STEM Project – Whirling Snowflake Gearbox

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This gear STEM activity is an engaging and inexpensive way to teach kids about gears, what they can do, and introduce them to some terminology.

This whirling snowflake project is recommended for middle and high school. Younger children can do it, but an adult will need to help with some of the steps where cardboard is cut or punctured.

In this gear project, we’ll introduce gearboxes, input shafts, output shafts, and talk about where gearboxes are found in everyday objects.

In our gearbox, we have the input shaft and the output shaft.

The input shaft is the skewer and gear that run horizontally from left to right. When you turn the handle, you are adding energy to the gear box. In real life, a motor is usually attached to the input shaft. But we are turning the input shaft with our fingers.

When you turn the input shaft, the gear inside the gearbox moves. When that gear is connected to the gear on the output shaft, the energy from the input shaft is transferred to the output shaft. 

A wheel, blade, or fan might be connected to the output shaft in items we use. In our project, our snowflake is attached to the output box.

So, the energy is transferred from the hand turning the handle, to the input shaft, to the output shaft. This process is called the transfer of mechanical energy.

The gearbox helps control how fast or slow the output shaft turns compared to the input shaft. This is very useful because sometimes we need something to spin quickly, and other times we want more power to lift something heavy.

Why Teach Gearing?

Gearboxes are used in many ways. Here are a few examples:

1. Cars: Every time a car is driven, the gearbox helps the engine’s power reach the wheels. It allows the car to speed up or slow down smoothly.
2. Bicycles: When you change gears on a bike, you are using a gearbox. It makes pedaling easier when going uphill and helps you go faster on flat roads.
3. Washing Machines: Inside a washing machine, the gearbox helps the drum spin quickly to wash clothes, then spin slowly to rinse them.
4. Elevators: Gearboxes are also found in elevators, helping move people up and down tall buildings smoothly and safely.
5. Conveyor Belts: Gearboxes are used to help move packages and products along a production or shipping line in manufacturing facilities or fulfillment centers.

Gearing is a basic engineering concept when teaching STEM to kids.

Gears are in many everyday items we use and may have to repair. Teaching our kids about gears also familiarizes them with what they do and how they work.

When our kids are grown and living on their own, they’ll have to handle car repairs or appliance repairs. Whether they opt to do these repair themselves or hire someone, it helps to be familiar with mechanisms. So, we’re also teaching our students some life skills when we give them knowledge of basic engineering concepts.

Download the instructions for the Whirling Snowflake printable below. It is part of our Science of Snow lesson.

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