On April 22nd we had a chance to test out one of our proposed lesson plans with children between ages of 5 to 7 in groups of 2. First try with a DIY lever, that gave us the idea of the original size of the 3D printable lever. Due to the size of the printer we were able to print out much smaller version of this item.
Children had 3 different weight boxes with symbols and matching cards, that they had to line in a correct order from lightest to heavyest.
The activity was tested with 10 kids and they all managed to complete the task. In some cases it took teamwork and discussions between the children to reach to a consensus and it was amazing to see the interactions and discussions they had.
Changing the fulcrum point also gave them an oportunity to predict the effect the move had on a weight of the box.
Overall the activity was a success in engaging children in a STEAM topic in a gamified way.