Peddle Meddle

Episode 36                                                                     Planet: Technology

Learning concept of the episode: Gears convey turning motions from one piece to another.

Story Summary

Bing and Bong encounter a unicycle service area, where a Long Legged Flocker and a Short Legged Flocker are having their vehicles serviced. When the Long Legged Flocker accidentally goes off on the wrong unicycle however, the Short Legged Flocker is left trying to ride a unicycle with pedals that his legs cannot reach! With the help of the robot mechanic, Bing and Bong try to adjust the placement of the pedals on the unicycle and add gears and a chain. Their trial and error proves successful and the Short Legged Flocker happily thanks them and rides away.

Focus Early Learning Goal

Knowledge and Understanding 3: Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.

Linked ELGs

PSE1, CLL1, KU4, KU6

Preparation

• Watch the Tiny Planets episode 
• Talk about what Bing and Bong did in the story.

Talk about…..

• How cogs and gears are used to make things go round.
• How cogs and gears are used in everyday life e.g. bikes, watches, clocks etc.
• Talk about size and proportion, why could the smaller Flocker not ride the larger bike?

Focus Activity

Fix it shop (see overleaf)

Follow-on Activities

• Printing activity with various cogs and chains
• Looking at size, match objects to their correct compatible size
• Cog sorting, group cogs depending upon size, colour, number of teeth etc

Fix it shop

Aim

To investigate and collect cogs, gears and chains

Resources

• An adult size bicycle
• Clocks and watches
• Cogs and gears construction set

Guidelines

• Discuss with the children the use for cogs, gears and chains.
• Show them an adult bicycle, turn it upside down and let them turn the pedals to make the wheels turn

• Show them the inside of a working clock or watch
• Change the life experience area into a fix it shop for cogs and gears, or a bike or watch repair.
• Display various bikes or watches accordingly, have old watches or clocks that the children can play with.
• Set up a cog construction set on a table within this area
• Let the children go into the area in small groups of two at a time to ‘work in the shop’
• Provide magnifying glasses to enable the children to look at the workings of the gears.

Key Vocabulary

Cog, gears chain, turn, tick, fix, round, linking, watch, bicycle, clock

Health & Safety

Ensure that the children are supervised at all times when looking at the very small pieces within a clock or watch to avoid them being put into their mouths.

Make sure that items used are free from oil and grease.

Ensure bicycle is stable whilst children are looking at it and turning the pedals to prevent it from falling on them.