With the completion of the fire truck roof and windows, the last structural element the children wanted to construct was the door. In order to gather ideas of possibilities, we examined structures that open and close around the classroom. As they considered each, they identified essential pieces that made each function- the swing door needed a hinge, the window blind required a pulley, and the curtain needed a rod. The group agreed to prototype all three and then decided which one to use for the firetruck.
Teacher Susan: We created three different prototypes. Which one should we use for our fire truck?
Naia: The one that you pull and it goes up.
Julien: You mean the one with the rope?
Sammy: And the pulley?
Naia: Yeah.
Teacher Susan: Why do you think we should use that one?
Philippos: Because it’s easier. When the firefighters need to get in, you can pull the rope and run in.
Julien: Yeah, when there’s a fire, you need to open it fast.
Sammy: Yeah, and it’s cool.
The process of prototyping opened up the possibility of examining the functionality of each type of door and this knowledge played a key role in the decision making process. Reflecting back on the experience, the teachers were reminded of this group’s initial fascination with combining materials to move objects in time and space. This interest shaped the curriculum in the West Wing Exploration Room and continued in the East Wing. Their study of simple machines was tangible when they explained their reasoning for choosing the door with the pulley system. Their reasoning also considered the firefighters’ need to quickly respond to emergency situations and to them, the door with the pulleys would make this possible.