What have we got for the 5 - 7 year olds?
For the Apprentices we have three construction-kit based activities:
K'Nex
K'Nex is an American construction toy system. First sold in 1993 each box contained interconnecting rods and connectors. Since then the system has been expanded to include wheels, gears, and even motors. K’Nex Rods come in a range of lengths, each length having a distinct color. When the additional length of connections is taken into account, the ratio between successive lengths of rods is v2/2. This simplifies the construction of right-angle isosceles triangles, and these triangles provide structural strength in models. Most types of K’Nex rods are only very slightly flexible, but there are extra rigid and very flexible versions of some of the longer rods. K’Nex Connectors also come in a range of types, each having a different number of slots. They can link the rods together in different ways. The first way is to insert the end of a rod into a slot on the connector, where it snaps firmly into place. Rods connect at angles which are multiples of 45 degrees. The second method is to snap the rod into one of the connector slots perpendicular to first method. The rods cannot rotate and will not move without deliberate force. The third way is to slip the rod through a round hole in the connector. The rod can slide and rotate freely while in the hole.
Lego
Lego is a popular line of construction toys manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colourful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts. Lego bricks can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct such objects as vehicles, buildings, and even working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects. Lego began manufacturing interlocking toy bricks in 1949.
Zoobs
ZOOB is an award-winning building set with a difference—the pieces move after you put them together. So you can play with your creations, instead of just looking at them. Although we provide instructions and suggestions for models to build, we think the best part of playing with ZOOB is exploring, inventing, and discovering how you can build what you want to build.
ZOOB has 5 pieces that snap together 20 ways, so you won’t need any special pieces to build anything that you want to build. Because it’s so easy to use and so versatile, we think it’s the best open-ended building system on the market (of course we do!).
ZOOB’s shape is inspired by the nucleotides (the basic structural units of nucleic acids) that make up DNA. Based on the way things connect, move and transform in nature, ZOOB captures dynamic movement, unlike traditional “stacking” or “hub & spoke” construction sets.
There are as many ways to have fun as there are ways to learn from ZOOB, and it’s this integration of learning and play that makes it so appealing in today’s toy market. Like crayons or clay, ZOOB allows kids (and adults) to learn, explore and create using their imaginations. And if they can imagine it, ZOOB can help animate it . . . from dinosaurs to DNA strands, from animals to aliens.
Apprentices may attend one three-hour session on any given day.
Gallery available 2013
