41
1 BUILDING BLOCKS 2.0 Combining Science, Building Blocks and Fun “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning” William Ward
1
BUILDING BLOCKS
2.0 Combining Science,
Building Blocks and Fun
“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning” William Ward
2
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this resource.
This resource is for 4‐H educational purposes only.
A limited supply of building blocks are available for Clubs and Area Councils to borrow. Please send your request to M4HC.
204‐726‐6136 Dawn Krinke ‐ [email protected]
Sections of this resource were adapted from the 4‐H Ontario—Building Blocks Engineering project.
They were used with the permission of the Ontario 4‐H Council.
3
Table of Contents
Available Resources Building Blocks in Education The Amazing LEGO® Brick 10 Fun LEGO® Facts About This Resource What Youth Are Doing With Science and Building Blocks 4‐H Hands On Science Powered by Smarter Science Predict Explain Observe Explain Steps PEOE Technique Assess & Evaluate Inquiry Card ‐ Tower World’s Tallest Tower Inquiry Card ‐ Catapult Inquiry Card ‐ Car Race Inquiry Card ‐ Bridges Inquiry Card ‐ Balloon Car Inquiry Card ‐ Sturdy Wall Inquiry Card ‐ Gears Inquiry Card ‐ Boats Inquiry Card ‐ Light & Shadow Inquiry Card ‐ Mosaic ART Factsheet
Page 4 Page 5 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 15‐16 Page 17 Page 19 Page 21 Page 23‐24 Page 25‐26 Page 27 Page 29‐31 Page 33 ‐34 Page 35‐36 Page 37‐38 Page 39 –40
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Available Resources
Pinterest – The Visual Discovery Tool Pinterest is a social media bulletin board for you to virtually pin pictures of things that interest you to your own personal boards – Pin‐Explore‐Discover! 4‐H Manitoba has a Pinterest account. Each project series has a board full of fun and interesting ideas. There are also boards for 4‐H Awesome, Community Service, Volunteers, Communications and Building Blocks. Check it out at www.pinterest.com/4hmanitoba/
The following may be borrowed from M4HC ( 204‐726‐6136):
To borrow contact Shirley: 204‐726‐6613
Pkgs: #28 or #29
1 Medium Sized Tub of LEGO® DUPLO®
1 Large Tub of LEGO® Bricks 4 Tubs of Large Mega Bloks®
15 Green Base plates
2 LEGO® Idea Books To borrow contact Joanne: 204‐851‐2481
12 LEGO® Cars
Gearing Up ‐ Explore how gears work by experimenting with different combinations.
Using actual gears, this activity shows members how by working together . As one unit things can get done faster and with less effort!
5
The Amazing LEGO® Brick Factsheet
1. The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. He made wooden toys.
2. In 1949 the first LEGO® bricks were made. They were called “Automatic Binding Bricks”.
3. In 1958, the LEGO® brick was launched with a new coupling principle, the one we know today, opening up endless building possibilities.
4. DUPLO® bricks are designed for preschool age children. However, they are designed so that they can be used with LEGO® bricks.
5. The name LEGO® refers to the brand name and it is never to be used as a plural. e.g. LEGOs.
6. Standard pieces are called bricks, NOT blocks. The bumps on top of the brick are called studs. Everything is referred to by its stud count, so a classic LEGO® brick is referred to as a 2x4.
7. LEGO® is manufactured by a complex process involving a mixture of chemical compounds that is injected into moulded shapes. To view the ‘Chemistry of LEGO’ visit https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/how‐are‐lego‐bricks‐made‐the‐chemistry‐of‐lego/
6
10 Fun LEGO® FACTS
1. LEGO® comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt” which means “play well”.
2. 55 billion LEGO® elements were produced in 2013. 600 billion have been manufactured since the company began in 1932. 105,000 pieces are made every minute.
3. LEGO® is one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers ‐ they make 500 million LEGO® tires every year.
4. The world’s children spend 5 billion hours each year playing with LEGO® bricks.
5. On average, every person on earth owns 86 LEGO® bricks.
6. A column of 40 billion LEGO® bricks would reach the moon.
7. There are enough minifigures to wrap around the earth at least 4 times. Ap‐proximately 4 billion minifigures have been produced making them the world’s largest population.
8. Approximately 7 LEGO® sets are sold every second. During the Christmas sea‐son it increases to 34 sets.
9. 2 eight stud bricks of the same colour can be combined in 24 ways. 3 eight stud bricks of the same colour can be combined in 1060 ways. 6 eight stud bricks can be combined in 915, 103, 765 million ways.
10. In 2009, James May of Great Britain built a full scale house entirely of 3.3 million LEGO® bricks. It took 1000 volunteers to build it. It includes a
working toilet and shower and a bed made from LEGO®. See this article for more pictures: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article‐1214729/James‐
May‐size‐Lego‐house‐wants.html
7
Building Blocks in Education
Building Blocks provide hands‐on tools that develop lateral thinking in a fun environment. Enhances 3 dimensional thinking Improves literacy as kids work with instructions Promotes communication and critical thinking Involves fine motor development Develops problem solving, organization and planning by construction Encourages creativity
Building Blocks are used in the classroom to assist in skill development as well as to assess cur‐rent knowledge Improving hand‐eye coordination Developing scientific and technological solutions Involving geometry, mathematics, and engineering Following directions with logic and reasoning Duplicating complex patterns Planning and evaluating patterns
Play is a key element in children’s growth and development and it stimulates imagination, the emergence of ideas and creative expression. By making things, children explore their ideas and discover how things work. A hands‐on approach will help members retain what is learned better than if someone simply gives them the information.
Learn To Do By Doing “Learn To Do By Doing” is the 4‐H motto and is one of the main reasons 4‐H has been so widely
recognized and respected in the field of informal education. It engages the learner and encourages
them to think more. They will ultimately learn more than through traditional teaching methods.
Experiential learning is more than just doing activities. It involves planning and discussing the
activity, drawing conclusions from the activity, and applying those conclusions to the real world.
Hands‐on activities expose members to new skills and encourage continuous learning.
About This Resource
Build, play and grow! Introduce yourself to the world of building and designing various basic structures and machines. Working in teams or as individuals, test the strength, efficiency and accuracy of the project you build. Apply real‐world concepts in physics, engineering, architecture and art. Challenge yourself to increase the strength, speed, stability and accuracy or efficiency of your project,. Learn leadership, communication and team building skills. The sky is the limit as to what you can create.
This resource has been developed to provide you with tools to teach 4‐H Members science and leadership skills in a fun learning environment. It is based on the STEAM learning model. Activities can be used on their own at club meetings, project meetings, etc. or can be combined for a larger Area Council event. Activities should be used in combination with the discussion of topic information to teach members in a hands‐on, interactive learning environment.
STEAM: Science-Technology-Engineering–Agriculture-Mathematics
8
Why Science? Why Now? The percentage of students who are very or
somewhat interested in Science decreases as students age.
12‐13 yrs 78% 14‐16 yrs 67% 17‐18 yrs 58%
72% of teens think science is fun! BUT only 22% express an interest in
pursuing science at the post secondary level.
Kids are natural scientists. Alan Alda
9
What Youth Are Doing With Science and Building Blocks
Toronto Teens Send LEGO® Man Into Space
In January,2012, two teenagers from Toronto, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, achieved their goal of putting a plastic astronaut in space. Together, they built a Styrofoam capsule that could carry 4 cameras, a GPS‐enabled cell phone, a hand sewn parachute, and a LEGO® man with a Canadian flag. The capsule was launched using a weather balloon which carried the Lego‐naut 24 km above the earth. That’s more than double the altitude of commerical airline flights. They captured the journey on video as the LEGO® man transitioned from a view of the skyline to darkness. Later, the balloon popped and the mission landed safely more than 120 km away from the launch site.
Braille Printer Made of LEGO®
In May, 2015, 13 year old Shubham Banerjee began a partnership with Microsoft as the youngest entrepreneur ever to receive venture‐capital funding. Banerjee has developed a solution to relieve the stresses of expensive Braille printers for those who are visually impaired. He constructed a printing device out of LEGO® upon reading about how blind people read using Braille. Using LEGO®, Banerjee is able to print in raised dots (Braille). He chose to name the machine Braigo, a combination of Braille and LEGO®. As of June, 2015, the printer was not yet available, but hopefully will be printing soon. DIY instructions are also available.
http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/129123-lego-man-space https://www.flickr.com/photos/k-ideas/6763350127/
https://roysta14.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/bragio-blindeskrift-skriver-laget-av-lego/
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4-H Hands-on Science Explore the world of science and dive into hands‐on projects and activities that let you discover how science affects everyday life! ENGAGE in the science & technology world EXPLORE ideas you may have brewing EXPLAIN your plan EXTEND your mind and reach for the sky 4‐H Canada recently entered an exciting partnership with Youth Science Canada (umbrella organization for Canada‐Wide Science Fairs) in order to create and deliver fun, informal STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math) activities within local 4‐H clubs. This resource will provide 4‐H leaders with the tools to engage in STEAM activities, and help to foster a new appreciation of science and technology in 4‐H members. By adding science to club and area council programming 4‐H leaders will help 4‐H members to develop twenty‐first century thinking skills. These include: Creativity and innovation Critical thinking and problem solving Teamwork and collaboration Initiative, self direction and entrepreneurialism Effective oral and written communication Digital competence
4-H Hands-on Science Powered By Smarter Science Smarter Science https://smarterscience.youthscience.ca/ is part of Youth Science Canada's program for engaging youth in science and providing a curricular connection to project‐based science and science fairs. Smarter Science is a framework for teaching and learning science and for developing the skills of inquiry, creativity, and innovation. Thinking like a Scientist What do scientists do? ‐ They ask questions and make observations of things in nature. ‐ They record observations and conduct experiments where possible. ‐ They use the data they collect to develop models that explain phenomena. ‐ They test their models repeatedly, and discard, refine, or confirm them. Smarter Science aims to teach students the process scientists use to learn about the world.
Building Blocks 2.0 uses the PEOE Inquiry Technique.
11
P.E.O.E STEPS 1. PREDICT Write a prediction statement for the event. “IF _____________ THEN _____________________.” o Draw a well labeled diagram of your prediction. 2. EXPLAIN Write an explanation of your prediction drawing from your understanding, experiences, theories, models and/or insights gained from your research on the topic (background info may be provided or your own research may be required) – point form. o Share your predictions with your group and/or class. o Modify your prediction or explanation based on the group discussion. 3. OBSERVE Decide what evidence you can collect or what measurements you will take to check your prediction. o Carefully collect evidence and take measurements. (You may use scientific equipment and techniques) o Record your observations. 4. EXPLAIN Write an explanation for your observations. Use theories or models to help explain your evidence and measurements. (background info may be provided or you may need to complete your own research to support or refute your findings) Believe your observations – don’t worry about what you were supposed to see. Excellent opportunity for a group note. o answer any follow up questions from the activity.
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers
are simple. Dr. Seuss
I have not failed. I’ve successfully discovered 10,000 things that won’t work. Thomas Edison ‐ Inventor of the phonograph, electric light bulb, and motion picture camera
12
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4‐H Hands‐on Science activities develop thought processing skills. Members move from Beginning through Proficient as they explore 4 different stages.
14
Employment Growth In Science Related Sectors
35% Health Occupations
20% Natural & Applied Science 10% Trades & Related Occupations
Jobs of the Future NEED Science Highest labour demand categories:
Technical Scientific
Engineering Healthcare
15
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Force
s and Stru
ctures
The prim
ary force th
at affects a structu
re is the vertical fo
rce of gravity.
The pull o
f gravity creates a downward
force o
n th
e stru
cture. Th
is downward
force co
nsists o
f the weigh
t of th
e stru
cture itse
lf (the dead
load) p
lus th
e weigh
t of w
hatever sits, h
angs, o
r walks o
n th
e stru
cture
(live load). Th
ink o
f a building as b
eing d
ivided
into layers. A
s you m
ove
down th
e stru
cture, each
layer must su
pport a little
more
weigh
t than
the one ab
ove it.
As su
ch, th
e lower layers m
ust
be stro
nger th
an th
e upper
layers. Acco
rding to
New
ton’s First Law
of M
otio
n, in
order fo
r objects at rest
to stay at rest, th
e fo
rces acting o
n th
em m
ust b
e balan
ced. Th
e tw
o
forces (gravity p
ullin
g down an
d th
e stren
gth of th
e stru
cture p
ushing
up) b
alance th
emselves at zero
and th
ere is no m
ovem
ent. If th
e
structu
re is not stro
ng en
ough
to exert a fo
rce upward
, gravity will
prevail an
d th
e stru
cture w
ill collap
se.
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g In
qu
iry C
ard
T
OW
ER
The fo
rces that act o
n stru
ctures are all p
ushes an
d pulls ten
ding to
pull
pieces ap
art or p
ush pieces to
gether. Th
rough
pushing an
d pullin
g (ten
sion an
d co
mpressio
n), a b
uilding m
ust retain
its stability.
Referen
ce material is fro
m th
e Scien
tists in Sch
ools p
rogram
. For m
ore
inform
ation on fo
rces and en
gineerin
g concep
ts for yo
ung p
eople visit:
www.scien
tistsinsch
ool.ca
16
Open‐Ended In
quiry Questions:
Can
you nam
e some famous towers? For exam
ple: Eifel, CN
Which m
ethod of building will
give you the strongest tower?
Why is it im
portant to think about tension and
compression when
designing a building?
Do it! Challenge #1
Design and construct a building block tower that can
withstand
movemen
t (w
ind, earthquake) without falling down. B
uild
the tower
and place it on a trampoline or an
unstable surface. How high can
you
make the tower before it topples? Experim
ent with the base width, the
height, and the weight on the top of the tower. U
se the PEO
E technique
to conduct your experim
ents.
Dig It!
Which structure used for your tower was the m
ost successful?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
Do it! Challenge #2
Using Building Blocks, construct a rep
lica of a famous tower landmark.
Experim
ent to find the best building technique. W
ill it pass the
movemen
t test? Use the PEO
E technique to conduct your experiments.
Dig It!
What building techniques were used to build
your tower?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
Staggered
Stacked
17
World’s Tallest LEGO® Tower Guinness Book of World Records
The tallest LEGO® Tower in the world was built on May 25, 2014 in Budapest, Hungary. It took 4 days and 450,000 bricks to build the tower. It measured 34.76 metres high. Photos were taken by Getty Images.
You can see a video of the tower at:
http:www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/5/lego‐store‐budapest‐reach‐record‐breaking‐heights‐with‐tower‐record‐57704‐57714/
18
If You Can Dream It You Can Build It
Today is a great day to learn something new!
www.wallpowper.com
19
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Levers are sim
ple m
achines. Th
ey make it easier to
lift a heavy lo
ad or
to ap
ply fo
rce. A lever is a straigh
t bar th
at turns aro
und a fixed
point
when
it is pushed
or p
ulled
. The point is called
a fulcru
m. Th
e pushing
or p
ullin
g is called effo
rt. A seesaw
is an exam
ple o
f a lever.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
How m
any exam
ples o
f levers can yo
u list? Fo
r example, w
heel‐
barro
w, cro
w bar, h
ammer.
When
would yo
u use a lever?
How do levers m
ake work easier?
Do it!
A catap
ult is a sim
ple m
achine th
at is used
for th
rowing o
r launching large
objects o
ver a long d
istance. U
sing
Building B
locks, b
uild
a simple catap
ult. Exp
erimen
t with
differen
t design
s and m
odels. Th
e exam
ple in
the pictu
re uses an
axle and wheels
to create
the fu
lcrum. Lau
nch weigh
ts by p
ushing d
own on th
e en
d
opposite
the weigh
t. Experim
ent w
ith differen
t weigh
ts and with
the
placem
ent o
f the fu
lcrum on th
e bar. U
se the PEO
E technique to
conduct yo
ur exp
erimen
ts. Dig It!
Did m
ovin
g the fu
lcrum ch
ange how th
e weigh
t was lau
nched
?
What w
as the differen
ce betw
een lau
nching a h
eavy and a ligh
t weigh
t?
What w
ould yo
u do diffe
rently? G
ive it a try.
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
CA
TA
PU
LT
4-H
Han
ds-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
20
S
om
ewh
ere,
S
om
eth
ing
In
cred
ible
Is W
ait
ing
T
o H
ap
pen
. C
arl S
agan
Carl Sagan
was an American
astronomer, cosm
ologist,
astrophysicist, astrobiologist.
Www.red
hoop.com/blog
21
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! An inclin
ed plan
e is a sim
ple m
achine. It is a flat su
rface set at an
angle
(its en
ds h
ave differen
t heigh
ts). It make
s it easier to lift h
eavy objects
by u
sing less effo
rt over a lo
nger d
istance. Fo
rce is th
e cap
acity to do
work o
r cause physical ch
ange. O
bjects o
n an
inclin
ed plan
e are
influ
enced
by th
e downward
force o
f gravity. The stru
cture o
f the
inclin
ed plan
e exerts an
upward
(norm
al) force to
support th
e object.
Togeth
er, these
forces co
ntrib
ute to
the net fo
rce in th
e directio
n of
the slo
pe of th
e inclin
ed plan
e. The net fo
rce causes th
e object to
accelerate (gain
speed
) as it moves d
own th
e inclin
ed plan
e.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are so
me exam
ples o
f inclin
ed plan
es?
For exam
ple, ram
ps, ch
utes, slid
es.
When
have
you used
an inclin
ed plan
e?
How do inclin
ed plan
es make w
ork easier?
Do it!
Use B
uilding B
locks to
build
a race car. Usin
g the inclin
ed plan
e, race
your car again
st others’ cars an
d m
ake changes to
improve yo
ur car’s
perfo
rmance b
y measu
ring d
istance. Exp
erimen
t with
differen
t design
s and m
odels to
build
a car that travels as far as p
ossib
le. Experim
ent b
y changin
g the slo
pe of th
e ram
p an
d m
aking n
ecessary changes to
im
prove yo
ur car. U
se the PEO
E technique to
conduct yo
ur
experim
ents.
Dig It!
What ch
anges to
the car affected
the distan
ce it traveled? W
hy?
What h
appen
ed when
you ch
anged
the slo
pe of th
e inclin
ed
plan
e? Why?
What w
ould yo
u do diffe
rently? G
ive it a try.
Downward
Force o
f Gravity
Upward
(Norm
al) Force
Net Fo
rce = Acceleratio
n
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
CA
R R
AC
E
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
22
Idea
s a
re
the
Bu
ild
ing
B
lock
s o
f Id
eas.
Ja
son
Zeb
ehaz
y Www.addicted2fun.com
23
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! A brid
ge is a stru
cture th
at is built to
provid
e passage
over p
hysical
obstacles su
ch as b
odies o
f water, valleys, o
r roads. Yo
u dep
end on th
e
strength
and m
echanics o
f brid
ges as you travel. Tw
o fo
rces act o
n
brid
ges ‐ compressio
n an
d ten
sion. C
ompressio
n resu
lts from th
e
weigh
t or th
e load
on th
e brid
ge pushing th
e upper su
rface of th
e
brid
ge m
ore tigh
tly togeth
er. If the fo
rce of co
mpressio
n beco
mes to
o
great for th
e brid
ge stru
cture to
support, it can
cause th
e brid
ge to
buckle. Ten
sion is th
e fo
rce pullin
g on th
e lower su
rface of th
e brid
ge
as it is stretched
apart. Th
is force can
result in
the brid
ge sn
apping. A
brid
ge can
be stren
gthen
ed by tran
sferring stress to
spread
the fo
rce even
ly over a greater area.
The Akash
i‐Kaikyo
Brid
ge in Jap
an m
easu
res 1
991m betw
een
supportin
g structu
res and is th
e longest sin
gle sp
an brid
ge in
the world
. The world
record longest LEG
O® brid
ge was 3
2.32m long w
ith a cen
tre span
of 2
0m. It w
as design
ed based
on th
e Akash
i‐Kaikyo
Brid
ge an
d
was ab
le to
support a m
ovin
g model train
.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What typ
es of b
ridges are b
uilt aro
und th
e world
and why? Fo
r exam
ple, b
eam, tru
ss, movab
le.
What facto
rs strength
en or w
eaken a b
ridge?
Why are co
mpressio
n an
d ten
sion im
portan
t when
you are
design
ing a b
ridge?
compression
tension
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
BR
IDG
ES
4-H
Han
ds-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
24
Do it!
Design a bridge that can
be constructed
using Building Blocks. Develop a
plan to build
a bridge that can
span
a distance of 30 cm between two
tables or chairs of the sam
e height while supporting a cup of marbles.
Consider using different shapes in
your building plan to add stren
gth to
your structure. U
se Building Blocks to build
your bridge. O
nce your
bridge is complete, test the stren
gth of your bridge by placing a
container on the m
iddle of the span
and by adding marbles until the cup
is full or the bridge snaps. Experim
ent by making changes to your bridge
until it can support the entire load. Try to adapt your bridge to span
a
greater distance while supporting weight. Use the PEO
E technique to
conduct your experim
ents.
Dig
It!
What features of the bridge contributed to the stren
gths and
weaknesses of the bridge?
How else m
ight you experim
ent with bridges?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
25
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Many cars are p
owered
by gaso
line, d
iesel, or o
ther co
mbustib
le fu
els. A Building B
locks car can
be powered
by air fro
m a b
alloon. N
ewton's
Third
Law of M
otio
n states th
at for every actio
n, th
ere is an eq
ual an
d
opposite
reaction. In
the case
of th
e Ballo
on Powered
Car, th
e actio
n is
the air ru
shing fro
m th
e ballo
on. Th
e air escap
es from th
e ballo
on
quickly b
ecause th
e air p
ressure in
side th
e ballo
on is m
uch high
er than
the air p
ressure o
utsid
e th
e ballo
on. Th
e reactio
n is th
e m
ovem
ent o
f the car in
the opposite
directio
n becau
se of th
rust (a su
dden
movem
ent in
a specified
directio
n).
Develo
pmen
t of th
e world
’s first air powered
car began
as early as 1999. Compressed
air is used
to power th
e en
gine’s p
istons. Th
ese cars
have
a very low en
vironmen
tal impact. Th
e car can
be powered
solely
by air o
r in co
mbinatio
n with
gasoline, d
iesel, or electricity.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are so
me exam
ples o
f things th
at are powered
by air? Fo
r exam
ple, glid
er, tools, air‐p
owered
car.
What o
ther n
ew power so
urces are b
eing d
eveloped
?
Why is th
e fo
rce of air p
ressure im
portan
t?
Force o
f air movem
ent fro
m
the b
alloon
Thrust = o
bject
moves fo
rward
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
BA
LL
OO
N C
AR
4-H
Han
ds-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
26
Do it!
Use Building Blocks to design
and build
a balloon powered
car.
Develop a system to attach the inflated
balloon to the Building Blocks
car. Leave a single space in your design to thread
the balloon through.
Test your car’s perform
ance. Experim
ent by making changes to the
structure of the car and to the position and inflation of the balloon to
improve your car. Use the PEO
E technique to conduct your
experim
ents.
Dig It!
What factors caused the car to stop?
What happen
ed when
you changed the position of the
balloon? Why?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
27
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! En
gineerin
g is the process o
f finding so
lutio
ns to
human
problem
s through
the use of creativity an
d th
e ap
plicatio
n of m
ath an
d scien
ce skills. B
uildings m
ust b
e design
ed to
with
stand a lo
t of w
eight an
d m
ay hold a lo
t of p
eople. It is th
e en
gineer’s resp
onsib
ility to en
sure th
at buildings are fu
nctio
nal an
d safe.
Many fo
rces can act o
n buildings. Th
e fo
rce of gravity p
ulls th
e
structu
re down to
ward
s the cen
ter of th
e earth
. The su
rface of th
e
earth pushes b
ack against th
e botto
m of th
e building. W
inds an
d
earthquakes ap
ply fo
rces on buildings. P
eople in
side buildings also
apply fo
rces to th
e stru
cture o
f the building. P
ieces of th
e building p
ush
(compressio
n) an
d pull (ten
sion) again
st one an
other.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are so
me exam
ples o
f very strong stru
ctures? Fo
r example,
brid
ges, quinzees (o
f snow).
What m
akes a building stro
ng? W
eak?
How do en
gineers ch
oose which
building m
aterials they w
ill use
in th
eir projects?
Do it!
Use B
uilding B
locks to
design
and build
a sturdy (firm
ly built) w
all of a
minim
um of 6
blocks lo
ng an
d 6 blocks tall. M
ake necessary ch
anges
until yo
ur w
all can su
pport th
e weigh
t of a 4
‐H m
ember. C
hallen
ge
yourself to
build
a sturdy w
all with
as few blocks as p
ossib
le. Use th
e
PEO
E technique to
conduct yo
ur exp
erim
ents.
Dig It!
How did each
mem
ber b
uild
their w
all differen
tly? What m
ade
the walls stro
nger? W
eaker?
What h
appen
ed when
you used
fewer b
locks to
constru
ct your
wall?
What w
ould yo
u do diffe
rently? G
ive it a try.
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
ST
UR
DY
WA
LL
4-H
Han
ds-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
28
W
ha
tev
er
go
od
th
ing
s w
e b
uil
d e
nd
u
p b
uil
din
g
us.
Ji
m R
ohn
29
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! A gear is a ro
tating m
achine th
at looks like
a wheel w
ith teeth
around
its edge. Th
e teeth
on one gear p
ush again
st the teeth
of an
other gear
to m
ake it turn. G
ears are used
to tran
sfer energy fro
m one place
to
another. A
combinatio
n of gear p
airs can ch
ange th
e directio
n of
rotatio
n, th
e sp
eed of ro
tation, an
d th
e to
rque (ro
tational fo
rce). A gear train
is a series of tw
o or m
ore gears w
orkin
g togeth
er. Every gear train
has a d
river and a fo
llower. Th
e driver is th
e gear to
which
the fo
rce is initially ap
plied
or th
e first gear th
at is turned
. The fo
llower
is the fin
al gear in th
e train
. If a gear train has th
ree or m
ore gear, th
e
middle gears are called
idlers. N
eighbourin
g gears always sp
in in
opposite
dire
ctions, w
hile gears w
ith an
other gear b
etween
them
will
spin in
the sam
e directio
n.
Not all gears are m
anmade. In
2013, scien
tists disco
vered a gear
mech
anism
in th
e hind legs o
f Issus co
leoptra
tus, a Eu
ropean
plan
thopper sp
ecies.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are so
me exam
ples o
f things th
at are powered
by ge
ars? For exam
ple, clo
cks, farm m
achinery.
Do all gears alw
ays spin at th
e sam
e speed
? Why o
r why n
ot?
How are gears p
owered
?
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
GE
AR
S
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
30
Do it! Challenge #1:
Use Building Blocks to design
and build
gears. Set up a series of at least
three gears. Challenge yourself to build
a longer gear train. Experim
ent
by making changes to the gears’ structures and sizes until they operate
smoothly. C
hallenge yourself to build
a longer series of gears. Use the
PEO
E technique to conduct your experiments.
Challenge # 2:
Use the Gearing Up Resource Materials (#28 & #29) to construct a
series of gears. Experim
ent by designing a longer series of gears and try
using different sizes of gears. Use the PEO
E technique to conduct your
experim
ents.
Dig It!
How m
uch overlap
do the teeth of the gears need?
What happen
ed when
you changed the position or size of the
gears? W
hy?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
31
T
o b
orro
w co
ntact S
hirley:
204-726-6613 P
kgs: #28 o
r #29
Gearin
g Up
Explore how gears w
ork b
y experim
entin
g with
differen
t combinatio
ns. Th
is resource can
also be used
to sh
ow m
embers h
ow
by w
orkin
g togeth
er as one unit th
ings can
get done faster an
d with
less effo
rt! Full D
isplay C
ontents in
each
of “G
earb
otics R
obot” an
d “O
ogly
Googly”:
1 set o
f gears and accesso
ries 1 set o
f guidelin
es 1 co
ntain
er 1 rem
ote m
otor
1 set o
f batteries
Time: 10‐45 m
in.
#29
#28
32
N
O G
RE
AT
DIS
CO
VE
RY
WA
S E
VE
R
MA
DE
WIT
HO
UT
A B
OL
D G
UE
SS
. Is
aac
New
ton
Sir Isaac New
ton PRS MP was an English physicist and m
athem
atician who is widely recog‐
nised
as one of the m
ost influen
tial scien
tists of all tim
e and as a key figure in
the scien
tific
revolution
. (W
ikip
edia
)
33
The cen
ter of gravity o
f an object is th
e point w
here all o
ther fo
rces actin
g on th
e object are b
alanced
with
the fo
rce of gravity. A
boat w
ill lean
to one sid
e if th
e ce
nter o
f gravity is moved
from th
e m
iddle of th
e
boat.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are b
oats u
sed fo
r? For exam
ple, fish
ing, sailin
g, recreation,
transportatio
n, cargo
.
What facto
rs strength
en or w
eaken a b
oat?
The fu
nctio
n of th
e boat an
d th
e size
of th
e load
are importan
t to
the design
of a b
oat. W
hy?
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Arch
imed
es Prin
ciple exp
lains w
hy so
me th
ings flo
at. A boat flo
ats (or
sinks) b
ecause of b
uoyan
cy. Arch
imed
es stated th
at the upward
force
of b
uoyan
cy exerted on a stru
cture in
a body o
f water is eq
ual to
the
weigh
t of w
ater the object d
isplaces (m
oves o
ut o
f its way) in
down‐
ward
and sid
eways d
irections. If th
e buoyan
t force is greater th
an th
e
weigh
t of th
e disp
laced water, th
e boat w
ill float. If th
e weigh
t of th
e
boat is greater th
an th
e fo
rce of b
uoyan
cy, the boat w
ill sink.
Stability is im
portan
t for b
oat safety. Stab
ility refers to
how a b
oat h
as been
design
ed so
it will n
ot tip
over easily. Sm
all changes to
small
boats, su
ch as fish
ing b
oats, can
greatly affect the stab
ility of th
e boat.
For exam
ple, everyo
ne stan
ding o
n one sid
e of a sm
all fishing b
oat w
ill cau
se it to
capsize. Larger b
oats, su
ch as cru
ise sh
ips, are d
esigned
so
that sm
all changes, in
cluding p
eople m
ovin
g around, don’t cau
se th
em
to tip
. All b
oats m
ust tran
sport p
eople an
d m
aterials efficiently an
d
safely.
Weigh
t of B
oat
Pushes D
own
Disp
laced W
ater Pushes U
p
When
you m
ove aro
und in
a sm
all boat, yo
u ch
ange th
e
center o
f gravity.
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
BO
AT
S
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
34
Do it!
Complete a series of challenges to build
a boat out of Building Blocks.
Begin with a single, small basep
late. M
easure how m
uch weight this raft
can hold while floating in a tub of water. Gradually add additional
Building Blocks to the raft and test it. B
uild
a basic boat design and
measure the load
it can
support. A
dd m
ore pieces to the boat or
redesign it to hold as large a load
as possible. Consider the shape of the
hull (the body of the boat). Experim
ent with how the boat is placed in
the water and how the load
is applied. Try other m
echanisms that will
affect the force of buoyancy.
Dig It!
Was the best boat constructed
out of the m
ost Building Blocks?
What else m
ade it the m
ost stable boat?
What happen
ed when
you changed the position of the load?
Why?
What would you do differently? Give it a try.
35
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Scien
ce an
d art are in
fluenced
by ligh
t. Astro
nomers kn
ow th
at the
cycle of d
ay and nigh
t is caused
by th
e ro
tation of th
e earth
on its axis
with
differen
t sides facin
g toward
or aw
ay from th
e su
n. B
iologists
know th
at some plan
ts grow better in
shade or su
nligh
t. Engin
eers develo
p tech
nologies th
at involve
light en
ergy such as p
rojecto
rs and
solar p
anels. P
hotograp
hers u
se ligh
t to set a m
ood fo
r their p
hotos
and artists alter ligh
t to create m
asterpieces.
Light travels in
straight lin
es. Shadows are p
roduced
when
light h
its an
opaque object w
hich
preven
ts the ligh
t beam
s from passin
g through.
When
an object b
locks th
e ligh
t’s path
, darkn
ess appears o
n th
e other
side. Th
is darkn
ess is called a sh
adow.
The su
n is a so
urce o
f light. A
s the earth
rotates each
day, th
e sun
appears to
change positio
n in
the sky an
d th
e ch
angin
g angles o
f sunligh
t affect the ap
pearan
ce of sh
adows. O
n a su
nny d
ay, you can
stan
d a stick in
the gro
und an
d watch
its shadow m
ove an
d ch
ange
shape. W
hen
the su
n gets lo
w in
the sky, th
e stick’s sh
adow gets
longer.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What are so
me exam
ples o
f how ligh
t and sh
adows are u
sed?
Photograp
hs, green
houses, sh
adow puppets, etc.
Where d
oes th
e ligh
t have
to be to
create a sh
adow in
a draw
ing?
How does ligh
t help
photograp
hers take go
od pictu
res? D
o it! Create a d
rawing b
y usin
g Building B
locks. B
uild
a structu
re/sculpture,
shine a ligh
t source b
ehind it , p
lace a p
aper in
front o
f the stru
cture
and trace th
e sh
ape of th
e sh
adow. Exp
erimen
t with
the size
of th
e
sculptures an
d where th
e ligh
t is placed
—clo
ser or farth
er away.
What w
ill you trace th
e sh
adow with
? What d
o yo
u need
to do to
make th
e
shadow wider o
r taller? How does
the brigh
tness o
f the ligh
t influ
ence
the sh
adow? H
ow does th
e an
gle of
the ligh
t change th
e sh
adow? U
se the
PEO
E technique to
conduct yo
ur
experim
ents.
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
LIG
HT
& S
HA
DO
W
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
36
Dig It!
Which shadow had
the m
ost dramatic effect? W
hy did you
choose it?
What happen
ed when
you changed the angle of the light? W
hy?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
37
Inquiry Te
chnique: P
EOE
Stretch Yo
ur Skills: O
bservin
g, Pred
icting, H
ypothesizin
g,
Modelin
g, Design
ing, C
onstru
cting, A
nalyzin
g, Refle
cting
Dream
it! Creative th
inkin
g, problem
solvin
g, and design
ing are essen
tial to
science. A
rt projects are an
excellent w
ay to develo
p all o
f these
skills. A m
osaic is m
ade by arran
ging sm
all coloured
pieces o
f mate
rial into a
pictu
re, pattern
, or d
esign. In
art and arch
itecture, m
osaics are u
sually
made of sto
ne or ceram
ic pieces in
a variety of co
lours set in
to cem
ent
or m
ortar.
Open‐En
ded In
quiry Q
uestio
ns:
What m
aterials could yo
u use to
make
a mosaic? Fo
r example,
stone, glass, b
rick.
How would yo
u design
a mosaic p
icture?
What elem
ents o
f design
would yo
u use to
create a building b
lock
mosaic? Textu
re, persp
ective, colour, sym
metry, lin
e, etc.
Do it!
Usin
g graph paper an
d pen
cil crayo
ns d
esign a m
osaic p
icture.
Usin
g a building b
lock b
aseplate
and
building b
locks create yo
ur d
esign.
These
design
s were fo
und at
http
://child
hood101.co
m/2015/05/
makin
g‐lego
‐pictu
res‐3
‐prin
table‐
anim
al‐design
s/ Exp
erimen
t with
colour, textu
re,
persp
ective, and design
. Use th
e
PEO
E technique to
conduct yo
ur
experim
ents.
Roman
Mosaic
Inq
uiry
Ca
rd
MO
SA
IC
4-H H
and
s-on
Scien
ce of Bu
ildin
g
38
Dig It!
How would you m
ake a 3D picture/sculpture? Give it a try.
What size of bricks worked
best in your design?
What would you do differently? G
ive it a try.
39
ART Factsheet Designing art with LEGO® bricks can be a good way to express new ideas and share information with people in a visual way. By using the design elements of line, colour, shape, and texture, you can design some amazing sculptures. LEGO® Artist Sean Kenney— Sean Kenney designs portraits and created a Nature Connects display that is travelling to Botanical Gardens across the United States. His designs are interesting and teach children about nature.
LEGO® mosaic from a photo.
Bison and her calf. Made with 16,229 LEGO® bricks.
Hummingbird Made with 31,565 LEGO® bricks
40
LEGO® Artist Mike Doyle — Mike Doyle’s creative thinking and designs encompass all elements of design. "The Millennial Celebration of the Eternal Choir, K'al Yne, Odan took around 800 hours and over 200,000 pieces to complete. It is 6' high by about 6’ wide and about 3' deep. The work takes the viewer to a mystical planet called Odan in the midst of celebration.
Brick Artist Nathan Sawaya— Nathan Sawaya creates designs that make you think. What do you think they are saying? His exhibit is called, “The Art of the Brick.” What design elements most describe his work?
41
