Matilda

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein

Reflection on the Dollhouse Construction Process

To make the dollhouse, I first started with the planning process. I drew out what I wanted it to look like and wrote down the measurements for corresponding pieces.

(I apologise for my name being scribbled on there, I had to mark my property)

After this step was complete, I drew out the shapes of the pieces that I would require to build the dollhouse onto cardboard. I then used a knife to carefully cut them out. Safety regulations were followed.

As you can see, I also cut a small hole into one of the pieces, this was for the lightbulb.

Then, with the help of Mr. Landrum, I gathered the materials and tools needed for the light system of the house, and after trial and error, constructed it with batteries, wires, and a switch. This part of the process was put to the side for later on in construction.

I then stuck the pieces together with the aid of hot glue.

(I stuck the roof pieces on after I added the batteries, as they sit on the ceiling)

The next step was to add in the electrical components, roof pieces, and an occupant to the dollhouse.

(You can’t see that light bulb from this angle as it is very small)

The product, in its simplicity, is easy to use and relatively cheap and affordable. However, because it is made out of cardboard, if it comes into contact with water, it may get soggy and break in some way.

There may be some dangers with the design. Small children could try to consume the batteries or wires and injure themselves. To fix this problem, I could add removable panels to the roof (the batteries may need to be changed) and add two layer walls for the wires to fit inside.

Continuing with improvements, here is some feedback that I received:

-Innovative

-Purposeful

-Cheap

-Needs to be more complex

-Could have used more materials

If I had the time and materials needed, I could have used wood instead of cardboard, added panels to the area surrounding the batteries, and built double walls as space for the wires. Stylistically, I could have added furniture or colour to the house and made it more complex.

My intended audience was young children (or anyone with an interest in dollhouses) that cannot afford one of higher value and price.

Construction Process

In this image, all the pieces of cardboard for the dollhouse are lying on the table, ready to be put together. The wall pieces are 15cm by 8 cm, the floor and ceiling pieces are 8cm by 8cm, and the roof pieces are 10cm by 8cm. The ceiling piece has a hole cut into it for the lightbulb to sit and the battery will sit on the ceiling.

In this stage of construction, the walls, ceiling, and floor have been put together using hot glue. The roof will be added later incase the battery does not fit with the roof on.

In this image, the roof has been constructed over the battery and lightbulb, connecting to the switch at the side of the house. When the switch is flicked, the lightbulb turns on. There is also a person living in the house, his name is Sam.

Planning on Paper

In this image, you can see my basic plan for my engineering project. I have included the measurements for each of my pieces of cardboard that will be glued together to form a basic dollhouse. I unfortunately did not add in the switch in this basic plan but it will be there in real life.

Planning for a Dollhouse

For this engineering project, I will be creating lights for a toy house that are powered by batteries. The light setup will be connected to batteries to convert chemical energy to light energy, which will turn the house’s lights on.

Audience/users: Young children who play with toy houses.

Equipment and materials needed: Lego or other building materials (possibly cardboard), wires(crocodile clip ones), small lightbulbs, batteries, 3D printer, laser cutter, glue.

Safety: This children’s toy has some possible risks. Keep the batteries away from small children in case of consumption and do not let a child’s mouth near any cables or wires.

Energy transfers:

Chemical –> light

Waste Energy:

Thermal

Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary  is a non-fiction book by Gail Jarrow about the typhoid epidemic of the early 20th century.

Murder with a Lamb

The found poem shown above was extracted from pages 3-4 of “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. This poem external conflict between Mary Maloney, the protagonist, and her husband, Patrick Maloney, the antagonist, after he end their marriage, resulting in his untimely demise. In the story Mrs. Maloney must cover up her part in her husband’s murder from the police and the other people living in the area (also, the small bits of paper were a pain to stick onto the larger one).

Welcome to Your New Blog!

When you blog you create posts and posts are categorised according to your subject. Some categories have already been set up for you. If you need more categories you can add them as needed. It’s important that your posts have the following:

  • An engaging title – this should not include the name of the subject since this is referenced in the category.
  • Body – this is where you share your learning. This can include text, images, embedded videos from Dragons’ Tube or elsewhere. You should always consider how your post looks to your audience. Is it engaging? Do they want to keep reading?
  • Category – select one that has been set for you or add a new category. Posts can have more than one category e.g. Humanities and Myself as a Learner

Click on the images below to learn more about blogging:

 

 

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