Skip to main content

Compass is offline while we prepare our new tools

Compass is offline while we prepare our new tools

Compass is now offline. Read more

Discover what this means

Miraculous mess machines

Tidying up can be hard work! What if a miraculous mess machine could do all the dirty work? What would it be like?

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Pens or pencils
  • A pot
  • Pens or paperclips
  • Big sheets of paper

Before you begin

  • Fill a pot with pens or paperclips – the more you can fit in, the more effective it’ll be. Make sure the pot is one you don’t mind dropping on purpose!

Make a mess

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle. 
  2. The person leading the activity should join the circle with a pot of pens or paperclips. Just before they sit down, they should drop the pot so the contents go everywhere. 
  3. Everyone should help to pick up the contents and put them back in the pot.
  1. The person leading the activity should thank everyone who helped them to tidy up. They should say it’s made them think: what if there were a mess machine to tidy up after people? 
  2. Everyone should talk together about the sort of messes they often have to tidy up – which one would they like a machine to do for them?

Design a mess machine

  1. Everyone should split into pairs. 
  2. The person leading the activity should give each pair a big sheet of paper and some pens. 
  3. Each pair should work together to design and draw a mess machine. They should use all of the paper so their ideas are big enough to be seen – they may want to label their ideas. They should also come up with a name for their invention, and think about who might buy it and how much it might cost. 
  4. Pairs should join up to form small groups. Pairs should share their designs with others in their small group.

Reflection

This activity challenged everyone to come up with a creative solution to an everyday problem. Did people enjoy looking at each other’s ideas? One or two people should choose someone else’s design they liked – what did it do? Now everyone’s had a go at designing a machine: what advice would they give someone else who wanted to design a machine? All inventions start with a spark of an idea, then an inventor designs and makes them. Sometimes it can take years for an invention to be made… maybe one day a mess machine might exist! In the meantime, what inventions can people use? People may think about a broom, dustpan and brush, or vacuum cleaner.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

People could label the designs – they may need some help with the writing and spelling. People could also add in paper parts like flaps, or even make moving parts using split pins.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers My Skills Challenge Award
Beavers Teamwork Challenge Award

Everyone could use their designs to make a model (out of building toys or clean recycling); this could count towards the Creative Activity Badge.