System Blocks are physical boxes, made from wood, plastic and electronics, that give children a hands-on experience with the workings of dynamic behavior. Using light, sound and a graph display, System Blocks can simulate the behavior of dynamic systems, such as the water flowing through a bathtub, the growth of a population or the spread of a rumor. Children model different systems by re-arranging the blocks' connections (using snap-on connectors or cables) and interact with system behavior using sliders and buttons that are mounted on the boxes' external surfaces. 

Publications:

Zuckerman O., Resnick M. (2003).
System Blocks: A Physical Interface for System Dynamics Learning.
In Proceedings of the 21st International System Dynamics Conference.

Zuckerman O., Resnick M. (2003).
System Blocks: A Physical Interface for System Dynamics Simulation.
In Proceedings of CHI ’03, ACM Press, pp. 810-811.