bridge building

The bridge presentations last week from Christie and Phillip's band were fascinating to listen to. Designs were presented on powerpoint presentations with SketchUp drawings or 3D models, and included hooks, supports, railings, clubhouses, stairs, and cubbyholes, and it was wonderful to hear the kids both answer questions with confidence and admit to when they might not have thought about the answer to a tricky question. There was no one idea that solved all the questions about how to get from the bandspace to the mezzanine, so the clients (Ellen, Josh, Sean, and myself) called for a cull of the best parts of a couple of the strongest ideas.On Tuesday and Wednesday, the band began bridge construction based on a combination of several of the design ideas.They did a physics lesson with Gever and used their body weight to test the physical strength of different widths of wood.Phillip writes, "After park, we broke the band into groups responsible for key components of the bridge. Each group elected a project manager to facilitate collecting measurements and drawing plans."This morning, after a little scolding about messes left out, kids got together and measured wood, made cuts, and asked experts (Sean and Gever) best practices for construction. [Other] kids helped prepare the site for the bridge. We ended the day with a near-complete mount for the mezzanine wall and the basic rectangle for the bridge's main beam."Construction work and adjustments to the plan have continued all week, and they are definitely on track to finishing the bridge by the end of the Rulers arc. Updates to be added as they happen!