Cardboard Automata Tinkering - STEAM Lesson

This engineering design STEAM lesson is intended to be introduced as a playful and inventive approach to learning simple machines. Students explore levers, cams, cam followers, linkages, and other mechanisms in a playful and inventive way to combine art and science. The activity is a good introduction to a variety of mechanisms and systems found in the real world. For learners, the narrative, decorated aspects of the automata are as important as the mechanical elements. Creativity is just as important as the science behind the creation. Creativity brings intrinsic motivation to learn as well as deepening the learners thought process and connections to content. An inventive mindset is essential for engineers to design new products or improve upon things that have already been created.