Draw and cut out a set of paper eyes to attach on straws for making characters.

Paper Eyes

Lift this lightweight blue whale to simulation swimming in the ocean, only in the air! Use a servo motor to shift the mechanism for controlling the swaying motion of the tail to swim and the mouth to initiate communication in the ocean.

Please note this resource was tailored for US schools and may require adjustments to suit UK schools.

🇬🇧 Teacher Notes

Overview and Objectives

Materials

Preparation

Create joints then build a beam

Make another joint then build beams with previously made joint

Attach beams together to start building a side of the whale

Add straws to the whale's side

Create a beam for the front

Connect beam to make the whale's front side

Add straws for the back of the whale

Make a locked joint for the back

Connect the joint to the whale and complete the first side

Attach straws on the whale's side

Create and assemble beams for the mouth

Attach pieces to complete the mouth

Slide a straw through the middle of the mouth

Make a structure for controlling the mouth

Attach the structure to the mouth

Connect the mouth to the whale's side

Slide the mouth's beams on the whale's back

Start building the tail's base with beams

Make a bent beam then attach to create the tail fin

Create a structure for controlling the tail

Attach structure to the tail's base

Attach the tail to the whale

Build a set of joints for the whale's other side

Connect the joints together with straws

Complete the whale's other side

Combine both sides to complete the whale's entire body

Turn the entire body to rest on the belly

Assemble the micro:bit, clip, and servo motor

Clip the Robotics board and servo motor inside the whale

Connect to computer using USB cable

Start a new project on Makecode

Add Strawbees extension

Pair the micro:bit

Turn on the Robotics board

Center the servo motor

Create a beam then attach to the servo motor

Make the linkage

Attach the linkage to the mouth, servo motor, and tail

Program the servo motor to move back and forth

Make a pair of eyes and test swim your whale

Build

STEAM Classroom Robotics - micro:bit

United States

Animals

Expressive Robotics

Construct a Whale (micro:bit)