Educational Value
In solving the puzzles, players learn about science and mathematical principles, including:
- Balance – balancing a scale using different weights and distances
- Electricity – constructing various types of series and parallel circuits
- Energy – matching activities to energy types: chemical, electrical, kinetic, nuclear, potential, light, heat, mechanical
- Force – propelling various sized objects into a flashing hole (depending on ramp, gravity and/or friction)
- Gears – constructing machines using gears of various sizes
- Magnetics – constructing various North-South pole patterns
- Machines – building common objects out of simple machine pieces
In building vehicles, players learn about good, better and best principles. For example, that a rounded nose on a car is more aerodynamic and faster than a flat nose, and a pointed nose is better still.
Read more about this topic: Gizmos & Gadgets!
Famous quotes containing the word educational:
“Although good early childhood programs can benefit all children, they are not a quick fix for all of society’s ills—from crime in the streets to adolescent pregnancy, from school failure to unemployment. We must emphasize that good quality early childhood programs can help change the social and educational outcomes for many children, but they are not a panacea; they cannot ameliorate the effects of all harmful social and psychological environments.”
—Barbara Bowman (20th century)
“Your organization is not a praying institution. It’s a fighting institution. It’s an educational institution right along industrial lines. Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!”
—Mother Jones (1830–1930)