Making machines that move

People move when they walk, leaves move in the breeze, and a paper falls more slowly when it’s a sheet versus a ball. Everything has its own way of moving. In this program, we will become acquainted with a few different sets of materials, how to use and combine those materials, and work to build machines that move. But, more specifically, machines which move in the ways we want them to. Machines that can do our bidding.

Check out our Moving Machines projects here:

Final Projects

Use the arrow keys or click the pointers in the lower right
to see the slideshows and other materials we used during this program.

Session 1

Taking things apart

Machines that Move

How do things move?
How can we control the ways they move?

Machines that Move

How do things move?
How can we control the ways they move?

Over three weeks...

1.

Mess around with the theme

2.

Come up with your own idea

3.

Make your own idea a thing

This is about you.

Tell us when you get ideas; we can change our plans.

Before we build

Taking things apart

There are only two rules

Separate your parts

cool vs. not-so-cool

Session 2

Putting things back together

Invent something

It doesn't have to work.

It doesn't have to look good.

It doesn't even have to be reasonable.

You just have to sell it!

90 second commercials

Make sure to answer the questions:

  1. What is it?
  2. Who is it for?
  3. What does it do?

Starting tomorrow:

More materials

Session 3

Making spinning things

Make something
that spins

Make something
that spins

Session 4

Making flying things

Make something
that flies

Make something
that flies

Session 5

Mock-ups & brainstorming

What is a mock-up?

How does
a door handle
work?

This week, create the same type of mock-up for your own project

Singular
vs.
buffet-style

Singular

Buffet-style

This means,
you're in charge
of organizing
your time.

For Friday, each group should have...

  1. Answers to project questions:
    • What is it?
    • Who is it for?
    • What does it do?
  2. A mock-up of your project
  3. A materials list (if you need things not already here)
  4. A plan for how to make your project

Today, focus on brainstorming.

10 animals that move in cool ways

Your projects could be art
inspired by these movements.

10 superpowers you wish you had

These are things
your project could do.

10 annoying things

These are problems
your project could solve.

10 things that haven't been invented yet

These could be
your projects.

For tomorrow, each person should have...

A list of 10 projects ideas

For Friday, each group should have...

  1. Answers to project questions:
    • What is it?
    • Who is it for?
    • What does it do?
  2. A mock-up of your project
  3. A materials list (if you need things not already here)
  4. A plan for how to make your project

Session 6

Choosing projects

Sharing project ideas

Singular
vs.
buffet-style

Singular

Buffet-style

For Friday, each group should have...

  1. Answers to project questions:
    • What is it?
    • Who is it for?
    • What does it do?
  2. A mock-up of your project
  3. A materials list (if you need things not already here)
  4. A plan for how to make your project

Sessions 7-11

Team Letters &
Studio Time

Studio Time Survey

  1. What did you do today?
  2. What do you want to get done tomorrow?
  3. What do you need from us?

Last [work]day!

Today

  1. Make it look better, work better
  2. Make a good, short (less than 30s) video
  3. Take a portrait of your project
  4. Take a team portrait
  5. If you're done, practice your presentation:
    • What is it?
    • Who is it for?
    • What does it do?
    • What did you get out of this?
    • What could we have done better?
    • What could you have done better?

Last day 😢

Share-out questions

  1. How'd you make your project?
  2. What was hard?
  3. What'd you learn?

Final Projects