Interactive Machine Making Program to Test Your Problem Solving Skills

Submitted 8 years ago
My Rating
Pedagogy
Supports

My Take

Contraption Maker is an amazing game that I highly recommend teachers download for students who love machines and Science. I contacted the company and they provided me with a link to easily download the software. I liked that the setup was easy and the students were able to use a fully functioning program within five minutes. I think this would be a great program to introduce simple machines to students. It's highly interactive and students love trying to problem solve each puzzle board.

My students cheered when we went back to the program on a second and third day!

How I Use It

We used this program in a computer lab in a gifted middle school. Students were quickly engaged in problem solving puzzles involving Rube Goldberg devices. Students enjoyed arranging objects to get them to perform tasks. I loved how students used trial and error for more difficult boards. In groups, students discussed strategies to get pulleys and electrical generators to move objects. This interactive simulation kept science students interested in the effects of air pressure and gravity on objects as well. reproducible.