MACHINES
Mime different machines found in the house and see if we can guess what each one is used for.
A child thinks of a household gadget. Others try to guess what the gadget is by asking questions which require "Yes" or "No" answers (e.g Is it powered by electricity?)
A door to door salesman demonstrates a household gadget to an interested customer. What questions might the prospective customer ask and how might the salesman justify the usefulness of the gadget?
Someone has been asleep for a hundred years. What things would take him or her by surprise? What would they make of some of the gadgets people are using today? How would members of a modern householder explain the gadgets? Improvise this situation in pairs.
In groups of four or five, mime the actions of a factory machine (e.g. A jam bottling machine.) What might each part of the machine do? What noise might each part make? Choose someone to control the machine and make it work quickly or slowly, or start and stop it. What might happen if something goes wrong with the machine and it goes out of control?
Invent a silly machine and show how it might work. (e.g A machine for doing homework.)
Invent a useful machine. In pairs try to convince a prospective customer of its worth.
The first person to invent a motor car, aeroplane, railway train explains how it works and what the advantages are .
Robots
A child gives simple instructions to a robot partner.("E.g.."Sit down!" "Stand up!" "Turn round" "Take five steps to the left." etc.) The robot carries out the instructions exactly.
A robot is faulty and responds to instructions that are the opposite of the instructions given. Consider a drama that might be developed by improvisation in which a robot responds perfectly at first, then develops a fault which results in chaos.
© Andrew McCann