keva plank activities

KEVA Plank Activities: There are no set rules for using Keva Planks. It is really up to what you want to emphasize –teamwork, creatively thinking, communication, math and engineering concepts, etc. The activities in this packet are designed to encourage creative thinking and communication skills. As with all 4-H activities the facilitator is strongly encouraged to allow time for the participants to reflect and share after each activity. Select one activity from each group below for an hour class. Allow time to reflect, share and clean up. Print a copy of the activity for each participant. Have one person from the small group or team read the activity aloud while the others follow along. Item Needed: Keva Planks, 200- 260 per small group Ceramic Tile for base, one per group Tape Measure(s) Small stuffed toy (Beanie Baby®), one per group Masking tape to mark off the working space Optional: Mats to define the working space Additional activities from Keva.com have been added. These are copyright materials and may be used for educational purposes only. Activity Titles Begin with one of these: • Build a House • Tree Activity Next try one of these: • Try this challenge • Try this challenge with triangle, octagon and spiral Wrap up with: • Final Challenge • Final Toy Challenge Other Activities from KEVA.com

• Art curriculum • Spiral Globe

Note: These activities were developed and tested by Maureen Toomey, Extension Associate, unless otherwise noted. Feel free to adjust the activities to meet your group’s needs

Build a House…

1. Build on the tile. Start with a base of 4-6 planks.

2. Build a house with at least 4 walls, 2 stories, and a pitched (slanted) roof.

Build a House…

1. Build on the tile. Start with a base of 4-6 planks.

2. Build a house with at least 4 walls, 2 stories, and a pitched (slanted) roof.

KEVA Tree

1. Create a flat base for a tree trunk by laying a plank flat on the tile.

2. Make the trunk by placing 3 planks together and standing them upright on the base plank.

3. Lay a plank flat across the top of the trunk.

4. Take turns laying planks to build up the height of the tree.

5. Yell t-i-m-b-e-r if the tree should tumble to the floor!

KEVA Tree

1. Create a flat base for a tree trunk by laying a plank flat on the tile.

2. Make the trunk by placing 3 planks together and standing them upright on the base plank.

3. Lay a plank flat across the top of the trunk.

4. Take turns laying planks to build up the height of the tree.

5. Yell t-i-m-b-e-r if the tree should tumble to the floor!

Try this challenge…

1. Start with a base of 3-4 planks. Build on the tile.

2. Build the structure upward.

3. Build the structure outward making it twice the width of the base.

Consider using triangles, squares, octagon, or spiral themes.





Consider using triangles, squares, octagon, or spiral themes.





4. The structure must include a triangle, an octagon, and one spiral.





4. The structure must include a triangle, an octagon, and one spiral.

Final Challenge: • 3 minutes planning time – can’t touch planks • 10 minutes construction time • Build the highest structure you can • Structure must remain standing while being measured



Final Toy Challenge: • 2 minutes planning time – can’t touch planks • 7 minutes construction time

o Build on the tile o Build the highest and widest structure you can o Include one stuffed toy in the structure o The toy must be at least 9” above the tile o The toy must be visible on at least one side of the structure

• Structure must remain standing while being measured o The height and width will be added together for a final

score.

Final Toy Challenge: • 2 minutes planning time – can’t touch planks • 7 minutes construction time

o Build on the tile o Build the highest and widest structure you can o Include one stuffed toy in the structure o The toy must be at least 9” above the tile o The toy must be visible on at least one side of the structure

• Structure must remain standing while being measured o The height and width will be added together for a final

score.

KEVAplanks.com

ARTS CURRICULUM

KEVA® planks are a sculpture medium that uses only one simple building unit yet allows an infinite number of construction possibilities. KEVA® provides a genuine sculpture experience with minimal mess, very quick cleanup and universal appeal for all skill levels and ages. All Purpose Lesson Plan

1. Introduce the general art topic. i.e What is minimalist art? 2. Issue the challenge or parameters. Most are very simple

instructions with an unlimited number of possible responses. 3. Allow sculpting time. (Suggested time varies according to the

number of planks available.) 4. Lead students through observations of sculptures with suggested

questions at the end of this guide. 5. All planks are the same so all planks go into the same containers.

Cleanup usually takes not more than 4 minutes with all students helping-even with 5000 planks

Minimalism Build a sculpture using only 10 planks Build objects with only the most essential elements-i.e. Airplane with 3 planks 2 Dimensional Designs Create a 2D representation of a real object- apple, butterfly etc Create a 2D design using patterns. Consider pattern repetition. Linear patterns, circular patterns, spirals, How many different ways can you make a circular/polygon shape 3D Sculptures Create a sculpture with a shape theme Triangles Squares Polygons Shapes can be structural or decorative.

KEVAplanks.com

Spirals Make a sculpture using spirals. How many different types of spirals can you make? Impossible Structures Build a structure and remove some of the planks to create a sculpture that could not be built from the ground up. (Show a few examples) Eagle, hexagon uprights Build a non uniform sculpture- Does not follow a pattern, non linear- free form (Island, stack of hay etc.) Think like an architect Build a tower as tall as yourself. Add patterns/structure to make it more beautiful or interesting- i.e. Think like an architect. Establish a theme by which all will build All planks grouped in 3’s All in 2’s All in 5’s All in 2’s side by side All stacked flat All stacked vertically Only 10, 20 50 or 100 planks Only 4 minutes, 10 minutes Art Games Sculptionary- One person builds and others must guess the object. Sculptura- One person calls out a stacking orientation and all students must stack accordingly- i.e. flat, edge, upright angled. Every sculpture will be different. KEVAtalk- One person describes precise positioning and all try to build the same sculpture without seeing the master. Read a story and build the setting- homes, boats, tree houses, railroads , paths, fences, lakes etc. Dr. Suess works well. Concluding a Session – Discussion points

□ Always take the time to observe and consider the work of the other artists. □ Notice new techniques. □ Notice the effects of patterns. □ Notice difficult balance accomplishments. □ Notice innovative sculptors. □ Challenge students to express something they like about each sculpture. □ Challenge students to name their sculpture and explain the name. □ Challenge students to consider what they might try differently next time. □ What emotions does this sculpture evoke? □ Discuss the value of creativity. □ Talk about the value of sculptures □ How can sculpture express emotion?

As the World Turns

The Illusion of motionThe spiral is very easy to make once you know the simple pattern and technique. The key is to assemble a 4-plank layer on the table, then lift it into place as a unit. The next page will show you this useful technique.

Number of Planks: 101-200 Project Number: 49

Spiral with GlobeDifficulty: Moderate Category: Sculpture

The Globe

The Globe is simply an expanding bowl with a contracting top . Small changes in the stacking pattern can create radically different effects.



Step 2

Squeeze the outer blocks together so you can pick up all four blocks as a single unit.

Building the Spiral

Step 1

Create two sets of blocks side by side, as shown.

Step 3

Place this layer on the first layer. To make the spiral look attractive, the amount of overhang should be consistent. To help with this, decide how far you you want them to overlap (perhaps half a plank width). Observe both ends each time a layer is placed to be sure the overhang is the same. This will keep the spiral straight and allow you to build taller.



As your spiral progresses make sure you check it from all angles. This allows you to build more accurately and creates a taller spiral.

Place the unit with a slight overhang at each end. A larger overhang creates a spiral that makes a full revolution with fewer layers.

Step 4

Your spiral should look like this. Create a square on top using five planks side by side. The weight of the globe will add stability to the spiral.



Building the Globe

Step 1On each corner of the square platform place a block to create the first layer of the globe.

Step 2

Add more layers. Each plank should be placed so it is out a little further than the plank below it.

Step 3

Continue adding layers to expand the diameter.



Step 4

To close the globe, just reverse the procedure so that each plank is overlapping to create a smaller diameter. Close the top with another square of 5 blocks to match the base.

Diamond or Globe?

DiamondTo make the top look more like a diamond, make each overlap the same. The surfaces will be flat like the facets of a diamond.

GlobeRounded or spherical surfaces require a larger overlap on the first few layers gradually shifting to smaller overlap at the widest diameter.

Experi ment to understand the difference.



keva plank activities

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