Art that Moves: Expression and Problem Solving through Kinetic Sculptures

Ms. Hatcher's 4th-grade science students learned about kinetic energy through the creation of windmills- also called Kinetic Sculptures. While making these three-dimensional artworks, we had to think about both sides of the paper as we designed. Through the discussion of color theory and complementary colors, the artwork on the windmills came to life. 

We then constructed our windmills, transforming a 2D sheet of paper into a 3D Kinetic Sculpture. The use of rotational symmetry was exemplified by completing the same steps of construction for all four corners of the windmills.

FInally, we took our classroom-turned-art-studio outdoors to test our windmills! While some of our windmills instantly turned round and round, some of us needed to make small adjustments- like loosening our push-pins or moving our bodies- to better catch the wind. 

The process of creating our Kinetic Sculptures showed what can happen when you get art moving: artistic expression and problem solving at its finest!