This term in Year 6, our Design Technology project is ‘Automata Toys’. An automata toy is a mechanical toy, created to mimic movement in a character or object, with a system of cams, axles and followers.
We designed and made automata toys to share with the children in Reception Class. This gave us the chance to independently practise many DT skills from previous years and also practise the skills needed to work in a team.
First, we worked together in our groups to prepare all of the components that we would need. We had to use our Maths skills to ensure accurate measuring. Next, we assembled the frame by following exploded diagrams-which was a lot trickier if we hadn’t measured carefully! We learned important health and safety rules when we were using the glue guns, hand drills and saws.
Once the frames were assembled, it was time to investigate different cam profiles and we learned that the cams cause the follower to rise, fall or remain static at different points depending on its shape. We chose three cam shapes and threaded them on the axle. We designed and created our characters and glued them onto the followers.
We really enjoyed this DT unit and we learned so much. We also needed to use all our learning powers, especially reciprocity with our teams and resilience as we kept on responding to challenges.
Well done, Year 6. What did you enjoy most?
