Build A BristleBot...And Then Make It Better!
If you're looking for a fairly inexpensive STEM project with a big wow-factor, this may be the project for your class. Students will learn to build a simple "BristleBot" (similar to the Hex-Bug toys some students may have played with) from a toothbrush head, vibrating motor, double-sided foam tape, and a button battery. After building it, they will diagram their project and focus on an aspect of the project they would like to improve. After planning their improvement, students will build a BristleBot 2.0, again diagraming the model and reflecting on how it turned out. The focus of this lesson really is to think critically and assess for improvement within the realm of engineering and design. Feel free to use the video to teach students how to make the project, along with the lesson plan and student recording sheets which are available below for download. Please share them freely, but don't profit off of them. If you end up using this ...