There’s high-tech STEM tools and then there are some of the low-tech variety. While we love helping educators familiarize students with how powerful technology can enhance their learning experiences, sometimes the low-tech stuff is just as effective! For this week’s Eduporium Experiment, we’re playing around with the KEVA Contraptions Set, a pretty big box that’s not high-tech but still offers a high ceiling for STEM learning. KEVA has a few different kits available for students and teachers and the main features of each is the same. They include dozens of small, wooden building blocks that students can use to engineer all sorts of structures and learn some of the beginner skills that structural engineers need to know!
This KEVA kit contains 200 small plank pieces made out of pine wood. They’re smooth to the touch and able to be used to construct structures of many different shapes and sizes. Typically, students use the pieces in this kit to build structures that are commonly seen in the real world, like tunnels, funnels, ramps, and chutes, but the projects they design are ultimately left up to their imaginations! The Contraptions Kit is designed for students aged 7 and up, making it a fine addition to elementary classrooms and even an option for middle schoolers. Also included in the box is a ping pong ball, but students can find other objects to incorporate in the engineering and testing of their structures if they’d like.
The planks that come in the box are all the same size and can be easily stacked on top of each other to create structures tall or small. As indicated on the KEVA box, the planks can be stacked in one of four ways: Flat, upright, leaning, or on edge. Typically, the higher up students are able to build their structure, the more fun they’re able to have. That’s because gravity is a key component of learning with KEVA Planks. Students are able to notice how the force of gravity acts on the ping pong ball and pulls it from the top of their structure to the bottom. That’s why it’s good to build structures both tall and wide so that the ball can roll downward and also have plenty of room to travel.
Students could also use the planks to build models that remain stationary. On the inside of the box, for example, is a picture of a model train built with KEVA Planks. Of course, the wheels of the train would not be able to turn, so the train would not actually be able to move. This does, however, still very much allow kids to explore engineering principles and activate their creativity while building. And, who knows—maybe they can devise some way to do something more with models like this!
There are a lot of different project possibilities, but the box displays some of the coolest ones for kids to try. By the looks of them, they might appear to be pretty challenging and, while this is accurate, they’re nothing students can’t handle! The Coasters project, for example, is a great way to combine engineering and other scientific concepts. Students can build this roller coaster structure and then discuss some of the scientific concepts related to the ball moving downward, including speed, velocity, and acceleration. Or, in the Off to the Races project, they can simply build a two-lane structure and put two of the ping pong balls up against each other in a downhill sprint, weighing what they’ve learned so far to try to predict a winner!
The beauty of this KEVA kit and all others is that students can build just about anything they want. If a creative idea pops into their head, they can use the blocks to bring it to life. If they’re covering a certain concept in the classroom, they can use the blocks to bring that to life as well. Also, they can easily disassemble their models and then use the blocks to rebuild something else whenever they want. KEVA Planks are completely reusable and provide students with exceptional opportunities for hands-on learning in their classrooms or in the makerspace.
In addition to the KEVA Contraptions Set, you can find five other engaging KEVA kits on our store. We also offer a 4-pack of the KEVA ping pong balls if you’re interested in adding some more bounce to your teaching. To learn more about the different KEVA kits and to explore all of the options, search for it on our store. And, as always, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram to learn more about today’s most popular EdTech tools and how you can integrate them in classroom instruction.