Dear Bloggers,

…………………………………LID.

Stage 2 investigated flexible and fixed joints with their lego and we discussed circumstances where you need the different types. Using flexible joints we found that all shapes were weak except for the mighty triangle. Students then used the triangular shape to brace structures and confer strength. Many building structures are based on the triangle such as the truss bridge and the truss roof and students attempted to build their own trusses.

The scissor hand made from a series of interconnected crosses all with flexible joints proved a wonderful challenge for the students to build. When built properly they folded down very neatly and flat – but the question was….how does one achieve this? Ask your children for their answer. The next step was to turn the scissor hands into Jack-In -A -Boxes. Balloons were used for heads and a lovely selection of craft supplies became hair, head pieces and dresses. But the balloon head had to attached in such a way that the scissor hand could still work whilst the neck had to be stable. ‘ String’ was the hint but once again ask your child how they successfully attached the head. Jack (or Jill) was then able to fold down nice and flat so they could pop out of the box.