Do you know what a Rube Goldberg machine is?
It’s totally useful… no not really, but what a great learning and practical way to learn about forces, machines and energy types which is exactly what our Year 7 New Horizons Science class did this term.
A Rube Goldberg machine can be described as an overly complex machine to do a very simple task. Remember the game Mouse Trap perhaps? Well its a little bit like that but can be a whole lot more complex. We can use the Guinness World Records, world’s largest Rube Goldberg machine to demonstrate.
In Term One, students in Year 7 New Horizons Science, learned about forces, machines and energy types. To demonstrate their scientific understanding, students did a Design Centred Learning (DCL) Project where they created Rube Goldberg machines.
Their project goal was to:
- In a team, create a Rube Goldberg machine to Turn off a Light!
With a limited amount of time, resources here are a few of their creations below. This is a great activity which can use up hours in a day during school holidays. Students can also enter the International competition for FREE! see further details below.
RUBE GOLDBERG BAR OF SOAP VIDEO CHALLENGE!
FREE FAMILY FUN! Build a Rube Goldberg Machine in 10-20 steps to Drop a bar of soap into someone’s hands. Fun STEM/STEAM activity to do at home for all ages. Three winning teams will be selected for a Rube prize packet! Learn more about the contest at https://www.rubegoldberg.com/
Task: Drop a bar of soap into someone’s hand
- Step count: 10-20 steps
- Team requirements: All ages, anyone in your family or quarantined group, no size limit
- Submission requirements: Build and film a non-edited working run of your machine and introduce us to the people in your family group that helped build it. Make sure we can see all the steps. The larger the steps, the more visible they will be when filmed.
- Where to submit: Upload your video to YouTube, mark “Not Private” and email the link to rubefamilychallenge@rubegoldberg.com
- Deadline: We will be accepting rolling submissions from now through midnight, May 31, 2020.
- Prizes: Three winning machines will be selected, winners notified and announced on rubegoldberg.com by mid-June. Each winning team will receive a Rube Goldberg Family Swag Bag.
Hashtags:
- #boredombustingrubemachine
- #rubetotherescue2020
- #rgbarofsoapchallenge
