Picture the wide blue ocean with three sailboats heading to the destination of your imagination. Lazing along in the sun on the blue green sea with the Albatross circling overhead. There is an old sailor's tale that every Albatross is a seaman that has passed away, a sort of nautical angel to keep watch over the men and ships of today.
Operate the hand crank and this turns a series of triangular cams, each offset slightly from the one before it and via bamboo rods the motion is carried to the waves. The Albatross operated via a 90 degree offset cam turned by friction at the far end. You can teach the kids building skills, patience and the basic physic of cams and friction with a real live demo. So often, school projects become more about gathering the materials and drilling the holes than the underlying principles and the proof of a successful project is a working model. An added bonus with this model is the wooden xylophone sound it makes when operated, albeit a single note.
Some items are subject to the whims of fashion but wooden toys have a timeless quality and they are instructive. The creative delight in constructing our models is something that can be passed on from one generation to the next. Build the classic from the Nautical Series, Ocean Motion and watch the fascination as friends and family cannot help but turn that handle, time after time.
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