Cardboard Automata Kinetic Crank Machine
An engaging, screen-free learning activity that builds real-world creativity and critical thinking for kids aged 7 to 9.
Materials Needed
- • Shoebox (1 unit)
- • Wooden barbecue skewers (blunted) (3 units)
- • Heavy corrugated cardboard scraps (2 panels)
- • Plastic drinking straw (1 unit)
- • Low-temperature glue gun or strong tacky glue (1 unit)
Pro Tips
- → A circular cam placed off-center creates smooth harmonic bobbing; an egg-shaped cam produces sudden drops.
- → Slide a plastic drinking straw vertically through the box roof to keep the follower axle moving straight up and down.
- → Add a small circular cardboard friction disc to the bottom of the follower stick to ride cleanly along the cam perimeter.
Safety First
Adult supervises hot glue gun use and trims skewer ends.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Punch horizontal axle holes through the sides of a shoebox and slide a wooden skewer through to form the crank shaft.
Step 2
Cut two circular cams from thick cardboard and hot-glue them off-center onto the axle inside the box.
Step 3
Glue a vertical straw sleeve through the box lid and drop a vertical skewer with a round cardboard foot onto the cam surface.
Step 4
Decorate a cardboard character (like a flying bird or swimming whale) on top of the follower, and turn the crank to watch the motion.