Going Up Before Coming Down

On the second Thursday of Tinkering School we released our project with a little history. At Tinkering school we had built structures that rolled and ones that kids rolled on. We had built structures that climbed into the air and ones that rose kids into the air. And although we had built structures that slid we had yet to build a slide for kids. So taking a cue from the playground we are going to build a slide. 

Max explains to Isaac the how to operate some of the more complex features of this design

Immediately the group got straight to drawing slides. Some were shaped like mythical creatures with articulated wings, others twisted through tunnels and a few even incorporated special features like hanging bars and water. Everyone was awesome at both listening and sharing their ideas as we all collaborated to design one slide that incorporated as many different design features as possible. 

With so many great ideas some kinds got up out of their seats to get a closer look when explaining their designs.

With about nearly half the session remaining we decided to start building.  But where to begin? We all agreed that a ladder was going to be necessary to reach the top of the slide so we broke into groups to determine some necessary measurements. 

Building big! Max gets pretty excited about building a slide taller then Amanda.

Using what works. Miel spots an existing ladder in the shop and decides to use it to help guide her measurements to determine rung length. 

Measurements translate into marks. Tinkers measure scraps of wood looking for one long enough to mark the ladders first vertical length to be cut on the chop saw. 

This group is so on board with dividing up tasks and helping each other to achieve a common goal! One pair switched off making all the rung cuts while another took on the responsibility to transporting pieces to the drill teams working on assembly. Workflow maintained momentum throughout the entire afternoon. Once the cut list was complete, everyone transitioned to helping with fitting all the pieces together.  

Putting it all together. With all hands helping we finished our ladder on the first day of building. Go team!