Building BOTS is the perfect STEAM activity for kids!
I'm sure most of you have heard the acronym STEM when it comes to kids education. We love art and creativity so prefer to use the acronym STEAM, it stands for SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART and MATHEMATICS. I believe art and creative thinking are so important in education. With these fun BRUSH BOTS you can:
- Talk about the SCIENCE involved in creating electricity
- Understand the TECHNOLOGY used to create a circuit
- Think about the ENGINEERING needed to create a bot that can withstand movement
- Get creative and ARTful by customising your cool bots
- Use MATH to understand battery voltage
Building your own bots is also fantastic for developing FINE MOTOR SKILLS. Stripping wires, inserting batteries or attaching small screws requires concentration and nimble fingers. These little bots are also pretty fun to watch! We got the components to build our bots from the awesome Australian craft supply website CLEVER PATCH, they have the art bot kits available to purchase separately or as part of a STEAM activity pack.
MATERIALS:
- Brush Bot Kit
- 2 AA batteries
- Wire strippers
- Craft materials to customise your bot like pipe cleaners, card, paper, felt fabric and hot glue
SAFETY NOTES:
- Adult supervision is required when working with electronics, also the STEAM kits include a lot of small parts which could be a choking hazard for small children.
- Make sure that battery packs are switched off and batteries removed when not being used.
- The exposed ends of wires attached to a battery pack which is switched on can cause a shock or create smoke.
- Motors can get hot, be sure to monitor the motor and turn it off if it begins to get too hot.
HOW TO:
Begin by getting all the materials tools required to make your bot. I will go through the steps here to build your bot but the STEAM kits from CLEVER PATCH also come with great easy to follow step-by-step instructions to follow.
Begin by stripping the ends of the wires from the battery pack to expose 1cm of wire, then attach the wires to the motor.
Add the plastic rocker to the motor shaft. Attach the battery pack and motor to the brush using cable ties.
Now decorate your bots to make cool characters, add your batteries and watch them go!
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