So excited to share with you a new VEX GO STEM Lab – Day and Night ! This was created to try and help students model scientific phenomena we see with the pattern of day and night.
Students start by building a model using their GO kits to actually model the rotation of the Earth on its axis and using the Switch to spin the motor.
Then they go through an investigation to determine what causes day and night.
In the second Lab, they swap the Switch for a Brain and Eye Sensor and actually investigate why it appears that the Sun moves across the sky throughout the day, even though we know the Earth is rotating.
All in all these are fun builds that get into some really cool science concepts and help students combat certain misconceptions like the Sun revolving around the Earth or that it is the same time of day everywhere on Earth.
How do you plan on using this in your classroom?
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The use of GO kits to physically model the Earth’s rotation brings the phenomena of day and night to life in an innovative way, engaging students with hands-on exploration. I love it.
The progression from the simple Switch to the more complex Brain and Eye Sensor integration presents a challenge. This layered approach deepens understanding, encouraging students to explore more advanced scientific concepts.
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This is such a wonderful design! I will use it by adding a light in the middle of the sun and paint the sphere so that it looks like the Earth. This way they could really look at a point and see the day and night cycle.
I will make some tests next week to find a way to attach a lamp. I also need a way to attach the sphere so that it will turn with the motor. My only worry is the speed of the motor which, by my experience, is moving really fast when used with the switch…
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For attaching the sphere to the motor/shaft, I think a styrofoam ball would be a great option! Then you dont have to worry about cutting a hole into a tennis ball or something else of that size.
For the motor and switch combination, you are right. It does get a little speedy, but that’s also where the Lab 2 build can really come in handy! The instructions in the Play section walk you through how to use the LED in the Eye Sensor as a lamp and the Brain to code the movement of the motor (then you can control the velocity to be your preferred speed).
Here’s an animation of the Lab 2 build in action with the LED on.
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Please share with us your finished results!
