3D Printed Flexi-Animals: Juniors

Challenge: For students to create an original flexi-animal

Background: Previously one of the students had produced a long series of flexi animals that were featured on this blog.   The student is still present at our school, as a senior and we looking for ways for her to pass her skills on other students including the Y3 and Y4 students (seven year olds and eight year olds) in my classroom.

While the process potentially was a bit daunting by providing flipped video content (which we intend to potentially to make available to the wider community) the students were able to follow a process.   The process was a little complicated however the end process as shown in the photographs with this post are considered to be extremely successfully, with a student who is a Y4 student able to independently produce a range of prints.

A rabbit was chosen by the student for the first attempt and also allowing the student to question their design, the second version is shown to the right, so the student was able to complete the first print, evaluate it, discuss it and then look at creating the second print shown next to it.    Details changed included the adding of linking into the ears and shortening the distance between the links.

Size: The print is currently standing at 100mm long, has a main height of 50mm and a height from the foot to the ears at the front of 100mm.   The current design has been made 10mm thick.    

Timeframe: Two hours - there is some potential to modify this slightly however the basis between the size of the project, being able to play and manipulate the pieces and have the shape retained.

Level of Difficulty: High - this is not for the faint hearted.   The details of the print and the ability to have the joints and the sockets is something that took the students several attempts to master involving repeatedly referring to the videos that had been created and also sought the advice of the student who designed the original series.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The student is keen to continue to refine this basic (rabbit) design and then move onto other more challenging animal shapes.  She wants to further refine her linking until she considers that it is mastered.   This is an ongoing challenge for her (and a small group of students in the classroom as it is providing a viable opportunity to print 3D originals at a reasonable and creative level).

Y3/4 3D printed student bookmarks

'Sophie' Bookmark with rafting

Challenge: to produce a working bookmark suitable for a student to use.
Background: Previously at Auroa Primary School in a post from last year the students had created a bookmark as part of the Y34/4 STEM program at Auroa Primary School, a link to the original post is here.  This year the program was repeated, for an hour a week on Fridays and a group of students repeated the task.
Task: For the students to design an original bookmark using Tinkercad and then print.  The students are 8 and 9 year old students at school so this design was their first prints.
Level of Difficulty: Low - however this group of students was young and it was their first.

Issues: Once the students started adding detail to the base some of this detail was floating or did not fit well with the basic material - which caused some phantom air printing, resulted in failed prints.
Size: the 'Sophie' bookmark featured here measured 17cm by 4cm with a 5mm base.   The 'Willa' bookmark was 12cm by 7cm with a depth of 5mm.
Time fame: 'Sophie' was three hours and 'Willa' was four - however the first was printed on the Ultimaker 2+ and the latter on an Ultimaker 2 so some variation was expected.
Process: The students designed the projects directly into Tinkercad which was then converted into Cura for the printing on the 3D printers.
Reflection: As a short and practical introductory task for the students this allowed students to create their first projects.  Refinement and reflection should allow for a degreeing of fine tuning to ensure that the finish project meets the brief.