Gear Golfing STEM Kit
Teaching children about gears through a mini golf game
Problem -
With the introduction of a new learning curriculum into Irish primary schools, there is a new demand for interactive STEM learning kits. This new curriculum focuses on teaching children through problem solving and focuses on hands on learning.
This STEM kit aims to teach 6th class students (10 – 12-year-olds) about gears – their uses, how they work, and the mechanical advantages they can provide.
Research Process
Learning Behaviors
Between the ages of 10-12, children should be encouraged into self-disciplined learning. This is letting children approach a problem and then try to understand the problem through a series of questions. While being able to identify the problems/answers themselves is important to information retention and learning skills, having a teacher/adult present that can answer these questions or send them in the right direction is very important. This can also be done by providing content alongside the problem that allows the child to read the material and try to apply it to the given task.
Mechanisms
A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called cogs), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit rotational power.
While doing so, they can change the torque and rotational speed being transmitted (in inverse proportion) and also change the rotational axis of the power being transmitted. The teeth on the two meshing gears all have the same shape.
Existing Solutions
Idea Generation
“The kit includes all materials pupils need to create a playful experiment / product / machine /design challenge.”
Development and Prototyping
Through making the suggested gear trains, students can power the gears through a hand crank which then transfers power to the permanent top gear. This top gear rotates a golf club which hits a miniature golf ball down the course, towards the “hole in one”. The design focuses on teaching children how gear trains work and showing through play how different gears increase and decrease the speed of the spinning golf club gear.
Playing Board
The board is made up of several sheets of laser cut MDF board which slot together with friction fits. The top of the green includes 3 panel indents which allow for customisation with obstacles. This feature allows students to choose the difficulty of the kit and keeps the game from becoming repetitive.
Gears
The STEM kit includes three types of gears – Purple gears which have ten teeth, orange gears that have five teeth and one white hand crank gear which has a handle for ease of use. These gears are secured onto the board by threading screws through pre-made colour coded holes on a provided cardboard sheet.
Obstacles
There are 3 types of obstacles included in this kit – one simple straight line which guides the ball straight into the hole, one winding pathway and one bridge arch. Students have to determine which gear train will give them the correct mechanical advantage to get the ball to complete the track.
Booklet & Packaging
The booklet is an important aspect of this STEM kit as students must read it side-by-side while interacting with the playing board. The booklet includes information on gears, how to play and sample gear maths equations.
The packaging is designed to include all parts of the kit in the smallest space possible. Ideally, this kit would be stored in multiples within a classroom – which often have limited space.
Final Product
