High Five Device
A scissor mechanism lets you give high fives while social distancing! Young builders may need help cutting out the cardboard.
Learning Goals
- Learn how to make a scissor mechanism
- Practice practical social distancing
- Be encouraging to others
Tools
- Canary cutter, cardboard shears, or scissors
- Hole punch
- Ruler
- Tape or glue
Materials
- Cardboard
- Brass fasteners
Instructions
Gather your tools and materials.
Cut an even number of cardboard strips, with the flutes running the long way. The length and number of your strips will determine how far your high fiver will reach.
Make three marks on each strip of cardboard. One in the center and one near each end. All of the dots should be in the same place on each strip.
Use a hole punch to punch out each dot.
Make an X with two strips and attach the centers together with a brass fastener as shown. Assemble all of your Xs and then overlap them, and attach the ends together so that they are all connected. All of the top strips should go in one direction and all of the bottom strips in the other.
Trace your hand onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out. This step can be tricky for very young hands and they might need some help. Decorate the hand if you like.
Cut two smaller rectangles with the flutes going the short way and fold them into L shapes. We will use these to attach the hand at a right angle to the scissor mechanism strips so that it faces forward.
Glue or tape the L brace onto the end of the strip that you cut at an angle with the fold lined up with the cut edge. Flip it over and repeat with the second L brace on the other side.
Attaching the two L brackets together with a piece of tape will make them more secure.
Place the taped together side of the L braces in the middle of the undecorated side of your hand and tape both sides in place.
Your high five device is complete! Move the opposite ends of the scissor mechanism to make the hand move back and forth. Hooray, high five!
