At the heart of every Inspiring Machines experience is the opportunity for children to explore in their own way--they are encouraged to twist, turn, flip, press, rotate any and all parts of the machines and tools. The machines in our Lending Library were commercially available between the late 1800's and the mid 1900's. They were used by people who wanted to make tasks easier, quicker, and more efficient.  All of our machines are tarnished with age and worn from use.  In short, they are authentic. While we invite you to borrow machines from our Lending Library, it is for you to decide how you would like to use them in your classroom. Read our Blog to learn some of the ways in which our machines have been used...and help us discover new ways. Here's how we will work with you:

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1. Before the Visit

 

Set up an introductory discussion to answer the following questions:

             

What is the goal and scope of your unit of study? 

Into what Lesson would you like to integrate our machines?

How can interactions with our machines enrich your Lesson? 

What machines would you like to visit?

How can the Inspiring Machine expert support you during your Lesson?

When would you like Inspiring Machines to visit?  

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2.  On the Day of the Visit 

 

We deliver and set up our machines.  We observe and support your lesson. At the end of the Lesson, we pack our machines and take them with us. There is NO COST to this visit.  

 

3.  After the Visit 

 

Inspiring Macines is in its test phase and we are busy LEARNING how to best enrich teachers' lessons with our Lending Library. What we learn from observing your Lesson helps us guide the next teacher with whom we work. Our long term plan is to offer resources to teachers that match lessons with our machines to grade level curriculum. 

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