Problem: we share space. While the school where I work is not affiliated with any religion, we are housed within a church. Many of the rooms we use are shared space. My room is not supposed to be shared, but it may be used infrequently for various things. Therefore, we can't leave things set up for any length of time. How on Earth can we create a complicated machine, especially one in which the creation may span weeks? Answer: we can't.
Solution: baby steps. We will build one "contraption" at a time, make sure it works, document what we did and how, then tear it down.
Problem: where do we start? My students are extremely creative and smart, but they are only four and five years old. Their knowledge of engineering and machines is pretty limited. As is mine! I obtained my Master's in Early Childhood Education, but I spent 8 years as a music therapist, so I have a music degree--I'm definitely not an engineer. However, what my music therapy degree did prepare me for in this process is identifying what we want the end result to be, then working backwards to find where to start. I decided that the basics in this instance would be learning about simple machines.
Solution: We will start with levers, wheel and axles, conveyor belts, pulleys, and ramps.
Three cheers for determining step one!
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