{exploration lab} prosthetics

Our homeschool co-op is learning about bones this month and my week was devoted to prosthetics. I wanted as much as the class to be an open tinker time as possible, so I kept the lecture to a minimum.

In our co-op, the organizing parent shares resources with their kids before we meet. We post videos, animations, and other educational fodder on our group FB page. So the kids come to class already versed in the subject. I had also asked each of them to design a prosthetic in their journals.

Meticulous models are made while getting fitted for a prosthetic, so we started by making plaster of paris models of their fingers.We used alginate in paper dixie cups. Your finger has to stay in the agnate for 3-5 minutes, so while I had them all still, I attempted to give a brief history of fake arms and legs. Remarkably, for most of time, prosthetics were simple and made of wood, leather and metal. It is only in recent history that so many advancements are being made, including the ability to move prosthetics with your brain!

After our finger molds set, a volunteer removed them and filled them with plaster and let them set for the remainder of the class.

Each kid shared their drawings which were varied and interesting. And then we built. My family had been been working on articulate hands using strings and straws. We shared this technique and many decided to use it in some variation like articulated tails and head dresses.

My hope was that each kid learned one new technique for their builders toolbox. I can not wait to see how their new skills show up in their future work.

Materials and tools we used:
cardboard
straws
yard
scissors and exacto knives
hot glue guns and duct tape

Oh! I made a pinterest page with a handful of resources. 

Share what you make in the Mama Scout Laboratory for Creative Living Facebook group.