The second module for The Universe Within is falling into place. Called “The Art of Kinetics,” the twenty lessons of Module 2 will be rolled out to students who participate in The Creative STEM Club in the fall of 2021.

The curriculum continues to use Mat Bevel Company President Ned Schaper’s magical world of Beveldom as the framework for students to develop their magical worlds. In “The Art of Kinetics”,  students will focus on developing the physical and temporal aspects of their magical worlds, with the module building up to the creation of a time machine to help students travel through time and space to solve a problem in their world.  Lessons align with Science, Math, Engineering, Visual Arts, Theater Arts and English Language Arts Arizona State Standards.

Though “The Art of Kinetics” was originally taught in the traditional classroom at Patagonia Elementary School, this multimedia edition of the module goes much deeper into classical mechanics, the study of the motion of bodies. Classical mechanics was the first branch of physics and is foundational in further physics learning. “The Art of Kinetics” is being updated to include more science and math by Dr. Bruce Bayly, University of Arizona math professor, Juliette Verley, a science museum educator and curriculum developer, and Paula Schaper, vice president of Mat Bevel Company.

After diving into how time relates to space, students will begin to build pieces of a Time Machine that teaches them about forces, work, tools, simple machines and complex machines while learning skills like measurement, action planning and creative problem solving.

Students will begin to learn about space, motion, and time using real-world examples from Earth and our Solar System, as well as extrapolated examples from students’ imaginary worlds. Students will start learning about time by identifying their location in space and time using “where and when” coordinates, before imagining a “where and when” location in their imagined world. Students will then learn about the relationship between planetary movement and time through exploration of the 24 hour rotational motion and 365 day circulatory motion of the Earth. Students then must create a time-keeping system based off of the rotational and circulatory motion of their own planet.

Students will need to explore mechanical advantage and master the use of tools to create a complex machine out of pulleys, levers, and nuts and bolts: their time machine. The module will culminate in an exhibition and performance of the student’s design where they get into character to show and discuss their creations and explain what they have learned about classical mechanics to a crowd.

“The Art of Kinetics” will build interdisciplinary connections between physics, math, engineering, and art. In the second module of The Universe Within, students will be building machines as well as continuing to build confidence and foster their creative genius.