Join parts together — Design, 4–6 years
A design needs a way for separate pieces to stay together while the object is used. Design, 4–6 years.
Connections hold a design together
Separate pieces can be connected with glue, tape, string, a fold, a clip, or a peg. The best connection depends on whether the parts should stay still, open, swing, or come apart again.
Why choose a connection?
A loose connection lets an object fall apart, but a connection that is too fixed may stop a door or lid from moving. Designers needed different ways to join things because objects have different jobs and need different kinds of movement.
A paper door
Sara makes a door for a cardboard house. First, she tapes one long edge of the door to the wall, leaving the other three edges free. Next, she checks that it swings open. Tape works here because the door must move, while glue on every edge would hold it shut.
More glue is not always better
A common mistake is to glue every touching edge because that seems the safest way to keep parts together. It is a reasonable thought, but some designs need a hinge or a loose connection, so one piece can move while the other stays in place.
Connections all around us
Shoelaces, buttons, zips, bottle caps, cupboard hinges, and building blocks all connect parts in different ways. Look at one object and ask: does its connection need to be strong, removable, or able to move?
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