Form and Function

The Thursday After School Tinkerers were in an interesting position this week. We've been building separate components of our slide project with the intention of assembling them all at the same time. The form will only be functional at the very last moment. So, how can we test the function without fully assembling it? How can we anticipate our needs without actually experiencing the thing? What can we do right now that will make our project safe, fun, and also functional later?

Speculation and controlled testing is key from here on out. This week was about making the platform (our bridge between the ladder and the slide) both safe and fun.

We constructed sides so we don't fall out.

We started installing a pipe to grab on to before sliding down the slide.

We are installing some handles and things to grab on to as we climb up the ladder and on to the platform.

And because we can't really, fully, test the function of the project right now, imagination is necessary and also a critical component of our next steps.