Introduction to kinetic sculpture : a one-week course for middle school students

Abstract

A one-week course in kinetic sculpture was designed to introduce middle school students to the marriage of art and engineering. Because art can appeal to different sensibilities than engineering alone, it can serve as a means to broaden perspectives of students with different motivations. In light of increasing emphasis on the development of programs in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in U.S. education, this project fills a need for more opportunities in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). Even though the availability and popularity of STEAM programs for children is growing, these opportunities for young children are still limited. Therefore, there is a market for a course that incorporates art and the engineering design process like this one. Daily activities in an introductory week-long kinetic sculpture course are defined. Each day's lessons are provided along with resources for further study. The structure of the course is based on sound pedagogical practice. The strength of the course is its ability to incorporate science and art in a fun way that will be appealing to students. Future work would consist of the expansion of the lessons with more detail for teachers and the addition of more alternate activities.