I have been teaching a class at the local university for several years now known as "College for Kids". In the first years I taught a model airplane building and flying class, but the last few years I created a course I call "Engineering Through Models" that includes several different model projects over the one week course. I try to switch in a new project every couple of years, this year we will be building the Syringe Hydraulic Arm for the first time but will drop the model solar cars. The lineup for this year includes; foam plate gliders, rubber powered model plane from foam plates, model wind turbine, mousetrap car, and syringe hydraulic arm.
Launching FPG-9 Gliders |
Launching Rubber Powered Planes |
The first day of the College for Kids class could have gone better, the students did OK with the FPG-9 gliders but when they started building the rubber powered planes there was some confusion. I would say to cut a piece 2" x 4" out of foam plate and some would cut much smaller pieces. My idea was to give them general proportions but let them use some of their own creativity. Some of the flying surfaces turned out way too small, I replaced some of the really bad ones. We did not finish the rubber powered planes on the first day as I had hoped.
Typical Rubber Powered Foam Plane |
Flies More Like Missile |
Wind Turbines |
8 Second Video of Mousetrap Cars from Thursday:
Have a good start on the Syringe Hydraulic Arm and will finish today.
It has been a trying class, on Wednesday a couple of the kids were sticking hot glue sticks into the pencil sharpener and trying to sharpen them. Normally a class is limited to 12 but there has been 13. The school has provided me with two helpers which was much appreciated.
Glad for the experience but it just makes me appreciate the job that fulltime teachers do.
Bill Kuhl
https://www.scienceguy.org/