Spring SAVY 2022 – Creative Contraptions for 1st/2nd Grade (Byrd)

Posted by delislss on Monday, February 28, 2022 in blog, SAVY.

What a great day we had at SAVY for Creative Contraptions!  The emphasis was on work! How can we make work simpler?  How can we get more work done? Can problems in my environment be scientifically solved through invention? What are the characteristics of simple machines that are and can be used in solving problems?

We began by examining a big problem and a solution – severe weather safety and a “safe room” that can be installed under a bed!  We learned how scientists process through observation, questioning, research, investigation of a hypothesis, and finally analysis and sharing of outcomes.  We worked through this process ourselves by investigating motion, force and friction with trucks and different “road surfaces”. We expanded our understanding of the inventive process by examining a happy accident story of innovation with the story of Levi Strauss and his tents to jeans journey in 1853 as well as the creativity of Rube Goldberg machines.

In the afternoon, students were more than ready to investigate and explore the characteristics of six simple machines in smaller groups: screws, inclined planes, wedges, levers, wheel and axles, and pulleys.  This added opportunity to hypothesize and gain hands-on understanding with each of the simple machines equipped students to finally design their own compound machines to solve a problem in their own world. For all, it was a day to say, “job well done!”  Thank you for allowing this opportunity for your child and we hope to see you again soon at the problem solving tables in SAVY!