If you haven't already heard of the wonders of KEVA planks, let me introduce you to one of the most popular Makerspace materials I have purchased to date! These small, perfectly cut pieces of wood may look just like any other wooden block; however, their simplicity makes them perfect for everyone to use! First - what is a KEVA Plank? As you can see from the photo below, they are small planks made of maple or pine (my sets are pine). Every piece is exactly the same - 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide, and 4.5" long. Why do those measurements matter? Because KEVA Planks follow the "Golden Ratio" of 1:3:5. 1 plank wide is 3 planks tall and also 5 planks long, as illustrated in this picture: This is know as the beginning of a series of numbers discovered by Leonardo Fibonacci. You can learn more about the Fibbonacci sequence here: In short, the ratio of each successive pair of numbers in the series approximates the irrational magic number called phi, or 1.1618 (not to be confused with pi, or 3.1415). The interactions of the first numbers in the Fibbonacci sequence create perfect proportions and are very versatile. You see it in the architecture of the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids, and more! So how can you use KEVA Planks with kids? Fortunately for teachers, the KEVA Planks company has created an amazing selection of resources for parents, educators, and librarians! Just click on this picture below, then mouse-over the Educators or Libraries tabs as appropriate! I used KEVA Planks with my 6th and 7th grade Coding and Computational Thinking classes with amazing results. I used the KEVA Brainbuilders boxes to supply them with a warm up challenge. Each card has 1 pattern to be built with 20 planks or less. Here is a sample expert level card with two of my students who worked together to solve it. This was a very difficult card, but they did it! The collaboration, engineering skills, and communication that my students displayed while they worked together to solve these puzzles was incredible. My students have made some AMAZING structures with the KEVA Planks. I have given them challenges, such as "build the tallest freestanding structure you can using triangle shapes" or "build the longest bridge you can build without supports". Sometimes I have just allowed them to free build and use their imaginations. They have built replicas of famous buildings, free standing structures taller than me... they even studied the physics of skyscraper demolition by building and recording the demolition of model skyscrapers, analyzing the fall patterns in slow motion to see what the smallest area of "debris" was that they could make. I am always impressed by the designs they come up with!
How would YOU use KEVA Planks with your students? Drop a comment below and let me know!
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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