STEM: The Building of DaVinci's Clock

The other day my son and I made a model of DaVinci's clock, we learned a lot and had a great deal of fun.

I picked up this kit on sale one day thinking it would be great to build some day and it was!

The kit was made completely of plastic, included everything except the coins needed as a weight.

This instructions were clear but we learned it was good to both read the words AND look at the pictures.





The lad needed to work out how to get the clock to keep time.  This video doesn't show that accuracy, but it at least shows the clock working.
 
  

A couple of the big things we learned was 

  1. Hands off mom, this boy will do it himself!!
  2. Oops... reading the instructions AND looking at the pictures helps to prevent mistakes.
  3. Asking for help when needed is an excellent thing to do.
  4. IT WORKS!!!!!!
But other things that we learned:
  1. Da Vinci didn't actually invent the clock, clocks had been around for a LONG time before DaVinci came on the scene and were becoming more accurate.
  2. Da Vinci’s major innovation was to have springs, rather than weights operate his clock.
  3. Leonardo included diamonds and semi-precious stones in his design of the clock

We have a goal to make this water clock one day.. possibly next week. 

Some websites we used to help us learn:
Leonardo Da Vinci's Inventions
Civil Machines.  

Showers of blessing

We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was about The Lord Seeks for His Own. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Do you remember from yesterday how God would seek for his own people, setting them up in green pastures and giving us a good shepherd to mind us?



God SO CARES for his people that he will make a covenant of peace with us.
  • Banishing wild beasts from the land
  • so that we can dwell securely.
  • Sending down showers of blessing
  • They shall be secure in their land
  • Bars of yoke broken
  • Delivered from the slavers
  • No more be prey to those who surround
  • No longer consumed by hunger
  • No longer under reproach
God wants his people safe.
God wants his people to know.. HE is the Lord God.  HE ALONE.
And we are his. 
We are indeed the sheep of his pasture. 
25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

I need to stop and ponder this a while.  God always wants his people to know who he is.  So as he cares for them, provides for them, keeps them safe, he wants them to know what is going on, to not simply take life for granted.  EVERYTHING we have is from him.   So shouldn't that make a difference in how we think about him?   Should his care not merit some attention from us?

In this chapter, God is making it abundantly clear to the Israelites, through Ezekiel, that HE is their God and they are indeed his people.   Remember it. Make it important.   Because you know what?   It is important.

Oh... that I too would remember this.  To see the showers of blessing God pours down on my head, because they are indeed abundant.  :)
 

Thoughts on being .... safe

Thoughts on Being

Guarded
Protected
Strong walls

Words
Hugs
Cocoon

Shelter
Love
Challenge

Guidance
Learning
Community

Tended
Watched
Minded full well

Guided risks
A haven
Time given

Boundaries
Rules
Laws

A shield
Made
Delivered 

Loved
Sacrifice
Risen

Safe
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