All School Challenge #3 - Chain Reactions

This week's challenge is to build a chain reaction machine with items you have around the house. A chain reaction machine is a machine that has a series of actions and reactions. Unlike the marble run, you don't have a single object move through the whole machine, instead one item reacts to an action made by another item - on down the line. The more actions/reactions, the more interesting the machine. I want you to list the actions/reactions for me when you send me your machine, I'll show an example below.

​Here's what I made. From items in my house.

Here's a slo-mo video of my chain reaction machine at work.

Mrs. Bisson's Chain Reaction Machine:

1. Begin by rotating first mug handle counter-clockwise. 
2. First mug rotates second mug.
3. Second mug rolls tea canister forward.
4. Tea canister rolls down ramp.
5. Tea canister rolls onto large spoon lever. 
6. Spoon lever releases golf ball.
7. Golf ball rolls into shoe insert.
8. Shoe insert lifts upside-down bowl.
9. Upside down bowl releases marbles.
10. Marbles drop onto xylophone keys.
11. Marbles strike xylophone keys.
12. Xylophone keys vibrate.
13. Vibrating xylophone keys emit sound.

Please send me a list like this with the video of your chain reaction machine. You can email me your video and list to [email protected]. This challenge was inspired by the Exploratorium and they are collecting chain reaction videos. If a parent is willing, you can tweet your video using the hashtags #RoundTheWorld_ChainReaction and #sfbrandeismakes. It's also worth a little Twitter time to see what other folks have come up with. Their are some amazing ideas!

OPtional Lesson extensions

• Have a verb hunt. How many different action words did your machine perform? I made my verbs green in my project list.
• Rube Goldberg machines are famous versions of chain reaction machines that perform tasks. Add on to your machine. How could you make it perform a task?
• Focus on the sound of your machine. How can you get more interesting noises out of it?
• ​Literature connections: Can you think of stories that are like a chain reaction machine, where one event leads to another and another? I immediately think of the old lady who swallowed a fly. What other ideas can you think you of?