Imagine, Build and Learn
Written: Dec 13 '07 (Updated Dec 14 '07)
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Pros: Builds confidence, introduces simple machine concepts, challenges creative thought
Cons: Connections are tight, Not designed for children younger than second grade
The Bottom Line: K'NEX Simple Machines Levers and Pulleys help teach the concepts and builds confidence providing opportunities for enhancing spatial relationships and construction skills for 3rd and 4th graders.
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| pestyside's Full Review: K'NEX Education Introduction To Simple Machines - ... |
What do wheelbarrows, sailboats, balances, seesaws and scissors have in common? What do flagpoles and block and tackles share with a sailboat?
“Teacher, teacher, I know, I know!”
That response comes from a third grader who was listening because she has something special at home that helped her understand the question. The light bulb went on in her thoughts as soon as teacher asked the questions.
Generations of kids grew up on Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, Tinker Toys, or Legos but today many are growing up as engineers thanks to K’NEX. K’NEX is an open-ended building system that uses plastic rods, connectors, panels, and spacers that pull eager minds into creative designs.
My museum has a workbench covered with K’NEX, however, school groups visiting the museum’s Simple Machines exhibit explore using a set we don't provide the visiting public. K’NEX Education Levers and Pulleys introduce our school-age visitors to levers and pulleys.
This kit includes 178 brightly colored pieces. If you’re unfamiliar with the K’NEX construction pieces, these consist primarily of interlocking connectors, rods, spacers, plates and various specialty pieces. These are identified by color rather than name. Connectors can be purple, yellow, orange, pale gray, green or red, and connecting rods are green, pale gray, blue, yellow, red, and white. The rods come in varying lengths, depending on the color and the connectors are in different angles. Accessory and trim pieces are designed to complement the intended concept. Connectors are standard and non-standard. They may be as simple as small, angled or round connectors with multiple connection spaces. Panels are square and triangular in sizes from mini to large. Kits contain separators, spacers, wheels, gears, pulleys, and more, depending upon the kit’s intended use. All K’NEX standard pieces are universal throughout their product line, except for the Kid K’NEX which is larger for smaller hands.
The packaging labels are in multiple languages and the instructions lack written instructions. This has international appeal and great for children for whom English is a second language or those with weak reading skills.
So What Can We Make?
The kit comes with a helpful booklet that guides us through the construction of one first-class lever, a balance and a double first-class lever, scissors. You also construct a second-class lever, a wheelbarrow, and a third-class lever, a hockey stick.
Helpful instructions direct the child through the learning or guide the parent/teacher through the education. "A balance is a 1st class lever. It weighs things like letters and apples. To make a balance work, you put the thing to weigh (the resistance) on one side, and weights (the effort) on the other. The fulcrum is in the middle. When the objects equal the same amount, the balance arm will be perfectly straight (level). If you move the resistance close to the fulcrum, you need less effort to balance it."
Constructing the balance requires no reading, but instead it’s designed for the visual learner. Color-coded construction shows what pieces to use and where to place them. Kids get it, but don’t ask mom or dad to assemble this on Christmas Eve. My recommendation is to leave everything in the box, unopened, and let them assemble the first item.
In addition to levers, this also provides parts to create three pulley systems. What do flag poles, sailboats and block and tackles have in common? They all use pulleys, however, the flagpole is a simple fixed pulley, the sailboat is both fixed and movable, and the block and tackle incorporate both pulleys working together to form a complex pulley.
The parts to create all of these are included in the Levers and Pulleys set. The set comes with a divided plastic box and lid for storage. The profile on the box is narrow, which allows easy storage for this and similar kits.
In Practice
At the top of the page a block shows what pieces and how many are required to make the simple machine described. For example, the seesaw requires 18 blue, 5 yellow, 1 red, 14 green and 19 white rods. It also requires 6 dark gray, 14 pale gray, 12 red, 4 green, 5 yellow, 16 purple, and two white connectors as well as 2 plates and some spacers. The diagrams show where to connect the rods into the connectors. It’s self-explanatory, even for me. I spent 25 minutes assembling a seesaw. The fittings are tight and if you make a mistake in placement it could be frustrating for younger users to disassemble what they just connected.
These are not appropriate for young children. The pieces are too small. Similarly, be sure to keep these out of the reach of pets and their curious mouths. Hundreds of kids play with K'NEX each week at the museum and we never find broken pieces, however, Mr. Pestyside assembled the block and tackle and while disconnecting a piece, he broke it. I've never seen that happen, but the connections were really quite tight on this set.
All across the country third graders are learning about simple machines, including levers and pulleys. This is designed for their use both at home and in the classroom. Once they figure out the basic patterns, their creative minds will improvise. I will also state that it is quite satisfying to complete the machine and Patsy is feeling pretty smug with her seesaw. Although the machine is simple, the construction is complex but the challenge is fun.
(Some days I'm certain my job is the best in town, I get paid to play with toys.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 26.00
Type of Toy: Science and Nature
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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