Use air pressure to push, pull, open, close, and grab.
Learners build
An air-powered cardboard claw that opens, closes, and grabs.
Learners start by building the claw from six cardboard levers joined with connectors, then attach two pistons and a tube. Pushing or pulling one handle moves air to the other piston and works the claw.
From there, they improve the grippers for a relay race, redesign parts from scrap cardboard, or try water instead of air to see hydraulics. It is a science and engineering build.
Educator Resources
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.
What's included
Choose a pack size to see how the component quantities change for one learner, a small group, or a full class.