Art Machine Small Group Pack

Build kinetic creatures from levers and fulcra that come to life when their parts move together.
Grades
Pre-K-3rd Grade
Activity Time
20-45 min
Prep Time
5-10 min
Concepts
Compound Machines Levers Pivots Storytelling

Select the pack size that matches your use case

Learners build

A kinetic creature or character that moves through connected levers and fulcra.

Learners start by building a lever system that turns simple pulls into visible motion, then attach custom artwork that moves with the mechanism.

From there, they can redesign it into a creature, character, mouth, claw, hidden reveal, story object, or practical invention.

Build

Learners assemble the core design and see how the parts work together.

Test

They try it, notice what happens, and compare the result with their goal.

Redesign

They make changes, add their own ideas, and improve the build through iteration.

Learners explore

Compound Machines

Combine simple machines to build more complex moving creations.

Levers

Build moving parts that lift, push, pull, or open using levers.

Pivots

Explore turning points that let parts rotate, swing, and move.

Ready to run with learners

Student-facing slides introduce the concepts, guide the activity, and help learners reflect on what changed. Educator materials support setup, pacing, discussion, and extensions so this can work in classrooms, libraries, homeschool groups, clubs, or makerspaces.

View Art Machine teaching materials
1

Student Slides

Introduce concepts, guide build moments, and give learners reflection prompts.

2

Educator Guide

Setup notes, pacing help, facilitation prompts, and extension ideas.

3

Flexible Facilitation

Works for classrooms, homeschool groups, libraries, clubs, and makerspaces.

What's included

Choose a pack size to see how the component quantities change for one learner, a small group, or a full class.