We’ve been connecting ideas with straws to understand what a simple machine is and using design thinking to develop complex skills.
With a maker kit of Strawbees to support innovations to solve real world problems, we first looked at creating a claw machine.
That meant exploring perceptions about the fairness of arcade claws and how building, testing and refining a design could alter effectiveness.
With that came various iterations and changes to the purpose of the claw, particularly after strength testing with raids on the biscuit tin.
Thankfully failure to pick up at this point did strengthen problem solving, and embrace F.A.I.L. as a positive step to finding creative solutions, rather than lighten the cookie load.
And then next steps in designing new solutions took a ninja twist, with peer challenges, after viewing catapult examples in the Strawbee guide.
Testing times ahead : )
Claire Garside 