Look a little closer

For the grown-ups

A quick check before little hands start building.

Match the pictures to your real kit.

The pictures explain assembly actions, not cutting dimensions. Check the cardboard joints, hidden fittings and working electronics on the actual kit before using these guides at the booth.

Retail Store: build and layout challenge

For Grades 9-12. Build the cardboard furniture first: two tall displays, an open rack, a cubby cabinet, checkout counter, chair, trolley and basket. The kit has 33 furniture pieces and one floor base. The checkout counter, chair support and trolley body are red.

Fold only along the existing crease lines. Match tabs and slots; check the direction if a joint resists. Keep the furniture removable for layout changes and the later electronics stage.

Ask students to decide what their store sells and what it needs. They should sketch at least three layouts, test each shopping route with the trolley and improve crowded areas. Compare access to products, aisle space and checkout queues. Ask each student to explain why their final layout best suits their store.

Download Retail Store PDF
Mars Rover: wheel pins and body skewers

For Grades 6–8. Find 1 body, 1 back plate, 1 head, 1 arm, 8 leg layers and 18 wheel discs. Glue matching layers into 2 long legs, 2 short legs and 6 wheels. Keep every hole clear.

Wheel connections: prepare 6 short skewer pins. Toothpicks can be used for wheels only; skewers are preferred. Keep the printed wheel faces outwards and leave a small gap so they turn.

Body connections: use 2 long skewers, each reaching through the body to the opposite side. A joins the long legs. B passes through the short leg, long-leg end, body, opposite long-leg end and opposite short leg. Follow the existing holes highlighted in the guide.

A grown-up measures against the actual cardboard, cuts and smooths the skewers, and fits small tape collars to retain the ends. Do not clamp the wheels or glue moving holes. Check the physical fit before a classroom build.

The real Perseverance has moving rocker-bogie suspension. This kit follows the supplied two-skewer cardboard design and does not reproduce all of that movement.

Explore with a grown-up: Jared Owen: How does a Mars Rover work? (Perseverance); NASA: rover wheels and legs.

Download Mars Rover PDF
City Road System: pieces, stands and signs

For LKG-1. Count 9 road pieces (4 straight roads, 2 bends, 1 junction and 2 zebra crossings), 3 cars, 2 traffic lights, 1 STOP sign, 1 speed limit 30 sign, 2 pedestrian crossing signs and 9 stands. Use 2 stands for the lights, 4 for the signs and 3 for the cars. The lights are printed cardboard; no batteries are needed.

Fit matching road tabs and gaps flat from above. For a sign or light, one slot opens up and the other opens down. Turn the pieces across each other and slide them together. The small rectangle interlocks with the slot underneath each car. Press gently and do not cut extra slots.

Lights: red means stop; yellow (amber) means get ready to stop and stop if safe; green means go only when the way is clear. Place lights beside the junction, facing approaching cars. These are signals for drivers, not a signal telling children to cross.

STOP: stop completely, look and go only when the way is clear. Place it beside the junction where roads meet. 30: the maximum speed is 30 kilometres per hour. Place this sign beside the road; for the game, move the toy car slowly.

Crossings: a pedestrian is a person walking. The zebra stripes mark a place to cross the road. The triangle warns drivers that people may cross ahead. Place each triangular sign beside the road before a striped crossing, facing the cars coming towards it. Keep signs off the road and stripes.

On real roads, children stay with a grown-up, stop, look and listen, and wait until it is safe to cross. Keep small loose parts out of mouths.

Grown-up references: Delhi Traffic Police: road signs; Highway Code: traffic signals.

Download City Road System PDF
Farm Animals: help little hands

For LKG-1. This cardboard kit has six animals and supplied googly eyes, with no electronics. Check for 6 bodies, 8 leg pieces and 2 foot pieces. The assembly pictures show the coloured version; both versions fit in the same way.

Coloured kit: assemble, then add eyes. Uncoloured kit: assemble, colour, let wet colour dry, then add eyes. Children choose their own colours and where the eyes go.

Help line up the little cuts and press gently. If a joint feels tight, check the direction. Do not force it or cut a new slot. Help attach the googly eyes using the supplied fixing; if they are not self-adhesive, an adult can use a small amount of suitable craft glue. Keep loose eyes out of mouths and away from younger children.

Download Farm Animals PDF
Windmill: fittings and light

Check the generator holder, blade fixing and wire route. Use the fixing supplied for the cardboard-only or electronic version. Blades must turn freely and wires must stay clear.

The guide shows a two-leg LED. Check its polarity, lead sockets and any required circuit protection. Verify the generator polarity for the chosen spin direction. If the supplied light differs, follow its matching instructions.

Use a tested fan setup. Stop the fan before touching the model. Remove the electronics before colouring, let wet colour dry, then refit and check.

Download the windmill PDF ↓
Bridge: set up the shake alert

Use a micro:bit V2 with its built-in speaker. For children under 8, the grown-up handles and operates the electronics while the child predicts and watches.

  1. Open Microsoft MakeCode and create a project.
  2. Open JavaScript and replace the starter code with the program below.
  3. Connect a USB data cable. Select Download and follow the instructions. If a .hex file is saved, copy it to MICROBIT.
  4. Wait for transfer to finish. Unplug power before taping the board under the road. Reconnect the supplied power source when it is secure.
Shake-alert program

Test still → small shake → still. Keep the speaker, plugs and gold contacts clear. Support the power pack separately. The alert detects movement; it does not measure bridge strength.

Download the bridge PDF ↓Download the program ↓
Katara Towers: final fittings

Check the four U-shaped layers, two sword shapes and inner support against the real kit. The source groups the final pieces in one stage; check their hidden joints on the actual model. Do not force pieces or cut new slots. This kit has no electronics.

Download Katara Towers PDF
Burj Khalifa: tower and red light

Check the joined tower sections and base slots on the real kit. A grown-up handles and secures the optional toothpick spire. Leave it off for the LED version.

Coin cells are for grown-ups only. Use a screw-closed holder; tape alone is not a child-resistant enclosure. Keep loose cells out of reach. If a battery may have been swallowed or inserted, seek emergency medical help immediately.

Use one tested 3V coin-cell/LED pair. The direct circuit must be validated for the supplied parts. If the LED requires current limiting, fit the correctly specified resistor before use. Never substitute a higher-voltage battery or USB power.

With power disconnected, make two separate copper paths. Long LED leg to +; short leg to -. If leads have been trimmed, confirm polarity from the component markings. Each leg must touch bare copper. Use continuous tape strips where possible and keep the two paths apart.

Connect the paths to the matching holder terminals, insert the cell and secure the cover. No light? Disconnect and check polarity and contacts. Disconnect if anything becomes warm, before adjustments, and after use. Do not leave the model powered unattended.

The steady red LED represents a warning light for tall structures. It does not blink and needs no program.

Download Burj Khalifa PDF

LED polarity reference · Coin-cell precautions · Obstruction lights