Concept 1
Principles
1. The toy is based on the ‘rotation principle’. Attached to the gearbox is a cam (elliptical element); it allows the toy to be at an unbalanced state at all time, causing the toy to ‘dance’ from side to side.
2. As the toy dances, the metal legs have contact with a hard surface and make noise – teaching children that impact made by certain materials can create noise.
3. The leg movement causes the rubber ball to jump up and down – teaching children the physical property of rubber’s elasticity and the principle of gravity.
4. To start the toy dancing, a child has to turn the ‘ear’ – teaching children that there has to be some stored energy in order to objects to move.
Materials
Metal
legs
Rubber
ball (red)
Plastic
body (yellow)
Gearbox
(white)
Plastic
‘Turning ear’ (blue)
Description
The children turn the plastic ‘ear’ and observe the various behaviors of the toy.
The toy can be played indoor or outdoor – children can explore the different behavior the toy has when placed on different type of surfaces.
Cost
Low
to medium
(Due to the fact that the toy consists of different materials and components, the assembly takes slightly more time and therefore cost increases.)
Durability
High
(however, the rubber ball can easily be lost.)
Safety
Age
4 and up
