Gravenstein students in TK-2nd grade have been doing lots of fun experiments and engineering projects this fall (see summary below). This month they have been making robots out of toothbrushes.
1st and 2nd grade students will be taking home these brush bots in January, minus the battery, which you can buy on Amazon for around $1.50 (see link below). The Gravenstein school office has a box of free batteries for parents to pick up. Students are not taking these batteries home, because they require adult supervision and pose a danger to young children who might be tempted to swallow one.
If a student needs help or replacement parts, just have them bring their brush bot bag to their next STEM class. I also recommend searching Youtube for brush bot ideas.
Brush Bot Troubleshooting Guide:
- Remove the wires from the wire connector and then reconnect them. Make sure the metal part of the wire is touching the metal part of the connector.
- Make sure the battery is inserted with the “+” facing up.
- Test the battery by touching one of the motor wires to the top of the battery and another to the bottom (doesn’t matter which is which). If the motor vibrates, then the battery is good.
- If the sticky tape stops sticking, try using a rubber band to hold everything together.
Students are also bringing home LED’s, which can be swapped out with the motor in the wire connector, or connected directly to the battery as shown (the longer wire on the LED goes on the positive (+) side of the battery):
https://www.instructables.com/Bristlebot-1/ (alternative brush bot instructions)
Gravenstein STEM Summary: 1st and 2nd graders made solar ovens with some very creative reflectors. Kindergartners made super long chains out of pipe cleaners, mixed up chemicals (non-toxic) in test tubes, and launched Alka-Seltzer rockets. The 1st and 2nd graders built rockets too. They started by making strawkets, then worked in teams to build cardboard rockets that launched with real rocket engines.
