Design

This program is designed as an early tool training and material exploration exercise. Combine wooden parts with a screw and nails. Sand the parts smooth. Spin your sunflower and watch the momentum carry round and round.

Build a classic toy train, modeled after the toys children enjoyed in earlier years. These trains last a lifetime, and make for the perfect toy to be played with for years! With endless decorating possibilities, this toy train introduces children to the fundamentals of building and crafting with wood.

The parts of this project are all produced and cut by our team of apprentices, who are 13-18 years old. Apprentices train in all aspects of design, production, and education. Learn more about the Apprentice Program HERE.

Throughout history, puzzles have been a source of fun and a way to strengthen memory skills, along with the ability to plan and test ideas. Puzzles help children of all ages recall shapes, colors, along with honing problem-solving tactics and strategic thinking. 

Tangrams were invented in China in the late 1700s. They consist of 7 pieces: 2 small triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 larger triangles, a rhomboid, and a square.

In this program, students will color tangrams, then use geometry, shapes, colors, and sizes to create patterns. They will use creative problem-solving skills to invent patterns they see around them and bring meaning to shapes and colors. Students will learn how spatial relationships work along with color and geometric shapes. 
 

In the 1850s, railways were used to move coal from one location to another using only the force of gravity and a hand-brake to slow down. By the 1870s, thrill-seekers recognized the potential fun in this gravity-driven contraption. Create a two-rail marble roller coaster. Plan the path of your marble. Embrace centripetal force to keep the marble on the track through a banked curve. Each creation is unique. Test your track and your friends.

Gravity and Friction, two forces we encounter constantly, can be harnessed to our advantage. Learn to put these forces to good use by building a car whose speed depends on weight, starting height, and gravity. Can you design a car with the greatest potential energy? This is your opportunity to make predictions and record your hypotheses. Distribute weights in various ways and learn what works best. Get creative and design a car that is truly yours. Further explore friction on different surfaces. Keep investigating for days to come!

First produced in 1952, Charles and Ray Eames created interchangeable cards that connected to build sculptures and structures. They marked their cards with the forms and colors of modern art. With a nod to their genius, we have created blank cards for you to experiment with. Take your engineering skills to new heights with these cards that you will decorate and devise into towers, buildings, and beyond. Each Student will receive a set of 18 cards. 

Do you need a custom solution for your class? We can laser-etch these cards with patterns such as letters, numbers, words, animals, etc.

The Bauhaus Dancer is an excellent introduction to basic design concepts. These dancers are inspired by the Bauhaus Ballet that used color and shapes to recreate the classic form of ballet dancers with a signature twist. Students will use a combination of shapes to design their own dancers. Choose between a circle, triangle, and square to create a head, abdomen, and hips. These simple shapes open a world of combinations, teaching us that people come in all shapes and sizes.

Assemble and decorate the wheels, axles, chassis and driver of a wooden downhill racer. Then experiment with your creation.. Measure the distance it travels from the end of its track on a ramp. Change the pitch of the track and measure again. A wonderful hands-on exploration of measurement, gravity, friction, and energy.

The Whitney Relay is a set of interconnectable parts that lets students master the art and science of energy transfer in the tradition of the Rube Goldberg Machine or its contemporary Japanese masterpiece: the Pythagoras Switch. Each student receives ramps,  marbles, blocks, and assorted parts to construct a chain reaction that could include your whole class—thoughtful lessons in mechanics, invention, and teamwork. 

This project spans the ages and is a popular program for Adult Professional Development groups. We can use it as a hands-on means to teach a variety of concepts.

The power of machines guides and eases work. The screws, threads, levers and pulleys of this machine organize effort into power you can feel. Students assemble interchangeable parts and invent a personality for their machine while experimenting with all Simple Machines and testing them first hand.