ABSTRACT

One of the most challenging skills a young child is asked to master is the telling of time. While there are many digital options for watches and clocks, most educators and parents still believe that the ability to read a traditional timepiece is as valuable as counting money. In order to address the predictable inquiry of "Why do we have to know this?" as well as to bring learning to tell time into the age of microcontrollers and complex circuitry, we have created a prototype for a toy which, through the use of mechatronics and engineering design principles, helps children to learn how to interpret the positions of an hour and minute hand.