Now that I have your attention, let’s clear that title up. I’m sure you’ve heard of the mantra, “Destroy to Create”, and if you haven’t, well, now you have! This is exactly what we did in my course a few short weeks ago.
We were asked to bring a toy to class. This included toys as simple as stuffed animals, all the way to more complex toys such as a remote controlled car. My professor briefly told us what the activity would include. We would be tinkering toys to add an additional and/or different function than they held on their own. I chose to bring a stuffed alpaca because for one, it was so adorable! However, I mostly chose it because it was simple, and I figured it was the best start for my personal learning journey.
The materials that were available to us included motors, batteries, wires, LEDs, and little parts that vibrated if connected to a battery (see left image). We were also allowed to use any other materials around the room. I thought it would be funny if I added vibrating parts to the feet of my alpaca so it would jitter around. I quickly realized most of the coin cell batteries were gone, and my alpaca was too little to hold multiple battery pack holders. Looks like we would have to change the plan…
I decided I could make the alpaca move by using a battery pack, motor, and handmade wheel. Since the alpaca was too small for two wheels, it would only have one. This would make my alpaca spin in circles, but again, I thought the ideas was funny. I looked around the room in hopes to find a substitute for a wheel. Aha! I found some plastic cups, cut the top of them off, and got to tinkering. I gave my alpaca surgery by cutting the stomach open - this is where the battery pack would go. Next, I cut a small hole in the side - this is where the motor would poke out and attach to the wheel. Once I got everything adjusted, it was time to test the toy. The wheel I made did not appear reliable enough to get the alpaca to move… Stuck again. I scratched my second idea and moved to a third. I began attaching pieces of matboard to the motor. My stuffed animal would now act as a handheld fan. It was cute, cuddly, and cooling!
I found this activity held endless possibilities. I saw many learning opportunities, especially in my own attempts with the first two ideas. I had to think about the size of the materials compared to my toy on many occasions, which also brought up the question of design. Depending on the toy you start with, the learning journey might look different. Stuffed toys ask to enhance the comfort factor they already hold, while a car asks for something that will give it motion. However, the final product may look different than what you initially thought, and it was fun to see how my classmates surprised me in their innovations, as well.