The schedule below is a working draft; sessions may be added/removed or reassigned to different days and/or time slots. We will provide notification once the final schedule is published.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will make a simple mechanical toy, or automaton, by using readily available materials such as cardboard, bamboo skewers, straws, and foam board. The automaton will then be used as a platform to tell a story as participants use a variety of materials to create a moving story automated by the toy mechanics. This simple project can be built upon to create a variety of movements that can be tied into several STEM related content including simple machines, mechanical advantage, energy, and Newton’s laws.
The model created in the workshop is a basic introduction to the wide world of automata. Additionally, the workshop provides a perfect example of how STEM related activities can be tied to literacy and other non-science related content for a true interdisciplinary lesson. Ancient automata were readily seen in ancient Greece as well as other ancient and modern cultures, and many times lead to the understanding and development of more elaborate inventions and machines that greatly impacted human society.