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This week, we talked about how to build Lego structures with wheels that can roll down ramps. We went over the three terms axle, bushing, and wheel. Then, the students used the engineering design process to draw, build, and redesign a fast ramp roller. The kids loved this activity. Almost everyone was very involved in creating their ramp roller, and the majority of the pairs worked perfectly together. There were, however, the usual one or two groups who built their own creations rather than working together to build one. We tried to encourage them to combine their designs, but they continued to refuse. Despite a couple of problems such as this, the ramp rollers lesson was an ideal choice for a kindergarten classroom. After the kids built their ramp rollers, we used a large piece of wood as a ramp and had them take turns rolling their ramp rollers down the ramp and seeing how far they went. We marked the distances on the floor with tape. After their first attempt, they redesigned, and most of their ramp rollers went further than their first designs. They really used the engineering design process in this activity. I highly recommend this activity for future classrooms.
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