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21st century parent parent of 8 to 16 years old kids parents of stem learners
team_icon Upto 3 members teams
age_icon For 8-13 years old

Build The Rube Goldberg Machine

The challenge is to design and build the Rube Goldberg
Amazing Contraption that Roll, Swoop, Stack and Spin.

time_icon11th Mar, 2022 - 12th Apr, 2022

Competition trophy

Contest Timeline

  • Launch
    11th Mar, 2022


  • Registration Closes
    10th Apr, 2022


  • Submission Ends
    12th Apr, 2022


  • Results
    17th Apr, 2022


Contest Timeline

  • Launch

    11th Mar, 2022

  • Registration Closes

    10th Apr, 2022

  • Submission Ends

    12th Apr, 2022

  • Results

    17th Apr, 2022

Contest Overview

Rube Goldberg Machine is a combination of several simple machines connected together to make a complex machine. It is a chain reaction type machine or contraption intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and fantastically complicated way.

Usually, these machines consist of a series of simple unrelated devices, the action of each triggers the next, eventually resulting in achieving a stated goal. The Challenge is to design and construct a RubeGoldberg machine using at least 4 simple machines from Pulley, Lever, Wedge, Screw, Wheel and Axle, Inclined plane and at least 3 energy transfers to successfully complete an "end task" using a minimum of 15 steps.

Contest Sponsers

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Skills Under Scanner

The following skills will be evaluated for this contest

Critical thinking Skills Creative thinking Problem Solving Simple and Compond Machines Energy Conversions Types of Energy

Rewards

Rewards For Winnwers

First Prize

  • Rs. 2000/- DIY Kits Voucher
  • First Position Certificate
Rewards For Winnwers

Second Prize

  • Rs. 1000/- DIY Kits Voucher
  • Second Position Certificate
Rewards For Winnwers

Third Prize

  • Rs. 1000/- DIY Kits Voucher
  • Third Position Certificate
Rewards For Winnwers

Most Creative

  • Rs. 1000/- DIY Kits Voucher
  • Category Certificate
Rewards For Winnwers

All Participants

  • Participation Certificate

FAQs

A Rube Goldberg Machine (RGM) is a crazy contraption which accomplishes a simple task in the most complicated – and funniest – way possible! Based on the “Invention” cartoons of the famous Pulitzer Prize-winning American cartoonist, Rube Goldberg, actual machines are at the heart of the Rube Goldberg Machine Competition. They use everyday items (mostly junk!), they have a story and, most important of all – they make you LAUGH..
A Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC) is an event where students of all ages compete with the machines they have imagined, designed and created in a fun and competitive forum. The competitions encourage teamwork and out-of-the-box problem solving, in a fresh learning environment and level playing field. Remember, to compete in a RGMC all you need is a good imagination and a pile of junk!
Ideally it should, but if it does not, still you will be scored as per the steps.
Yes
No
If we manually trigger at any step, that is manual intervention.
One step is defined as one action/reaction or an energy transfer. Each step may incorporate things like pulleys, levers, ramps, electrical switches, batteries, dominoes, catapults, etc.
No
Yes
No
Inspirational videos are there for reference, you can always add some of your creativity to the existing one.
The dimensions should be as per the challenge guidelines otherwise the points may be deducted.
You can team up with your child to participate in the competition.

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About Makershala

Makershala is a Learning by Making ecosystem for kids from age 8-16 to help them discover their interests, develop future skills and deepen conceptual understanding. Makershala follows the Project Based Learning approach as its way of teaching in which kids work on authentic, real life & personally meaningful projects.

Kids work on these projects in different educational settings, namely; self-learning; online 1:4 Peer to Peer with a mentor; or in a school. Projects are categorized in different interest segments like Robotics, Coding, Electronics, 3D Printing, Animations, Photography, Machine Learning, Astronomy and many more.

Each project is mapped with classroom concepts, 21st century skills, UN sustainable development goals and interests/careers to not only focus on holistic development of a child but help them identify their calling by giving them exposure to problems that exist in the real world.

Why Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning has the potential to solve many of the learning problems we see today beyond foundational literacy.

  • Ownership: Learners have complete ownership on what they need to know to solve a problem and come up with the best solution in the best way. It can be a concept or a software tool or a skill. Kids involved in projects are never required to be told to study.

  • Interdisciplinary: Unlike traditional learning where subjects are taught in silos and learners develop a perception of liking or disliking a subject. In project based learning, the given problem is supreme and it may require to know something from maths, science and history together.

  • Experiential learning: We generally retain 75% of what we do as opposed to only 5% of what we hear and 10% of what we read, hence PBL helps kids retain what they learn.

  • Lifelong learning: The most important gift that PBL gives to its learners is to make them lifelong learners as this is the most required skill to lead a good life, personally & professionally.

  • Skills & Knowledge balance: Project-based learning doesn’t focus too much on memorizing information, rather it equally demands practising life skills to be able to do better in projects.

How Makershala Works

  • Parents and Kids who wish to start their journey with Makershala, are suggested to pick one interest area of the child and then choose a plan.

  • Parents and Kids after enrolling in a course based on their interest are assigned a batch. Each batch has 3-4 learners and 1 mentor.

  • Each course has 6 guided projects and 1 challenge project.

  • During the project, formative assessments are conducted to evaluate learner’s knowledge & skills.

  • On completion of a project parents and kids get a learning report which indicates the skills and knowledge developed/displayed by them.

  • Kids also build their portfolio which showcases problems solved, solutions created, skills developed, knowledge acquired and technologies learnt.

  • Kids earn rewards in the form of badges, points and coins for their performance in a project, course and overall.

  • Kids are maneuvered to take up courses and projects from different learning segments to gain more clarity on their interests. This eventually helps them in picking up a career.