Flower challenge
Reds ... yellows ... greens ... we need to make the room more colourful! Can you make a model of a flower for us, the bigger the better?
Levels of difficulty:
Level 1 - Make a simple flower
Level 2 - As level 1, plus a pot that it grows in
Level 3 - As level 2, plus a string to pull to make the flower grow!
Equipment: K'NEX set, plus 1m length of string for level 3.
Approach: How many different sorts of flower do you know? What colours are they? What shape are they? Can you make a model of one of them from K’NEX? For level 2, can you make a pot for the flower to grow in? How will you fasten your flower into the pot? For level 3, can you make the stalk of your flower slide up and down in the pot? Do you think you could tie a piece of string to it, so that when you pull the string the flower grows?
Handy Hints (please click to view):
A2 - 3 ways to connect K'NEX rods and connectors
A4 - Making corners with blue & purple connectors
S1 - String
Teachers' Notes
A project that considers the various parts of a flower, and then to builds as many as possible into a model. For level 3, to use pushes and pulls to make the flower grow.
Possible solution: See photo.
Before starting: If possible, look at some flowers growing, or if not, at some pictures. Then discuss the parts of a flower.
Conclusion: Firstly, ask every child to list the colours in their flower. Then draw round the flowers to make a picture, and colour it in. Finally, for level 3, discuss what makes their flower grow.
Copyright © Andy Shercliff 1996 and K'NEX User Group 2004
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