Description
Why does changing gear make pedalling easier? Why does a rainbow appear in that particular direction? How does a zip close as you pull it? An encyclopedia will answer these, and you can finish reading still not picturing it — describing a moving mechanism in prose is hard work for everyone involved.
vistep’s approach is to draw the mechanism and let you move it yourself. Each topic is a visual piece of roughly three minutes with synchronised narration, built around interactive models — drag something, change a parameter, and watch the structure respond. You follow the process rather than being handed the conclusion.
There are 64 topics so far across everyday machines, light and sound, electricity and energy, computing, nature and space, and mathematics and systems. Each carries a duration and a suggested minimum age (from 8, from 10, and so on), and both can be filtered on, which helps when picking something for a particular child. Everything exists in both Chinese and English.
Technically it is a website built with Astro, React and Three.js, MIT licensed — open it and start watching, with nothing to install.
Short visual explanations: Each topic runs about three minutes, animating the structure and the process with narration in step, instead of leaving you with a static description.
Interactive models: The pieces embed models you can operate — drag parts, change parameters, and see how the structure and the outcome shift with them.
64 topics across six areas: Everyday machines, light and sound, electricity and energy, computing, nature and space, and mathematics and systems — all things you actually encounter.
Filter by age and length: Every topic states a suggested minimum age and a running time, and both can be filtered, which makes choosing for a given age straightforward.
Bilingual: Interface and content both exist in Chinese and English, switchable in one click.
Nothing to install: It is a plain website needing no account, and the MIT-licensed source is available if you would rather host your own copy.
vistep’s approach is to draw the mechanism and let you move it yourself. Each topic is a visual piece of roughly three minutes with synchronised narration, built around interactive models — drag something, change a parameter, and watch the structure respond. You follow the process rather than being handed the conclusion.
There are 64 topics so far across everyday machines, light and sound, electricity and energy, computing, nature and space, and mathematics and systems. Each carries a duration and a suggested minimum age (from 8, from 10, and so on), and both can be filtered on, which helps when picking something for a particular child. Everything exists in both Chinese and English.
Technically it is a website built with Astro, React and Three.js, MIT licensed — open it and start watching, with nothing to install.
Features
Short visual explanations: Each topic runs about three minutes, animating the structure and the process with narration in step, instead of leaving you with a static description.
Interactive models: The pieces embed models you can operate — drag parts, change parameters, and see how the structure and the outcome shift with them.
64 topics across six areas: Everyday machines, light and sound, electricity and energy, computing, nature and space, and mathematics and systems — all things you actually encounter.
Filter by age and length: Every topic states a suggested minimum age and a running time, and both can be filtered, which makes choosing for a given age straightforward.
Bilingual: Interface and content both exist in Chinese and English, switchable in one click.
Nothing to install: It is a plain website needing no account, and the MIT-licensed source is available if you would rather host your own copy.
