Friday, November 28th 2014

Prime Number Themed Robot

On this day Gavin and I headed over to M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for our first time attending the annual F.A.T. (Friday after Thanksgiving) CHAIN REACTION event. It was so cool. Teams from anywhere enter their home-made “Chain Reaction” Rube-Goldberg-esque contraptions in this event where they all get linked together.  (The theme this year was “Prime Numbers.”)

Here we are waiting for the Games to Begin:

Mom & Boy Date!

Here is a team of boys Gavin got to ask about their use of HEX BUGS (little robotic kinetic toys) in their contraption:

HEX BUG Driven Chain Reaction Contraption

Team members were all ages, including many engineers of course, not just kids.  Gavin and I agreed there is probably no where else you will find so many grownups playing with kids’ toys in one place.

As part of the event there were also materials available for spectators and families to play and build with, including stacks of dixie cups, old DVD cases to line up and knock over like Dominoes, and toothpicks for linking together with GUM DROPS.  This gave me the inspiration to throw a jar of toothpicks and *raisins* in my purse before heading out for dinner that night with Grandpa and the gang.  It was a hit!

Building Boy

Cousin Olivia got on the action too:

Cousins Busy Building

What Naturals!

Here is my son’s beautiful face (pardon me for saying so) absorbed in the gorgeous Rube Goldberg Machine at the Boston Museum of Science, which we visited the next day:

Dreamin’

*sigh*

Here is a page featuring 10 brilliant Rube Goldberg machines from around the web/world, all of which I hope to watch with my Boy: http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/rube-goldberg-machines/

If you only get to see ONE video, this is it; arguably the world’s most famous Rube Goldberg machine, created by the incomparably creative rock band OK GO.  ENJOY!

[Also hope to watch every dang video OK GO has produced, which can probably all be seen here on their OK GO YouTube Channel, but alas that’s another day.]