Photo courtesy of Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library
On the 11th January, Maker Space took part in ‘Saturday Club’. This is a club run by Newcastle Toy & Leisure Library (NTLL), who provide services and support for children with disabilities and their family.
NTLL contacted Maker Space and asked if we would run a couple of activities for their Saturday Club. Of course, the answer was yes, so on Saturday morning, Brian, Jonathan and Tommy dragged themselves out of bed and turned up at Hadrian School with a few boxes of KNEX and a line following robot.
KNEX for those who don’t already know, is a construction toy with parts including rods, connectors, cogs and wheels of varying sizes. It can be used to make almost anything you can imagine, but on the day, the kids decided to build towers, helped by Jonathan and Tommy. Quite spontaneously, two teams developed, competing with each other to build the tallest tower. It was a pleasure to see the children, first getting to grips with connecting KNEX components together, to deciding how best to build a tower, to working together actually building the towers. Other kids built their own models which ranged from small cars, to larger cranes, to space stations!
Whilst KNEX building was in full flow, Brian was entertaining other children with his line following robot. He used black electrical tape and pens to mark out a route for the robot to follow. The kids found it fascinating how the little robot could find its way along the lines and enjoyed laying down their own tracks too. Brian enjoyed explaining the technology behind the robot.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable event for all those involved. Maker Space would be delighted to help Newcastle Toy & Leisure Library again. We’re sure we can come up with many more activities for the children do.
If you want to learn more about Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library, their website is http://www.ntll.co.uk/
