Hands-On Learning

“The assignment, if you choose to particiapte, is to create a fully functioning Rube Goldberg. Oh and by the way, and you don’t get a choice to participate.”

One of my all time favorite class projects was building a Rube Goldberg for my high school Physics class. My partner and I slaved hours and hours on our project to get it to work just right. Thankfully my partner could wield a hammer and drill like nobodies business while I sat back, being the math nerd that I am, and calculted all the formulas. Through a variety of simple machines and chain reactions our ultimate outcome was to strategically fling an Alka Seltzer into a glass of water. We titled it, “The Cure For the Common Hangover“. We were high school seniors, what did you expect? I am sure our parents were proud. Maybe.

I remember loving the hand-on aspect of trying to find the perfect combination of simple machines to complete the task. Our Rube Goldberg had to have at least 10-15 steps and be constructed from scratch with regular household items. I really enjoyed this ‘out of the box’ approach to what could been, a very boring lesson. It challenged my mind, my creativity and my problem solving skills. It also incorporated team work, which, with a building project, can be quite the challenge.

Our Rube Goldberg was one of the few to work on the first try. It also scored popularity points for it’s functionality. What soon to be college Freshmen wouldn’t want one of those? I tried searching for a picture of our finished machine but came up empty handed. Oh the days before digital photos! In these days of technology though I wonder if my children will have a chance to experience this type of project. I hope they do. If not, I may just have to call up their Physics teacher some day!

This post is my entry for the Kleenex Hands-On Learning campaign being hosted on Blissfully Domestic.