Project 1
Paper Sketches due Tuesday January 24
Fast concept presentations in class Thursday January 26
Web Pages due Tuesday January 31
Part 1: Sketches
Your first project is to generate conceptual designs for three toys. Each toy should be based on a fundamental physical concept. Examples of existing toys like this would be slinkys, rockets with baking soda/vinegar fuel, and tinker toys. Your toys can all use the same physical principle or they can each be based on a different one. Your toys to not have to be original inventions; they can be variations on existing toys. Your toys should
- attract a child’s attention,
- be interactive and fun,
- be self explanatory,
- be durable and safe,
- ideally allow for cooperative play with groups of children, and
- ideally engage all of a child’s senses.
Bring your three hand sketches (not computer-generated drawings) to class on Tuesday with a description of how the toy works and an explanation of how/what a child would learn by playing with it.
Part 2: Presentation
On Thusday, you should be ready to present one of your sketches in class. We will use a document camera to project the sketches, so you just need to have your sketch on a flat surface.
Your presentation should cover:
- What is the physical principle underlying the toy?
- What age group is the toy designed for?
- How does the toy work/how does the child(ren) play with the toy?
- Where did the idea for your toy come from?
Your presentation should take only a minute or two so everyone can present within one class period.
Part 3: Web pages
For each toy concept, create a WordPress document that includes the following information:
- the principle your toy is based on,
- a sketch of the toy (the idea should be clear, but the drawing doesn’t have to be art),
- a description of how the child (or children) will interact with the toy, and
- a brief discussion of construction materials, durability and safety.
I will give you information during the lab on Thursday about how to put your web pages into the class web site.