A Rube Goldberg Machine is an overly complicated machine involving many steps to accomplish a simple task.  It is intended to demonstrate creativity and ingenuity over efficiency.

Each week, learners will be provided with a video lecture that introduces one or two of the six simple machines as well as some basic engineering skills. 

Weekly Video Lecture Topics:
Week 1:  Rube Goldberg, Simple Machines, and Levers
Week 2:  Inclined Planes and Backwards Planning
Week 3:  Pulleys, Wheel and Axel, and Reliability
Week 4:  Wedges, Screws, and Durability
Week 5:  Grand Finale Showcase

Each week, learners will be challenged to construct a Rube Goldberg Machine that includes the simple machines presented in that week's video lecture.  These machines should be built with items and material that can be found around the home and used safely (toys, boxes, duct tape, avocados, etc.).  Learners will then post videos of these machines in action in the Outschool classroom to demonstrate their engineering and creative awesomeness.  Mr. Watje will provide feedback on the machines, and other learners will be asked to post positive comments and suggestions.  Additionally, each weekly machine will incorporate a twist based on the input of the learners.  These twists are:
Week 1:  Idea Pool:  Each learner posts three different ideas for steps that could be included in a Rube Goldberg Machine in the Outschool Classroom.  Each learner must select at least three different ideas (each from a different learner) and include those ideas as steps in the machine.
Week 2: Final Round:   Each learner will post an idea for a final step to a Rube Goldberg Machine in the Outschool Classroom.  Then each learner will be randomly assigned one of the finals steps and have to construct a machine that includes the assigned final step. 
Week 3: Coming and Going:  Learners will be partnered together.  Each of the learners will choose a single step and share that step with their partner.  The chosen step will then be the first step of the learner's Rube Goldberg Machine, and the shared step will be the last step.  In other words, one partner builds a machine going from A to Z while the other partner builds a machine going from Z to A.
Week 4: Chain Design:  Starting in Week 2, the learners will design a machine step-by-step as a team.  One learner chooses the first step of the design, and the design is passed on to the second learner.  The second learner adds a second step to the design, and the design is passed on to the third learner, and so on until all learners have added a step to the design.  Then the learners each try to build a Rube Goldberg Machine that matches the Chain Design as closely as possible.

For Week 5, learners will be given a mystery goal and have to build a Rube Goldberg Machine that accomplishes that goal in as crazy (but safe) and creative a way as possible incorporating several of the simple machines taught during this course and other cool ideas.  Again, the goal is to safely use materials found around the home.  During that week, learners will be able to send messages to Mr. Watje through Outschool about ideas that they want to use in their machines, and Mr. Watje will reply with ideas, suggestions, and maybe even some cool facts.  At the end of the week, learners will post videos of their Grand Finale Rube Goldberg Machines in the Ouschool classroom to showcase what they've learned and accomplished to Mr. Watje and the other learners.