busy, busy, busy

Have been rearranging and updating the displays in our entrance foyer today.

Y5 automatons (with a WW2 theme). As you turn the handles the tanks in the foreground piece go round the explosion as do the doves in the back left, whilst the aeroplane goes both around and up and down.

Y1 card sculpture tigers (inspired by the Henri Rousseau work 'Surprise'.)

And the y6 (James Rizzi inspired) clay city blocks.

sewing

Just been to a secondhand warehouse and bagged this for €39.

The clutter on the top is just some of the goodies that were still in the drawers! It worked too - until I snapped the belt putting it in the car! I'm hoping they're easy to repair/replace.

automatons & stories

In y3 we have continued with our lever mechanisms and gone 3d! We've also turned linear motion into rotational movement!
The first pic shows Shrek panicking when he is being chased by the dragon whilst the second is a goalie making a save. The characters rotate clockwise/anticlockwise as the lever is pulled/pushed.  I must try and get videos of them in action.

In FS1 (3/4yr olds) they are looking at 'Goldilocks & the 3 bears'. We made little booklets of the story - including the cottage in the woods and Goldilocks herself.

more levers

The y4's made even more complex mechanisms today where levers move in opposite directions.

This example shows that when you pull the leg the duck 'quacks'! Quite understandably in my opinion.

levers

Today the y4's started looking at mechanisms. They created moving pictures by utilising a simple lever.

  

en vacances

On hols at the mo. Enjoying the searing heat of deepest darkest France. Latest brocante purchase - an old cast-iron sewing machine base. Not bad for €22. Have taken it apart to clean and titivate before reassembling with a wooden top.

automaton in action

Think I've managed it! Below is the clip showing the latest automaton in action. I left the vintage gaming pieces exactly as I found them. I like the fact that the springs on which they are mounted adds to the motion. 

The box is an old wooden 'animal domino' one and the simple cam movement utilises MDF wheels.
(Hmm - video doesn't work on my iPad though !?!)

there be dragons

Around town yesterday were displayed lots and lots of cars - mostly brand spanking new models. There were supposed to be some older vehicles but all I could spot were a Renault 4 (painted and done uplike a dogs dinner) and a Fiat 500 (souped up and lowered). Perhaps the fact that it was raining persuaded many of the classic owners to keep their prized possessions in the garage - I can never understand owning a car and not actually running it - you might as well hang it on the wall! Anyway, under an underpass I spotted these fantastic machines. They were being readied to be 'driven', though unfortunately I couldn't stay around to see if they managed to escape from their shelter. They were made from small sheets of welded metal to resemble dragons and such like. The confines of the underpass meant that the pics don't really do them justice - that and the fact that I'm not very good at taking pics!