Junk Drawer Engineering: 25 Construction Challenges That Don't Cost A Thing
x Introduction it better His greatest contribution to the lightbulb was the screw style socket that is at the bottom of most lightbulbs now His genius was trying new ideas and never giving up He knew you can learn a lot from mistakes Remember you will learn for your entire life and along the way you will make some boo-boos Boo-boos are an opportunity to learn Any engi neering project is only a failure if you don’t learn from it A project is not a failure because it doesn’t work right It is a learning lesson in what needs to be changed Take a close look at any project and try to figure out what went wrong Modify the design and try again At the end of several of the projects will be photos to show how other people have done these projects These pictures may be great starting points to modify the project based on an idea you have Adding your own flair is part of the fun To me it has always been most of the fun These projects would be perfect for classroom and science camp competi tions Each project will also have a teacher homeschool parent section on how to adapt the challenges for a variety of levels of intellect and ages Included are a preschool elementary school middle school and high school adaptation for each project Since all children are different it is OK to move up or down the adaptations A few may only fit one category but most will be adaptable to many levels The key thing is to remember we learn best when we enjoy what we are doing Engineering is applying science principles to solve a problem Science should be fun so engineering should be fun Laughter truly is the best medi cine and in my opinion the best way to learn If a project fails laugh about it A truly spectacular fail will make you laugh Push the envelope have fun and try engineering Be careful though you may learn something along the way
1 Energy Energy makes things move It transports light sound and people The defi nition of energy is the ability to do work Engineers deal with how to make energy do what needs to be done Energy is so much a part of our everyday lives that we often take it for granted Energy is the unifying concept in all branches of science and engineering is the use of science to solve problems Zip Line Madness Create a zip line cart a Zipper to send an action figure or golf ball to the other side of the room Engineering Challenge Engineer a device that will slide down a mini zip line at the greatest speed The question you need to answer is how to engineer or repurpose something to work as the wheels that roll down the zip line Zip lines are not just a fun vaca tion treat they are a key to learning about science Speed is the thrill as you zip along The Zipper needs to slide over the zip line at the top without untying the zip line You could additionally require a safety line just as all full-size zip line operations do My contests always included that as a must because stu dents can easily see the purpose of the extra cable Engineering is both about design and safety 1
2 Junk Drawer Engineering In a classroom setting it might be a good idea to ban store-bought devices that don’t have to be modified Otherwise a student could buy small pulleys in a home improvement store that would make the wheels part a breeze making the contest an easy fast sure win They have been forbidden in my contests If they are allowed the young engineers should still have to devise a way to sus pend the payload from the pulleys It is a personal choice on whether they are OK to use or not Winners can be determined with a stopwatch as long as the same neutral person is timing every zip My classes do a March Madness style tournament with a big bracket sheet on the wall This entails making two side-by-side zip lines You can hold both Zippers in place with a ruler and let them go at the same time You can even have someone use a cell phone to film the finish line for close finishes Put the teams randomly on the bracket A bracket eliminates the need for a stopwatch Students also like picking their team’s name Races add a little fun drama The winning team gets to take the bracket home as a trophy From the Junk Drawer Sturdy string or nylon cord 2 strong attachment points for the zip line or 4 for dueling zip lines Paper clips Plastic cup Rubber bands Wheel ideas modified rubber toy car wheels small pulleys scavenged from old mini blinds sewing bobbins or 2 buttons glued together don’t be afraid to glue things together Plastic bottle cap Hot glue and glue gun Scissors Hammer and nail Action figure golf ball or little stuffed animal Batman is the most familiar action hero who regularly uses a zip line In a classroom setting you might want to use something that is gender neutral Women make up a very large part of engineering majors now For zip line race bracket Poster board and marker and cell phone to film really close finishes Sturdy tape optional Step 1 Tie one end of the zip line cord to a sturdy base The top needs to be high You can use the top of a cabinet the top hinge of a door or the
Energy 3 back of a chair depending on the age of children You can also use tape to secure this end if it is sturdy tape Step 2 Attach the other end of the zip line to a lower point on the other side of the room The line needs to be pulled tight and not have any visible sag A great idea is to tie the bottom to a chair or desk You can move the chair to pull the zip line taut Step 3 Unfold a paper clip Step 4 Build a harness for the zip line rider You can do this with string thin wire and rubber bands or you can use a plastic cup to create a gondola that hangs from your trolley Steps 5 through 8 will show you how to make a gondola for your toy
