcher and designer, your notes should be a mixture of sketches and text. Text does not have to be backwards.
Rotor Egg Drop Challenge-
Design and Build a rotor that can safely land an egg on the lower patio
During the Research & Sketching Phases my 2nd. to 4th. grade group of students studied how birds fly, why some birds don't fly, and some basic principles of flight. These notebook pages demonstrate a combination of sketches and text to record and communicate their understanding.
Here you can see them starting to build prototypes of rotors based on their designs in their notebooks. The Design Process is fluid. They can go back to research and sketching whenever they need to figure something out.
During the Prototype Phase, the children built rotors and tested them by dropping them off the upper playground. Then it was back to the studio to make adjustments or sometimes completely redesign their prototype. At the end of the day most students were able to drop their rotors off the upper playground and land the egg safely on the lower patio.