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What do you think for our class room hewett

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Write a poem, take some inspiration from one of the best.

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Harry Baker: A love poem for lonely prime numbers

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Performance poet (and math student) Harry Baker spins a love poem about his favorite kind of numbers -- the lonely, love-lorn prime. Stay on for two more lively, inspiring poems from this charming performer.

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How to make your own fishing lures. These will allow you to make your own household lures.

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Wikipedia defines a timeline as a kind of graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and (usually) events labeled on points where they would have happened. Here are some tools educators can use to create timelines:
[Innovative Timeline Helps Students Examine Freedom Through Art, History]
1. Capzles- Quite simply one of the nicest timeline creation sites around, with a beautiful user interface as well as the ability to embed into a site.
2. Time Rime - An excellent site with educational instance (great for teachers) that allows users to create multimedia timelines.
3. xTimeline - Share wonderful looking timelines with audio, video, and pictures. Very user friendly too.
4. TimeGlider- Great site that not only lets users create multimedia timelines butlegends as well. There is a "plus upgrade" in the works specificallyfor education.
5. Dipity - Create beautiful timelines with the ability to add video/pictures.
6. Time Toast - A bullet point centered timeline w/ text and pictures.
7. Preceden - A fun easy site to use to create interactive timelines.
8. Timelinr - A very simple to use timeline generator that only displays text.
9. Our Timelines - Create timelines by using preexisting forms (text only).
10. Read Write Think - Very similar to Our Timelines for creating text only timelines.
David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com.

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Top 10 Sites for Creating Timelines by David Kapuler

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Wikipedia defines a timeline as a kind of graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and (usually) events labeled on points where they would have happened. Here are some tools educators can use to create timelines

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restoration. There is one in Mr. H’s closet looking for some T.L.C.

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Some things are ultimate, and if you're ready to take the time to fix your broken old NES, then this might be the most ultimate NES guide you can find. In this guide I'll help outline everything you need to not only make the actual NES work like new, but also take those nasty old NES games and turn them to gold. These techniques have made games I thought were broken work like new. All it takes is a bit of time (a lot of time) and a couple of dollars. I promise that once this is done you won't need to blow in a NES game ever again.

As you might know, I have a strange obsession with trying to clean and fix classic video games. Since I still purchase and play my NES on a regular basis, I really wanted to figure out the best methods to get the thing working great again. In this guide I'll cover two main topics, both replacing the 72 pin connector (such old news I know) and also polishing games. I'll also show you how to disable the NES lock out chip, and a few quick tips on shining up those gray cartridges.

First, why not go over the items we'll need to do all this stuff?
72-pin Replacement Connector for 8-bit Nintendo NES System Repair Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish & Microfiber Cloth Kit Steel 3.8mm Screwdriver Security Bit Open NES SNES Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Games Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Original, 4 Count Roadpro RPS1020 3″ x 6″ Phillips Head Screwdriver with Magnetic Tip Q-tips Cotton Swabs, 500 Count (1 Pack)Expo 2 Low-Odor Dry Erase Markers, Chisel Tip, 4-Pack, Assorted Colors (80174)Some cloths or old white t-shirts Installing the 72pin Adapter
Now it's time to go through the whole process. I'm not going to treat you like a total fool and point out exactly where each and every screw is and all that jazz. I believe that you are a smart individual and can do some of these steps on your own. I mean hell, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Disabling the Lock Out Chip
Okay, we have our brand new 72 pin adapter ready to install. This is a cheap piece of hardware that goes a long way and is the magic key to making the NES work again. I have read some guides that advise against buying these adapters, and to instead fix the old one already in there. There are all sorts of crazy processes that involve bending all the pins back since they believe the main issue with the NES is the contacts. It's all a bunch of malarkey really. I mean, that's true to a degree, it is all about the contacts and the cartridge being able to make contact with the pins, but when the pins have 20 or so years worth of dirt on them, it really doesn't matter how bent they are. You will never be able to properly clean the pins on your original adapter, so don't waste your time with that method. Just order a new adpater, it'll save you trouble in the end. I actually ordered myself a gold pin adapter, it's a little more pricey (a whole 3 dollars or so) more than a silver pin, but it has slighty better contacts. It's up to you really.

Okay, so our adapter showed up in the mail, hooray. So first up is opening the NES to install this thing. First, make sure you hit the power button to let out that bit of power left in there, and don't forget to ground yourself (you don't want to short out anything). Nothing fancy here, just take your screw driver and pop the hood off the NES. You'll be greeted with this.

The next step is really easy too. You want to pop off the metal hood that is holding the whole thing in place. There's a bunch of screws to get out of there, it's all a piece of cake. One nice thing about this is that every screw in the NES is exactly the same, so you don't need to worry about mixing them up or anything like that. Once we get that piece off you'll see this.

At this point you'll be able to lift the NES out of the plastic, sort of. Now you can do either of these next two steps out of order, it's up to you. You'll want to unscrew the cartridge dock (the black part) from the board, which is held in place by about 6 screws. Take the whole board out of the plastic case and flip it over.

As you can see, the board is attached by three wires, two are for the controllers and one is for the power button. In order to detach the metal plate (picture here) on the board, you need to remove these wires. This part is slightly a pain in the ass as these things are jammed in there pretty damn good.
Polishing and Cleaning NES Games
I highlighted the three areas you're going to have to deal with. The way I removed these was with the aid of a very tiny flat head screw driver. I was able to wedge it in there slightly in order to help push the packs out of there, and then pulled it out with my fingers after it was loose. Don't forget which of the two smaller packs go where, or else your controller ports will be mixed up. Once you have those off of there, you can remove the metal and you'll have just the board left. Now we're finally getting close to installing the 72 pin adapter.

So you'll slide the game dock (the black piece) forward, which I'm showing with the yellow arrow. To remove the old adapter, just pull it off the back of the board, which I'm showing with the red arrow. Once you have that thing off, replace it with your brand new one. Make sure it's all lined up with the screw holes to know you have it on there properly.

This next part is totally optional. What we're going to do here is disable the lock out chip on the NES. According to legend, the lock out chip is the LONE reason that your NES isn't working. Apparently when the contacts are dirty and the NES has a hard time reading the game, it assumes that you're either playing something illegal or from another region, so the screen then flashes purple in an attempt to stop you from playing the game. In theory, by disabling the lock out chip, you'll no longer get the flashing screen and your games will suddenly work again. Now, I disabled the chip and I'm not totally sure I buy this whole thing. Even though I have the NES working great, one game did give me the flashing screen AFTER I disabled the chip (which I did get to work after hitting the power button on and off). So who really knows, but if you're in the mood then by all means, knock this sucker out. At the very least you'll get to play some PAL games, like the Bible game Konami made.

So the chip is located right here...

What you need to do next is snip the 4th pin from the left on the chip.

As you can tell, I'm not much of a photographer. The arrow is pointing to the EXACT pin you need to snip. The highlighted yellow area is what I'll refer to as the Area of Doom. That is your working space to knock out this pin, in other words, it is tight as hell. If you go poking at that pin with a screw driver or whatever else, there's a huge chance you're going to damage something. Just looking at it gives me bad nerves all over again. It's like diffusing a damn bomb. The way I did it was by taking a really tiny flat head screw driver (the same one I mentioned before) and put it behind the pin. I was able to pull the pin out of the chip, bend it a few times and break it off. Some guides suggest that you ground the damage you just did by running a wire some place, but you don't need to worry about that if you pull the pin out of the chip like I did. Be careful though, seriously, I don't want to be the reason you ruined this whole project.

Now that we have that done, it's time to reassemble this whole mess. Fully functional NES is now operational.
EDITOR'S NOTE 2/27/2016: I wanted to bring up a note on using the Magic Eraser on the Game Pak itself. If you use the Magic Eraser too much, it will tend to knock the glossy coating off of the plastic. I've found that over the years that the best way to remove permanent marker from a game is to simply go over it with a Dry Erase Marker. Have a paper towel with cleaner (like Windex) on hand to quickly pick up the Dry Erase marker before it dries. The Magic Eraser is great for extremely tough situations, but try using the Dry Erase first.
Since we have a restored NES, we need to restore the games. Here's the rub folks, and it sucks. If you insert a dirty game into your new connector, you're just going to dirty the thing up quicker than normal. Sure, you can get away with it here and there, but eventually all this work will be for nothing. And believe me, your games are absolutely filthy, I know it.

In my N64 Restoration guide I wrote up about a year and a half ago, I mentioned creating a solvent that you can use to clean out your games. Well it's time to throw that idea out the window. We don't use diluted alcohol anymore, we're manning up, buying a 3.5mm Gamebit, and we're going to take these suckers apart and polish them the way they deserve to be. The Gamebit is key to opening up your NES games because (for the most part) it's the only way you can open them. Older NES titles (seems like many of the first gen ones) are held together with regular old screws, so you don't need anything fancy for those. You can recognize those types of cases easy, because they only have 3 screws and are missing the hinges at the top of the game pak. Once you take apart the GamePak, you're going to find out that Nintendo wasted a shit ton of plastic, because the chips inside are tiny.

Look how dirty that thing is. I actually chose one of the dirtiest games in my collection, just to show how nice it'll look when all is said and done. Now that you have the chip out, it's time to grab the Mothers polish and some cloths or old smelly t-shirts you don't want to wear anymore. This is a little tricky, you're going to wrap the garment around your finger, dip it into the polish and then smear it all over the contacts.

Don't worry about getting some of it off the contact area as it'll wipe right off. So once you apply this stuff, slowly work it (buff it) in a circular or back and forth motion. The stuff says you don't need to rub too hard, but that's up to you too. Whatever it takes to clean the thing, right? This process is going to take a while, and you'll probably have to reapply the polish once you buff the first round of it off. You also need to do the other side of the contacts as well, so don't forget about it. As you buff it, you'll find that your cloth is turning completely black, this is good, because it means it's working. Buff that thing until your cloth no longer has black on it. You're going to go through a ton of cloth because you're going to keep using clean areas to make sure the black is coming off. Like I said, this can take a while depending on the damage. This game actually took me close to 20 minutes to clean, but that involves the next step to. Now check out the pay off.

EDITOR'S NOTE 2/27/2016: I'm really happy to see people still use this guide after all of these years, but I wanted to touch on this polishing technique a bit. At the time I wrote this guide I was super into the idea of polishing games. I did it to tons of them, and to this day they still work great. That said, I think this method is a little harsh and should only be reserved for games that truly are giving you a hard time. To be honest over the years I've found spritzing a bit of a Windex onto a Q-Tip and rubbing it along a game (and then drying it off quickly with a dry Q-Tip) does the job just fine. Everyone has their methods and everyone seems to cringe at a method that they don't use. I've come to find that over years and years of keeping retro games working that there really is no one way that trumps them all. All I know is that using the tricks I do have kept my games working for decades now. Thanks again!

Since we have your disgusting game open, we should probably take care off all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches shoved into the plastic. In this case, I'm going to use a copy of GI Joe I have.

I guess Dave was a slob, because there is brown crap all over the front sticker, and on the opposite side is a metric ton of gunk that doesn't belong in your nice, new NES. It's time for the Magic Eraser, Windex, and some Q-Tips. Dip the Q-Tips in some water and rub all along the edges of the plastic. You'll find that it turns brown, because the people who owned these games were animals. Use the Magic Eraser to knock off the permanent marker this dude used in case someone stole his copy of GI Joe. The cover sticker is tricky, because we don't want to get it wet, but we want it clean. Spray a tiny bit of Windex onto a cloth and then wipe the sticker down. Be sure you don't drench the cloth because you will screw up the sticker. Make sure you dry it off with another dry cloth when you're done. If you're game is covered in stickers and all that crap, head over to the N64 Guide for a few more tips on that.

Check out the cleaned up game pak.

So there we have it. You can now put your polished game into your newly restored NES and play some classic games, like GI Joe, a game that teaches us that licensed games used to be pretty damn cool if done right. You won't even need to do any weird tricks to get the game to work properly. You MAY need to give the game a slight jiggle (to the left and right) once it's in there, but other than that, it should work fine. As stated before, I cleaned games that otherwise didn't work before, and now they work perfect.

I hope you enjoyed this guide, and hopefully it'll help get you back into some classic gaming. It'll take a bit of money, lots of time and plenty of patience, but it'll pay off in the end.

Have questions or comments? Don't be affraid to ask.

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Some things are ultimate, and if you're ready to take the time to fix your broken old NES, then this might be the most ultimate NES guide you can find. In this guide I'll help outline everything you need to not only make the actual NES work like new, but also take those nasty old NES games and turn them to gold.

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Make an operation game

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Operation is a game that lets you test your hand-eye coordination by removing a variety of ailment tokens from a cartoon patient without touching the metal sides of each slot. Since its release in 1965, there have been a lot of special editions created. These feature popular characters such as Buzz Lightyear, R2D2 and Iron Man. The game's simple design makes it very versatile and easy to adapt.

In this project, I show you how you can make your own Operation style game from scratch. This time is it's Makey, MAKE's familiar red robot mascot, that goes under the knife.

The complete project is here.

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How to Make a Custom Operation Game | Make:

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Operation is a game that lets you test your hand-eye coordination by removing a variety of ailment tokens from a cartoon patient without touching the metal sides of each slot. Since its release in 1965, there have been a lot of special editions created. These feature popular characters such as Buzz Lightyear, R2D2 and Iron Man.

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FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

A paper circuit is a low-voltage electronic circuit that is created on paper or cardboard using conductive copper tape, LEDs and a power source such as a coin-cell battery. Creating paper circuits is a good way to teach the basics of electricity and how circuits function. In addition to being educational, they can also be a fun makerspace project that helps to bring artwork and paper craft to life. By adding sensors, buzzers and motors to your circuit, you can also add another dimension of interactivity. These simple projects are great for all ages and all makerspaces.

A paper circuit smiley for Halloween! Got inspired from the new book by @Makerspaces_com #papercircuits pic.twitter.com/366y0PxCGN

- cincoutprabu (@cincoutprabu) October 10, 2016

There are a lot of creative and imaginative ways to create a paper circuit. These examples from Jie Qi at Chibitronics are truly amazing. Take a look at her Flickr page too see even more paper circuit creations.

Creating paper circuits is a natural fit for the classroom or library. Here's a good example:

Making paper circuits to "illuminate" a concept in our course or classroom. We are #makers !!#MAETy1 pic.twitter.com/GiSF50RgCJ

- Katie Dahmer (@k_dahmer) June 23, 2016

More Friday morning fun with paper circuits! #tinkeringmooc Planning this for Maker Club @ROMS_Learning pic.twitter.com/pOEsnn76hZ

- Jill Gardy Hill (@jmgardyhill) August 5, 2016

This video shows how Milan Dahal used paper circuits to create animation.

Paper cricket #paperCircuits pic.twitter.com/4zhsZCJNs3

- सुरेश (@SuRayShG) September 11, 2016

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

There are a wide variety of paper circuit projects you can do. Shown below are most of the materials that you will need in order to complete these different projects. Later in this post, you will learn how to create a simple circuit and will only need copper tape, an LED and a coin cell battery.

Coin-cell battery (3V) CR2032

Copper tape (1/4″) with conductive adhesive

LED - 5mm, 10mm, surface mount or similiar

DC Hobby motor - 130 size

Buzzer - mechanical or piezo

LilyPad button board or slide switch

Paper clip or Binder clip

Clear tape

Double-sided foam tape

Card stock paper - 65-110 lb

Printer/copy paper

Brass brads

Circuit Stickers from Chibitronics (optional)

Circuit Scribe - conductive ink pen (optional)

Electric Paint from Bare Conductive (optional)

The great thing about paper circuits is the ability to create a circuit without the need for soldering. Having said that, you can use a soldering iron for specific reasons which will be explained later. Another optional tool is a paper trimmer which is great for when you are creating paper crafts that light up. Using a paper trimmer is also a safer option then scissors if you are doing this project with younger kids.

WARNINGS - Copper tape can have very sharp edges and is able to cut skin like a paper cut so be careful. Also, this project is low voltage 3v DC and is NOT intended to be used with your wall outlet or 120v. There are small items used in this project such as LEDs and can be a choking hazard for children under 3 years. Most importantly, have fun !

Introduction

Creating a paper circuit is a very fun and easy way to learn about circuits while being creative at the same time. In this tutorial, we are going to make a "simple circuit" which is the most basic of all circuits. To begin with, check out this introductory video from Chibitronics that gives a quick overview about working with copper tape.

Step 1 - Print Out The Template

Before we start you will need to download our Simple Circuit template and print it out on standard printer paper. Card stock is not needed for this particular paper circuit project.

You can also right-click the image below and choose "Save Link As" to save the printable template to your computer.

Step 2 - Apply Copper Tape to Trace Lines

Apply copper tape to all trace lines as marked in brown on the template. Smooth the copper down with your finger. Try to maintain a continuous strip of copper tape versus cutting it at the corners. Fold copper tape at the corners by bending it at a 45′ angle in the opposite direction of where you are going. Then fold it back at a 180′ angle and continue applying to the trace line.

Make sure to leave a gap in the copper tape so the LED can be mounted properly.

Cut the remaining copper tape once you reach the designated battery area.

Step 3 - Score and Fold

Score and then fold the corner line. A scoring tool is very helpful when making folds during a paper circuit project.

Step 4 - Mount LED to Copper Trace

Mount the LED to the copper trace using clear tape. To do this, bend both legs of the LED at a 90′ angle and then tape legs securely to the copper. Make sure that the long leg of the LED goes to the positive (+) side of the copper trace.

The image below from shows how to tell which leg of an LED is positive. If the legs have been cut, you can also determine which side is negative by looking for the flat side of the LED casing.

Step 5 - Attach Battery To Circuit

Last step is to place the coin-cell battery on the copper trace. In this example, make sure the battery (-) is facing down on the copper. The corner flap which is (+) should then be able to contact the battery (+) when folded.

At this point you can secure the corner using a paper clip or binder clip.

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

Optional - you can create a paper battery holder which securely holds your coin-cell battery. Chibitronics has a wonderful step-by-step tutorial on how to create one of these.

To create a paper circuit you don't always need to use copper tape. Another good option is to use conductive ink ( Circuit Scribe) or electric paint ( Bare Conductive) to help form the circuit. There are pros and cons however to using these products over copper tape. For example, if you choose to use electric paint you will need to wait a few minutes for the product to dry. According to the manufacturer, "the conductivity of Electric Paint increases as it dries, therefore it is important to wait until it is completely dry to test your projects". But the good thing about using paint and ink is that you are able to make very unique shapes and patterns that you wouldn't have been able to with copper tape.

Below is a great example of a paper circuit project involving conductive ink or electric paint. Make a greeting card that lights up !

#Makerspace project - make an electric greeting card w/ conductive paint via @instructables https://t.co/dtg4fQZxxk pic.twitter.com/4bpeHqqhn1

- Makerspaces.com (@Makerspaces_com) April 23, 2016

A great alternative to the standard LED are Circuit Stickers by Chibitronics. A circuit sticker is a peel-and-stick LED for creating circuits and craft projects. They can be stuck to almost any surface such as paper, plastic, fabric etc. They work with copper tape, conductive ink or even electric paint. Chibitronics also has a line of sensor and effects stickers in addition to the LED sticker. These add-ons can make your project blink, pulse or be responsive to sound.

When using these, make sure to stick the narrow side of the sticker to the negative side of the copper trace. The larger side of the circuit sticker is positive. One great advantage of circuit stickers is their low power consumption. You can light up more circuit stickers per (1) 3v battery than you could using standard LEDs.

Is your LED not lighting? Most of the time it's a very simple fix. Here is a list of the common ways to make your paper circuit functional.

1. Make sure that the LONG leg of your LED is secured to the positive (+) side of the circuit because this is easy to mix up.

2. Sometimes the LED legs are just not contacting the copper tape well enough. Rub the clear tape that secures the LED to ensure there is a solid connection with the copper tape below.

3. Inspect the battery. Make sure the negative (-) of the battery is touching the negative side of the copper tape and the same goes with the positive. Furthermore make sure there is a solid connection between the battery and copper. Sometimes you need to tape the battery down using clear tape.

4. It's highly recommended that you try to maintain a continuous strip of copper foil versus cutting it. But sometimes you just need to make a cut. Make sure you push down and rub the two pieces of copper that are taped together. There needs to be a solid connection.

5. Ensure all copper tape has been smoothed down on the paper with as few wrinkles as possible.

6. Is there a short in the circuit? A short can happen when the positive and negative copper tape make contact with each other. Check around the battery area and the LED area which are common places for this to happen.

7. If you're using a LilyPad switch make sure it is taped down firmly to the copper tape below it. Also, there needs to be a gap in the copper directly below the switch as outlined on the template.

8. Finally, are your parts even functional? At times you might just have a bad battery or bad LED. One easy way to test both of these items is to place the LED directly onto the battery. Make sure the LONG leg is touching the positive side of the battery.

LEDs are used in a ton of #makerspace projects. Here's a simple way to test one. Remember long leg is positive. https://t.co/41ZOiIW9Gb

- Makerspaces.com (@Makerspaces_com) September 15, 2016

Now that you've seen how to create the basic circuit, we're going to step it up a notch and add a switch to control the LED.

Step 1 - Print Circuit Template

Download our Simple Circuit w/ Switch template and print it out on standard printer paper. Card stock is not needed for this particular paper circuit project.

You can also right-click the image below and choose "Save Link As" to save the printable template to your computer.

Step 2 - Apply Copper Tape to Trace Lines

Apply the copper tape to all brown trace lines on the template. Try to maintain a continuous strip of copper tape versus cutting it at the corners. Fold copper tape at the corners by bending it at a 45′ angle in the opposite direction of where you are going. Then fold it back at a 180′ angle and continue applying to the trace line. Make sure to leave a gap in the copper tape so the LED can be mounted properly. Cut the remaining copper tape once you reach the designated battery area.

Step 3 - Score and Fold

Score and then fold the corner line. A scoring tool is very helpful when making folds during a paper circuit project.

Step 4 - Mount LED to Copper Trace

Mount the LED to the copper trace using clear tape. To do this, bend both legs of the LED at a 90′ angle and then tape legs securely to the copper. Make sure that long leg of the LED goes to the positive (+) side of the copper trace.

Step 5 - Attach Battery To Circuit

The next step is to place the coin-cell battery on the copper trace. In this example, make sure the battery (-) is facing down on the copper. The corner flap which is (+) should then be able to contact the battery (+) when folded. Finally, add a paperclip or binder clip to secure the corner.

Step 6 - Attach LilyPad Switch To Circuit

Finally, the LilyPad switch needs to be taped on top of the copper tape. Make sure there is a gap in the copper below the switch as outlined on the template. We love the LilyPad switch because of it's small form factor but there are other ways to create a switch. We outline this alternative method below.

These LilyPad button and slide switches are available at .

If you don't have a LilyPad switch you can always create a switch with a flap of paper with copper on it. Tape the paper switch over the gap with the copper facing down. Press down on the switch to close the circuit and turn on the LED.

We've put together a collection of 5 beautifully designed paper circuit templates that have step-by-step instructions on them. We hope you like these projects and we would love to see what you design. Follow us on Twitter @Makerspaces_com and show us your paper circuits. Have fun and keep learning !

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

The internet is filled with great information on paper circuits and here are some of our favorite resources.
Paper Circuits - The Tinkering Studio
Paper Circuits with Copper Tape - High-Low Tech

The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - Sparkfun

Paper Circuit Tutorials - Chibitronics

Getting Started with Circuit Stickers - Jie Qi

Plan and Build Your Circuit - Adafruit

Simple Paper Circuit - Make

has a really great learning section on their site which covers almost every maker topic out there. If you want to dig deeper into circuits and electricity, check out their video series called Circuit Playground.

Follow @Makerspaces_com

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Paper Circuits For Makerspaces - Makerspaces.com

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5 Free Paper Circuit Templates - Paper circuits are great makerspace projects for teaching electricity & circuits. Paper Circuit Tutorial PDF

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Introduction: Build Your Own Board Game

Hi Everyone!!!!

My name is Frank and I am a guy who likes board games.

The holidays are just around the corner. Which of course means spending time with family and friends. One of my favorite things to do with my family and friends is to play board games. However, we regularly get bored with the games in our current collection. This leads us to constantly having to locate and purchase new games to play. After years of constantly doing the same thing, I've realized that I'm tired paying for new board games but I still want to play them.

So this year I decided to do something different. Instead of buying a new board game I decided to make my own board game. But just creating my game doesn't help everyone else because my game may not interest you.

Inline with the holidays and this glorious time of year, I want to help those who love board games build their own board game. In this guide, you will be giving the tools and knowledge of how to build your own game. T

My game is called "Startup the Game" and I hope that through this instructable I can encourage others to build their own games and enjoy family meltdowns around their own games instead of the same boardwalk monopoly meltdown we see year after year.

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Step 1: Pick a Game Style

To start building your game you need to first need to decide what kind of board game you want to build.

With the immense number of board games out there, this task does seem a little daunting. However it is not impossible.

Wikipedia has a list of every board game that currently exists. Looking at this list for inspiration you can create your own board game and even develop your own unique set of rules. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_board_games

My game is a mixture of Monopoly and Risk, my two favorite board games.

Step 2: Sketch It Out

After picking the style of your board game, the next step is to NOT to start crafting the board and pieces.

The next step is to sketch the board and trying to figure out the rules.

Figuring out the look and rules of your board game will provide you with the ability to carefully craft your perfect board game. The sketches can also act as a guide during your stage when you put your board game together.

The sketch can be a detailed or simple as you want. But laying out your ideas on paper will make building game easier in the long run.

Step 3: Build the Board, If Needed

Not all board games need a board but many do. There are a variety of ways that you can construct your game board from the simple printed out sheet to a crafted laser cut piece of wood.

1) Draw it out.

Using cardboard or paper found around your house you can design your board using simple tools such as pens, pencils, markers, and paint. You could even use glitter!

2) Print it out

Using a design software such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape you can design a board for your game with a little more precession. Using a design software also allows you to become more complicated or integrate board.

3) Machine it out

Laser cutters are awesome and can produce really cool designs in a variety of materials. I personally like to laser cut designs on Wood or fiber glass. I would start with cardboard until you are satisfied with your design, it's more cost effective in the end.

Step 4: Make Your Pieces

After your board has been finalized you need pieces to play your game. There are a varitey of ways to generate your pieces for your game.

1) Use existing board game pieces or things from around the house.

There is nothing wrong with using tools already available to you. Look to your existing board games or small items around your house to find the pieces of your game. My personal Favorite is discarded beer bottle tops

2) 3-D designs and printing

Thanks to the massive number of 3D printing companies the price of reliable 3D printers has dropped considerably. This makes 3-D printing objects in your own home feasible. Another great advantage of this is that you don't need to design the pieces yourself.

Thingiverse- game pieces is a great resource that has objects that makers, designers, and engineers have uploaded to the public domain

It is also possible to order prints of your design online if you do not have access to a 3D printer.

I have included my own design of piece using tinkered that will hold a picture or playing card. This way you can print out many of these pieces and give them a card or color to differentiate them.

Be creative with this process and remember to have fun designing or searching.

Step 5: Cast a Die

Not every board game needs them but let's face it many of them do. So let's figure out ways to get dice for your game.

1) Existing Die

Use die from existing board games. Resourceful but kinda lame.

2) Print or design your own die

Using your favorite modeling software you can always design your own dies to be as special as you want. Of course, if you don't have a design software but still want to print things out you can always use existing designs from online resources such as Thingiverse.

For a simple die design DB3JHF crafted a design that is print ready and easily solves all you six sided die needs.

3) Smart Phone die

The great thing about smart phones is that there are millions of applications, so luck beholds there is an app that turns your smart phone into dice.

IOS: Dice by Benoit Layer is a great allows you to ways play games even if you forgot the die.

Android: Dice by Teazel Ltd forfeits allows you to pay games without physical pieces.
* Note please do not throw your phone like a pair of dice. This will likely break your phone and make you look like an idiot*

Step 6: Playing Cards

Playing cards, the easier piece of any game to get destroyed or lost over time.

Again, not all games need playing or game cards. Still having a full tool set makes you a better Board Game developer

1) Hand made cards

Using paper, cardboard or any other household material you can produce your own playing cards. Simplicity at it's finest. I opted to make hand cut and designed cards for my game.

2) Printed Out Cards

Another option is to print out your cards. Using Microsoft word you can design your cards to be printed out on a basic. A design software, like photoshop or illustrator, will allow you to design more eloquent cards. The best part is that if you lose a card you can just print out a new one.

Which might be needed after your family tosses the board after a crushing defeat...

3) Virtual Application- Flash Cards

There are a number of flash card apps designed to help people memorize a certain subject. Using this existing technology you can produce your own game cards and cut back on paper waste.

App Advice has a list of the 5 best flash card application for mobile devices. Any of these applications will provide you the means of producing your own playing cards.

I went with Studyblue because of its easy User Interface(UI)

Step 7: Quick Wrap UP

By this point you have all the core pieces for making your own board game.

- The Rules

- The Board

- Player Pieces

- Dice

- Playing Cards

Note that not every board game uses all or any of these pieces.

So now you are wondering why did I read this. Honestly, I don't know but I'm betting you are a resourceful individual who is looking to add new skills to your board game development toolkit.

The idea is to make your own game fun and enjoyable without heading to the store.

Be as creative and innovative as you can be when you build your very own board game and show the world what you created.

I don't know about you but I'm ready to play some games and watch some hilarious board game fueled drama!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

We have a be nice policy.
Please be positive and constructive.

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Hi Everyone!!!! My name is Frank and I am a guy who likes board games. The holidays are just around the corner. Which of course means spending time with family and friends. One of my favorite things to do with my family and friends is to play board games.

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Some instructions on how to get started with coding using Scratch

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Coding a Calculator (with images, tweets) · hewettja

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Use instructions from @Austin_Gagnier8 to create a calculator on #Scratch

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...with Code Academy

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Learn the technical skills to get the job you want. Join over 50 million people choosing Codecademy to start a new career (or advance in their current one).

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...with code.org

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Learn computer science. Change the world.

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Every student in every school deserves the opportunity to study computer science.

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site for curious minds...

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Earn badges, Build Skills, Have Fun

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Tell a story/make a game. CYOA style.

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Try it