Presenter Merlin Katz from Playful Engineers recently led sixth graders from seven local school districts in two hands-on workshops through the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program.
The two workshops were titled Chain Reaction and Artful Mechanisms. The Chain Reaction program was a Rube Goldberg-style workshop where students built simple contraptions that triggered one another in sequence.
“There was no competition, no right way to do it, and everyone worked at their own level of skill and comprehension,” Herkimer BOCES Honors Program Coordinator Deborah Schoff said. “Students enjoyed working and interacting with one another as they designed, built and tested their chain reactions. It was interesting to see students share their design ideas and work together to problem-solve and redesign their simple machines.”
The Playful Engineers Herkimer BOCES Honors Program event took place on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center in Herkimer. Participated districts were Central Valley, Dolgeville, Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Little Falls, Poland and Richfield Springs.
The Artful Mechanisms part of the program was a hands-on, make-and-take workshop involving kinetic art using popsicle sticks, brads, cardboard, paper clips, wood, wire and other common materials – from crank- or cam-driven toys and linkage mechanisms to flexible geometric figurines.
“Students explored as they built, discovering stories, characters or scenes in each mechanism's movements,” Schoff said.
The Herkimer BOCES Honors Program is open to students in Herkimer BOCES component school districts and is designed to support the potential of students in grades 3-12 who have above average interests and abilities in a particular area. Programs allow for interaction with like-minded peers. Students learn by engaging in educational activities with presenters who are noted in their field. Exploration and programs provide for different learning styles and include topics in the arts and sciences as well as literature and history. Ongoing evaluation of all programs by teachers and students assures their relevance and quality.
Merlin Katz from Playful Engineers presents to sixth graders during a Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center in Herkimer.
