This project was a great deal of work and it was challenging and many a time I got frustrated and stopped working. When this happened I either took a break or Nick would encourage me to keep trying. One of times we were working on it we couldn't figure out how to make the pin put enough pressure on the balloon. We had tried like ten different ways to make the pin press tightly against the balloon when it gets pressed upward. Eventually I was sitting looking around for something we could use while i was playing with a rubber band and I thought of a way for the rubber band to hold the balloon in place. I learned that sometimes taking a break can really help.
Devin
I started this project thinking it would be a breeze, and we’d go beyond what we had to, and we would get everything to work out first try. Boy, was I wrong. It took HOURS of work to get this project to run smoothly. We had to change things so many times, AND we had to completely trash two ideas that I really like. Blaine and I spent a long time trying to find a way to trigger the crossbow, but we eventually had to say, “We can’t have it.” Was I disappointed? Yes. Did I get over it and end up with a better project? Absolutely!
John
What I learned about myself is that even though I may think it impossible, like when we are very restricted in our materials, I manage to get through the pain that is whatever it is and finish the project. I also learned that I work best while working with music. When I was at my partner's home and we didn't work with it I found myself more and more frustrated with this project.
Blaine
This project opened my eyes to the many uses of the machines, and how many times we use them every day. We use a wheel and axel in our car to get to and from school. We use a wedge to keep the door open at school. We use a pulley to open the window blinds. We have an inclined plane in our showers to drain the water. We use a lever to turn on the lights. Screws hold our houses together.
The creation of this project gave me an understanding of how recycled materials and simple machines affect our daily lives. Every day, we use all of these simple machines and recycled materials. There is so much potential in all of us, and simple items.
Seamus
In this project I learned that I was capable of making machines that I did not know I was capable of creating. The project taught me to use my imagination to create machines quite similar to those of Rube Goldberg. I also learned that I should use all the resources I have around me. By resources I mean recycled materials and things people may consider to be trash.
