Playing with the Sun - The wild examples

This towing machine is an example of how 6th-grade students have built a caterpillar inspired by the story of the woodlouse Bænke. Workshop at Dokk1 in the summer of 2022.

At the Next Generation workshop at Dokk1, there were also participants who built a machine capable of transporting cargo. They spent a long time working on balancing the machine and managed to synchronize two motors and two power packs.

In a workshop at Vejle Library in the autumn of 2023, children from the 6th grade constructed drawing machines. This machine is the result of a building process in which the children attempted to challenge the kit's limitation of assembling only one motor/one wheel.

Often, we see that drawing machines lose their balance and tip over. Here, the participants have exploited precisely that and created a machine that draws a new pattern when it tilts to the other side. From Next Generation at Dokk1, autumn 2023.

Introduction

This book gathers a small selection of the crazy, fun and wild projects that we have seen people make using our Playing with the Sun building kits. The examples are from workshops we have conducted in various informal learning spaces. These include not only libraries but also public outdoor areas, conferences and educational institutions. When working with the building kit and creative learning, we focus on creating activities that have: <ul><li>Low floor - easy for everyone to get started</li><li>Wide walls - allowing for a broad variety of ideas</li><li>High ceiling - the potential to create more complex constructions</li></ul> Here, we would like to showcase some of the 'high ceiling' ideas that emerge when settings, play and learning converge at a higher level.

In contrast to the previous machine, at the same workshop, there were also participants who built a machine that operated with asynchronous movement by having motors running in opposite directions.

This machine is from the Next Generation Conference at Dokk1, in the autumn of 2023. Participants attempted to construct a drawing machine that did not move in circles, as we commonly see. Additionally, the participants succeeded in installing two solar panels, two motors, and two wheels.

This machine uses its own rocking motion (rather than the motor's direct movement) as propulsion and creates interesting patterns in the sand. The machine is from a workshop at Ballerum Library in December 2022.

The sculpture here is constructed with mirrors that reflect light onto the solar panels. The machine is built by Amos Blanton as an inspirational model for the Skaperfestival in Oslo in the autumn of 2023.

This drawing machine, constructed in a TinkerQube, was created by the project group for Creative Tech Literacy (Aarhus Libraries) for an event for children at Dokk1. The children were able to attach markers themselves, change colors and placement, and experimenting with the graphical expression.

Another example from the Next Generation conference at Dokk1. Participants attempted to create a machine that, through a pulley system, could draw a straight line without directly attaching the marker to the motor.

This machine is built from a curiosity about double rotation and is constructed with two motors running at the same time. The machine is from the Next Generation Conference at Dokk1.

Here are two examples of machines powered by solar panels. In the video on the left, it is evident how the motor's speed is influenced by the amount of sunlight hitting the solar panel. The machine on the left runs continuously as the sun shines uninterruptedly on the solar panel. The machines are from a workshop at Dokk1 in the summer of 2022.

Here, the participants have experimented with the drawing machine's suspension and balance, focusing on varying the graphical expression. The drawing machine was built by adult participants during a workshop in Slovenia in the summer of 2023.

This sculpture is from a workshop at Ballerup Library in December 2022. The participants' focus was on the aesthetic expression.

This climbing machine was created at a workshop for adults in Slovenia during the summer of 2023. In the construction of the machine, the reflection of sunlight on mirrors to the solar panels is explored.

Here is an example of a climbing machine that operates with two motors and two wheels. The participants spent a long time working on the machine's balance point. The machine is from the Next Generation Conference at Dokk1, Aarhus, in the autumn of 2023.

This machine is the result of the project group's early attempts to create patterns in sand. The experiment was about how the patterns could be varied based on what was attached to the machine.

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