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SCHOOL HOLIDAY SCHEDULE/ OTHER TECH ACTIVITES

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SCHOOL HOLIDAY SCHEDULE/ OTHER TECH ACTIVITES

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FEB
13th - : Dungeons & Dragons
Bec / Aaron
20th - : STEAM Saturday

MAR
6th-: Saturday Matinee Movie (The Getting of Wisdom) - Vanessa/Bec
8th-: Tech Girls - Vanessa/Laura/Tessa
13th-: Dungeons and Dragons
Bec/Aaron/Arden
20th - : STEAM Saturday - Bec/Laura
26th-: Redland Reads -
|Author Talk (Tracy&Les Stanley) - Aaron/Toby/Craig

APR
10th-: Dungeons & Dragons
Bec / Aaron/Arden
17th:- STEAM Saturday - Vanessa/Bec
30th:- Redland Reads - Tessa//Toby/Vanessa

MAY
1st-: Saturday Matinee Movie  - Tessa/Bec
8th-: Dungeons & Dragons
Bec /Arden/Aaron
15th-: STEAM Saturday - Craig/Anita
22nd:- Saturday Matinee Movies - Tessa/Bec
28th-: Redland Reads - Aaron/Toby/Anita
29- Family movie - Frozen - Bec/Arden

JUN
5-: Saturday Matinee Movies - Craig/Anita/Aaron -
12-: Dungeons & Dragons
Bec / Aaron/Arden
19-: Cancelled
21 -: Ukelele workshop - Laura/Tessa/ Vanessa
23 -:  LH conversation
25-: Redland Reads - Aaron/Toby/Anita
29:- Trolls fun
wiggly worms puppets - Tessa/Craig/Arden (Setup only?)

JULY
1 -: LH Presentation
3 -: Saturday Matinee Movies - Singing in the Rain - Bec/Laura
6 -: Musical Stories with Lucas Proudfoot
Your Words, your story
Stained Glass scratch Art (setup only maybe Aaron/Vanessa/New LO
7-: NAIDOC WEEK TALK - )Setup ONly Aaron/Craig/Anita)
10 -: D&D (Bec/Arden/Aaron/Vanessa/)
15-: Movie Screening 2040 - Setup only? Arden/Bec/Rhiannon
17 -: STEAM Saturday - Makey Makey Rock Stars - Craig/Anita/Aaron
24 -: Saturday Storytelling - Setup only Laura/Rhiannon)
26-: NAIDOC WEEK TALK - )Setup ONly Anita/Laura/Rhiannon)
28:- LH Conversation
30-: Redland Reads - Craig/Anita/Aaron
Author Talk Charlotte Nash - Vanessa/Anita/Rhiannon
31 -: Family movies in the library - Toy Story - Vanessa/Bec

AUG
7-: Saturday Matinee Movies - Rear Window - Craig/Anita/Aaron
14 -: D&D - Bec/Arden /Vanessa
21 -: STEAM Saturday - Moonwalk with Mars Rover - Vanessa/Bec
25 -: LH Conversation
25:- Author in action - Laura/Vanessa
27 :- Redland Reads - Craig/Anita (setup only)

SEPT
4-: Fathers Day D&D - Aaron/Craig (shift swap)
Saturday Matinee Movies - Calamity Jane - Laura/Rhiannon
8-:Author Talk Toni Risson  - BEC/Laura/Aaron
11 -: D&D - Bec/Vanessa
18 -: STEAM Saturday - Anita/Craig/Aaron
21 -: Lantern Craft - Setup only? Anita/Rhiannon
Story Treehouse Afternoon Setup only? Craig/Laura
22 -: LH conversation
24 -: Redlands Reads - Vanessa/New LO
28 -: Lego Challenge Setup Only? Laura/Craig/Aaron
Pokemon Bookmarks
Setup Only? Rhiannon/Craig/Aaron

OCT

Screening: The Italian Job (1968)

Saturday 2 October, 1 – 3 pm at Cleveland Library

Sumobot Robotics Class

Wednesday 6 October, 10.30 – 11.30am at Cleveland Library

Wednesday 13 October, Author talk 10 – 11am at Cleveland Library

Muddy People: A Memoir

Steam Saturday Saturday 16 October, 2 – 3pm at Cleveland Library

Saturday Storytelling

Saturday 23 October, 9.30 – 10.30am at Cleveland Library

Screening: Paddington (2014)

Saturday 30 October, 10.30am – 12pm at Cleveland Library

NOV
The Luminous Solution

Wednesday 3 November, 10 – 11am at Cleveland Library
Upcycled Seedling Tray

Wednesday 10 November, 9.30 – 10.30am at Cleveland Library

Enjoy giving old items a second chance in this environmental workshop. Make your own seedling tray from upcycled items, and choose your very own seedlings to plant and love. Learn how reusing food waste can revitalise your garden, and discover easy ways to grow amazing new vegetables from scraps!

Screening: Rear Window (1954)

Saturday 6 November, 1 – 3pm at Cleveland Library

STEAM Saturday
Saturday 20 November, 2 – 3pm at Cleveland Library

DEC
Saturday 4th December - Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
STEAM Saturday Origami Christmas - Saturday 18 December, 2 – 3pm at Cleveland Library

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Using Paper Circuits to make a board game

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Using Paper Circuits to make a board game

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https://www.instructables.com/id/Interactive-Art-With-Scratch-and-Makey-Makey/

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Fun Projects for your LEGO ® MINDSTORMS ® NXT!

Building Instructions
1 2 3

4 5
Note: Make sure the lever is not upside down. Look at the ends carefully.
6 7 8

This step is a little tricky. Try it like this:

1. Hold the pivoting A-frame/lever assembly in the correct direction so that the dark gray angled beams near the top are pointing down and the long legs are hanging down.

2. Peg the four legs of the A-frame into the corners of the two base halves.

3. Attach the inner support beams to the two legs on the left.

4. Attach the three cross beams to connect the two base halves together.

5. Check the result against the picture carefully to make sure everything is right-side up and facing the right direction.

9 10 11 12 13
Use the shortest wire for this step and connect it to port 2 on the NXT.
14 15 16
Note: Make sure the tip of the throwing arm has the tip of the axle below the rubber parts, as shown below.
17 18

Connect a wire from the motor to port C on the NXT. Make sure that the wire allows the NXT to hang mostly straight and does not interfere with the path of the NXT brick when it falls down.

19
You can experiment with different small projectiles for the catapult to fling. Here is one design.

Catapult Programming

Use the program Catapult for the catapult. This is a simple program and would be easy to modify if you want to change the triggering sequence. As provided, the trigger is sound activated. Clap your hands or yell "Fire!" to activate the trigger.

Using the Catapult

1. Cock the catapult by pulling the throwing arm down, then move the trigger on the motor into position so that it hooks on the black axle under the rubber platform (not on the rubber).

2. Carefully place a projectile on the rubber platform. The orange projectiles seem to fly well when they are placed as shown on the right.

Important: Keep your face out of the path of the throwing arm when loading the catapult, in case it goes off by accident!

3. Run the Catapult program, then stand back and clap your hands or yell "Fire!" to trigger the sound sensor. The program will automatically reset the sound trigger after 1 second and be ready to fire again, so you can carefully (and quietly!) cock and load it again.

Challenges

Several parts of the catapult can be adjusted to produce different throwing angles and distances. By changing the position of the two dark gray angled beams near the top of the frame, you can force the throwing arm to stop in a different position, which will change the angle of the throw. You can also adjust the length of the throwing arm, the position of the pivot point on the lever, and other things. Can you make any adjustments that make it throw any farther?

The way that the rubber platform at the end of the throwing arm holds the projectile is an important port of a good throw. The platform must hold the projectile securely during the swing so that it doesn't slip off, but release it easily at the end. Can you design better projectiles or a better platform/bucket to throw farther?

Copyright © 2007-2011 by Dave Parker. All rights reserved.
All project designs, images, and programs are protected by copyright. Please see the usage policy.

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Fun Projects for your LEGO ® MINDSTORMS ® NXT! 1 2 3 4 5 Note: Make sure the lever is not upside down. Look at the ends carefully. 6 7 8 This step is a little tricky.

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Create a robot that likes to hide in the dark

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Design an illustration on a digital program, then create a badge from it with our badgemaker

OR
Using old magazines / graphic novels to layer onto badge template to press a badge.

..both?

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This Summer Festival State Library of Queensland held a series of workshops giving kids the chance to be the published author of their own book. These workshops celebrate children's voices, placing children and families at the centre of their literacy experience. It gives them the chance to see themselves and their ideas in the stories they share.

Above: Participants committing their ideas to paper.
Children write their own story
Children can make stories about anything and with anything. All you need is A3 paper + textas or collage, paints, scraps of wool and material and plenty of ideas. State Library arts workers and Kids' Own Publishing set the framework to get kids ideas onto paper but gave the children the freedom and encouragement to decide on their own story.

Above: Kid's Own Publishing helped children develop their story ideas

Families worked together to create and bring their own special stories to life. The workshops implement the principles of First 5 Forever by acknowledging each child's unique literary achievements.

Above: Children and families work on their stories
How to make the book
At the end of the workshops participants have a folded book of their own design. Their drawings and stories are told using this simple format.

Above: Photocopy of the final A3 paper with assembled artwork. Different pieces of material and textures help provide interest. A simple pallet of colours ensures a uniform overall look.
Free digital publishing apps
Kids' Own WePublish App is a great way to write, illustrate, publish and print your own 8-page book you can share with family and friends. It's a powerful tool to support literacy development. Download it to your iPad from the iTunes Store.

WePublish Our Voices App supports and encourages books to be written and read in all languages. Download it to your iPad from the iTunes Store.
A published work
State Library will publish two picture books compiled from the stories from the workshops. The finished books will be available for sale online and in the library shop. Here is a link to other books published by Kids' Own Publishing.
Hold your own workshop
Why not hold your own workshop and give children in your community the chance to be the published author of their own work? For more information please contact ypf@slq.qld.gov.au or call 3840 7927. Contact Kids' Own Publishing to arrange one of their workshops in your library.

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Kids as published authors workshops in your library

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This Summer Festival State Library of Queensland held a series of workshops giving kids the chance to be the published author of their own book. These workshops celebrate children's voices, placing children and families at the centre of their literacy experience. It gives them the chance to see themselves and their ideas in the stories they share.

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have a drop in session with numbered stations. First station is a 'question' posed by us - in numbers. Using decoder they colour in and put together themselves (thus its a takeaway item) they determine what the question is. Using the answer they go to next station and have to recode to get a number sequence. The sequence can then be used to......(I hit a wall). First part combines coding and art. could have as many decode/recode as we want to get a final tech finale. can have alpha to alpha or number/number dials or mix

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Free Printable Children's Worksheets & Educational Books

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How the Decoder Works

Once you've used the instructions on the PDF Download to assemble your decoder you can either share that decoder with a friend or have them make an identical one. To use it, simply line up a letter on the outer band with one on the inner band and ensure only your friend has that two letter code. For instance if you line up the letter 'T' on the outer band with the letter 'M' on the inner band your key would be TM and once your decoder dials were lined up on those two letters you can begin coding and deciphering your own messages! You can just translate words into your own secret message by using your secret code letters on the inner dial in the place of the real spellings of words on the outer dial. As long as you and you friend keep your wheels aligned to the key you can read and write your own secret messages forever!

We've provided the templates to make two other decoder wheels, one with more complex symbols and one that is blank so that you can use colors, symbols, letters or whatever you like to form your secret code!

Learning to code and decode between sets of letters or symbols can be a valuable step for an early learner. By having the realization that some objects can represent other objects and then using a framework of rules to reveal that relationship, a child can be well on their way to success in STEM areas like Math and Programming.

Download Printable PDF

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Spy Decoder Wheel - Random Alphabet Version

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How the Decoder Works Once you've used the instructions on the PDF Download to assemble your decoder you can either share that decoder with a friend or have them make an identical one. To use it, simply line up a letter on the outer band with one on the inner band and ensure only your friend has that two letter code.

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using NASA visualization explorer app (free) explore the planets and have to fill in a question sheet etc to  receive prize? have multiple different ones so kids aren't seeing the same thing.

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NASA Visualization Explorer - Apps on Google Play

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NASA SCIENCE: REVEALED! This is the NASA Visualization Explorer, the coolest way to get stories about advanced space-based research delivered right to your Android device. A direct connection to NASA's extraordinary fleet of research spacecraft, this app presents cutting edge research stories in an engaging and exciting format.

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https://labz.makeymakey.com/cwists/preview/1781x

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https://wiki.edgeqld.org.au/doku.php?id=workshops:prototypes:masks:start

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Lay out giant board game on floor
Participants DIY giant dice to play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic36zbj9T8I
Could be fun for a crazy day

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Make 'gameboard' throughout the library, provide giant dice made from cardboard, every few spots/ or every few would have a HP revel picture to scan - you have to do that challenge (make animal noises / hop etc) until your next turn to roll

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MakeyMakey Rock Band
I can't believe it's not minecraft
Family Coding with Spheros
Monster Mash
Have fun with robots
Quiver Masks
Minecraft stop motion

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https://www.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/tinkering/files/Instructions/chainreaction_guide_final_-_screen.pdf

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https://cospaces.io/edu/lesson-plans.html
3D design - downfall may be it being all online - wifi would struggle

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Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how.

Difficulty

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Material Availability

Readily available

Safety

Cutting some materials, like plastic bottles, can create sharp edges. Young children should have supervision when using scissors or hobby knives.

Abstract

Do you think you could build a car powered by nothing but air? A balloon-powered car is pushed forward by air escaping from a balloon, and it is fun and easy to build with materials you already have around your house. Can you imagine how you would want your own balloon-powered car to look? Can you design a car that will travel as far as possible? You can even measure your car's speed using your smartphone and Google's Science Journal app. Get ready to grab some simple supplies to bring your idea to life!

Objective

Design and build your own balloon-powered car that will travel as far and fast as possible.

Credits

Ben Finio, PhD, Science Buddies

This project is based on the "Moving on the Moon" friendly competition by Fluor Corporation.

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Finio, Ben. "Balloon-Powered Car Challenge." Science Buddies, 30 June 2018, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p099/physics/balloon-powered-car-challenge?utm_source=googlesciencejournallanding&utm_campaign=GSJ&utm_medium=referral. Accessed 2 July 2019.

APA Style

Finio, B. (2018, June 30). Balloon-Powered Car Challenge. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p099/physics/balloon-powered-car-challenge?utm_source=googlesciencejournallanding&utm_campaign=GSJ&utm_medium=referral

Last edit date: 2018-06-30

Introduction

Balloon-powered cars, like the ones in Figure 1, are fun to build and even more fun to play with. In this project you will be challenged to build and test your own balloon-powered car. A balloon-powered car consists of three main parts:

The body of the car (piece of cardboard or plastic bottle in Figure 1)

The wheels of the car (CDs or plastic bottle caps in Figure 1)

The axles, which connect the wheels to the body, and allow the wheels to spin (wooden skewers in Figure 1)

Continue reading to learn more about the physics of how a balloon-powered car works.

Have you ever blown up a balloon and then let it go, without tying it shut? The air rapidly escapes from the balloon, making it zip all over the room! This is because when you blow up a balloon, you increase the air pressure inside the balloon. This air pressure stretches out the rubber balloon material, just like stretching a rubber band. Both the air pressure and the stretched rubber store potential energy, or energy that is "waiting" to do something. See Figure 2.

When you let the balloon go, the rubber contracts, and air is rapidly squeezed out the opening of the balloon. The potential energy inside the balloon is converted to kinetic energy, or energy of motion, of the fast-moving air through the opening. Because the air is pushed out rapidly backwards, there is a reaction force that pushes the balloon forward, as shown in Figure 3. This principle comes from Newton's third law of motion, which states "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

When you just let a balloon go on its own, it tends to randomly fly around the room, and is almost impossible to steer. However, when you attach the balloon to a car, like the ones shown in Figure 1, you can harness the balloon's energy to propel the car forward! The engineering goal in this project will be to design, build, and test a car that is powered by nothing but a balloon. You want to design your car so it can travel as far as possible. For the ultimate test, you can follow a strict set of design rules used in the Fluor Engineering Challenge (see the Procedure for details).

Terms and Concepts

Body (of a car)

Wheel

Axle

Air pressure

Potential energy

Kinetic energy

Reaction force

Newton's third law of motion

Design requirements

Iteration

Questions

What is potential energy?

What are some different ways potential energy can be stored?

What is kinetic energy?

What is Newton's third law of motion?

What are some common materials and designs used to build balloon cars?

Bibliography

News Feed on This Topic

Materials and Equipment

If you want to challenge yourself and compare your car's performance to other students' cars, you can follow the guidelines in the Fluor Engineering Challenge where you can only use the materials listed here. The maximum allowable quantity for each item is listed in parenthesis.

CDs (4)

Latex balloons, 9 inch (2)

Jumbo straws, approximately 1/2 inch diameter and 9 inches long (2).
Note that these are also referred to as "milkshake straws" or "smoothie straws." They are available from Amazon.com.

Wooden pencil, 7 3/8 inch long (2)

Sheets of paper, 8.5 x 11 inch (10)

Jumbo paper clips, 1 3/4 inch long (6)

Scotch® tape (1 roll)

Scissors (allowed as a tool only, not a construction material)

If you just want to build a car for fun, or for a science fair project, you can pick which materials you want to use. Many different materials will work, but here are some suggestions:

Something to form the "body" of the car, such as a plastic bottle, plastic cup, piece of Styrofoam®, cardboard box, or piece of corrugated cardboard

Round objects for wheels, like CDs, bottle caps, or empty rolls of tape

Axles, such as wooden pencils or skewers

Material to connect the wheels to the axles, like a dry sponge or modeling clay

Plastic drinking straws, used to connect the axles to the car's body, and to attach the balloon to the car

Construction materials to hold things together, such as glue, tape, binder clips, paper clips, and rubber bands

Balloons

Cutting tools like scissors and a hobby knife

Open area to test your car

Lab notebook

Tape measure

Optional: Digital camera or smartphone to document your design process

Optional: A smartphone to record your data

This project uses Google's Science Journal app, a free app that allows you to gather and record data with a cell phone. You can download the app from Google Play for Android devices (version 4.4 or newer) or from the App Store for iOS devices (iOS 9.3 or newer).

Note: This project was tested with the Android version of Science Journal in which light intensity is measured using the ambient light sensor and given in lux. The iOS version uses the phone's camera to measure brightness resulting in data expressed in EV (Exposure Value). Lux values and Exposure Values are not the same. Whereas Exposure Value is a base-2 logarithmic scale, the lux scale is linear. This might affect your data and result in different values and graphs when you are using an iOS version of the app-both versions will work for this project though. The graph examples given in the procedure show light intensity in lux.

See the instructions in the procedure to learn how to use the app with this project.

Remember Your Display Board Supplies

Experimental Procedure

Note: This engineering project is best described by the engineering design process, as opposed to the scientific method. You might want to ask your teacher whether it's acceptable to follow the engineering design process for your project before you begin. You can learn more about the engineering design process in the Science Buddies Engineering Design Process Guide.

Overview of the Challenge

The goal of this project is to design and build a balloon-powered car. Balloon-powered means the car is propelled forward by nothing other than air escaping from a balloon. Since this is an engineering project, you need to specify your design requirements. You can come up with your own design requirements, but here are some suggestions:

The car should be sturdy and not fall apart when in use.

The car should go straight.

The car should go as far as possible.

There are several different options for the project:

You can build a balloon car using any materials that you want.

You can use your phone to measure your car's velocity using Google's Science Journal app. See this section of the procedure for more details.

You can follow the rules from the 2015 Fluor Engineering Challenge, which has strict rules about how you can build your car and what it must accomplish. While the 2015 challenge is over, you can still follow the rules and compare your car to the high scores. See this section of the procedure for more details.

Designing Your Car

Once you have defined your design requirements, you need to start designing your car. The design phase is an important part of the engineering design process. There is no fixed procedure for this section; you get to come up with your own design! If you are new to the engineering design process, here are some suggested steps to get you started:

1. Do some background research on balloon-powered cars. Do an internet image or video search for "balloon powered car" and you will see many different designs, made from different materials. This can inspire your design.

2. Think about what materials you want to use for your car, and how you will connect the different pieces together. For example, what do you want to use for wheels?

3. Make a sketch of your design on paper before you start building. Figure 4 shows an example sketch of a design. Documenting your design ideas is important for an engineering project, especially if you are entering a science fair.

Note: The following steps include some specific tips that might be helpful when building your car, but remember that you do not have to use the construction methods shown in this project.

Many balloon-powered car designs attach the neck of the balloon to a "bendy" straw using a rubber band, as shown in Figure 5. This makes it easier to attach the balloon to your car, to inflate the balloon, and to aim the direction of the air escaping the balloon.

Most balloon cars work better if the axles can rotate freely. If you insert a pencil or skewer through a drinking straw-as shown in Figure 6-this will allow it to rotate and serve as an axle.

Wheels usually work better if they are centered on the axles and do not wobble. Depending on what you use for wheels and axles, you will need to come up with a way to securely attach them. Figure 7 shows an example.

Building Your Car

Once you are done designing your car, it is time to start building! Again, there is no fixed procedure for this section. How you build your car will depend on the design you came up with and the materials you decided to use. Once you think your car is ready, move on to the next section to begin testing.

Optional: If you have a digital camera or smartphone, take pictures of your car. This will help you document your design process, which will be useful when you make your project display board.

Testing Your Car

Engineering projects rarely work perfectly on the first try! Now it is time to test your car, and possibly redesign it or make improvements, depending on how well it works. This is called iteration, which is an important part of the engineering design process. Here is a suggested procedure for testing your car:

1. Inflate the balloon (by blowing through the straw, if you attached it to a straw).

2. Pinch the end of the balloon shut, or put your finger over the end of the straw, to prevent air from escaping.

3. Put your car down on the floor, and let go of the balloon.
Optional: If you have a digital camera or smartphone, you can take a video of your car's test run. It might help to have a volunteer operate the camera while you operate the car.

4. Watch your car closely! Does it move forward? Pay close attention to whether the car meets your design requirements, and write down your observations in your lab notebook. For example:

1. Does the car go straight?

2. How far does the car go? Use a tape measure to record how far the car traveled from where it started to where it came to a complete stop, and write this distance down in your lab notebook.

3. Did any parts of the car fall apart?

5. Repeat steps 1-4 a few times until you are comfortable handling your car and seeing how it works.

6. Depending on how well your car works, your next steps may vary. Write down your observations and ideas in your lab notebook.

1. If your car does not work at all (it does not move forward even a little bit, or it falls apart), try to figure out what is wrong. Are the wheels stuck? Is the car too heavy for the balloon to push? Do you need to use more tape to hold things together?

2. If your car works, but not very well (it only moves forward a little, or it moves but turns to one side instead of going straight), try to figure out how you could improve it. Are the wheels or axles crooked, causing the car to turn? Are the wheels getting slightly stuck, preventing the car from going fast?

3. Even if your car works well, think about what changes you could make to improve it. Can you modify your car to make it go even farther? What happens if you try to inflate the balloon even more?

7. Based on what you find in step 6, make changes to the design and construction of your car.
Optional: If you have a digital camera or smartphone, take pictures of all the changes you make to your car. This will help you document the different iterations of your design process.

8. Repeat steps 1-7 until your car meets all of your design requirements. It might take you many tries to get your car working properly, and this is okay! There is no "right answer" to an engineering problem. Now, think about the design process you went through:

1. How many different iterations did it take you to reach your final solution?

2. Did you have to make major changes or do a total redesign of your car, or did you only make small changes and fixes?

3. If you took pictures, compare the first picture of your car to the last picture. How much did your car change?

9. Repeat several test runs with your completed car, and record how far it travels. What is the longest distance you can get your car to go?

Optional: Using Google's Science Journal App

Science Journal is an app that lets you record data using sensors that are built into many smartphones, including a light sensor which measures light levels (normally this sensor is used to automatically adjust the brightness of your phone's screen). To learn how to use the Science Journal app and how to use the light sensor, you can review the relevant tutorials on this Science Journal tutorial page. In this project, you can use the app to measure the velocity of your balloon car. You will do this by having your car pass between the phone and a light source, so it will block the light sensor and affect the reading.

If necessary, modify the body of your balloon car so it will completely block light. For example, you may need to do this if your car's body is transparent (like a plastic bottle) or if it has a frame built from straws that lets a lot of light through. The car in Figure 8 uses a piece of construction paper taped to the frame.

1. Place your phone face-up on a flat surface beneath an overhead light. Make sure your car can drive directly over the phone (so the phone goes between the car's wheels) without hitting it or getting stuck. If your car does not have enough clearance to drive over your phone without hitting it, you will need to mount your phone on its side, and let the car drive between your phone and a light source (like a lamp or a window on a sunny day).

2. In the app, open the light sensor and press the record button.

3. Inflate the balloon and let your car drive over the phone.

4. Press the stop button to stop recording. Your graph should look something like Figure 9. If there is not a clear drop in the light reading, you may need to adjust the position of your phone, or use a brighter light source.

1. Use a ruler to measure the length of the part of your car that blocks light. For example, if your car has large CD wheels that stick out to the front and back, and you are placing the phone face-up under the car, do not count the wheels as part of the length because they will not block light. However, if you put your phone on its side, then the wheels will block light, so should be included in the length. If the balloon sticks out in front of the car, you may need to include it in your measurement, but keep in mind that the balloon will deflate as your car moves. So, whether you measure the balloon when it is inflated or deflated depends on where you place your phone relative to the car when it starts moving.

2. Drag the cursor along the time axis (bottom) to find the time when the light reading drops, and when the light reading goes back up. Calculate the difference between these two times. For example, in Figure 9, the reading goes down at 2.5 seconds and back up at 5.2 seconds, a difference of 2.7 seconds.

3. Calculate your car's velocity (v) using Equation 1. You can do this because you know that the car moved a distance equal to its own length (d) in the amount of time that it blocked the light (t).

Equation 1:
[Please enable JavaScript to view equation]

v is velocity in meters per second (m/s)

d is distance in meters (m), the length you measured in step 6

t is time in seconds (s), the time you measured in step 7

Now, try using this technique to measure velocity as you change your car's design. Can you design a car that will achieve the highest maximum velocity?

Optional: The Fluor Engineering Challenge

The Fluor Engineering Challenge has very specific guidelines for building your car, and a scoring system for measuring its performance. The goal is for the car to transport weights from a starting area to a finish area. Points are awarded for how much weight the car can carry, and for unused construction materials. A summary of the rules and scoring guidelines, with an explanatory video, is presented later.

Materials: The challenge limits you to a specific list of materials you can use to build your car. You do not have to use all the materials, but you cannot use other materials, or more than the maximum allowable quantity. You earn points for each unused item. The material requirements are summarized in Table 1. You can use scissors to cut the construction materials.

1. For example, each CD is worth 500 points, and you can use a maximum of 4 CDs. If you only use 2 CDs, you will earn 1,000 points.

2. Note: Use of the tape is not pro-rated based on the amount you use. You can only earn 200 points if you do not use any tape at all.

Table 1. Allowable materials and their point costs for the Fluor Challenge.

1. Weights: You must use US pennies as weights. Each penny is worth 40 points.

2. Car Dimensions: the completed car (not counting the balloons) cannot be more than 28 inches wide, 18 inches long, or 24 inches tall. It must fit completely within "Area A" of the test area (see next step).

3. Test Area Dimensions: The car must operate in a test area with dimensions as shown in Figure 10, and follow these rules:

1. The car must start completely within Area A.

2. You can only handle the car (setting it up, blowing up the balloon, etc.) while it is in Area A. You cannot touch the car after it has started moving.

3. The weights must cross the finish line before going out of bounds. It is okay if parts of the car go out of bounds, as long as the weights are still in bounds (see Figure 11).

4. It is okay if the weights keep moving and go out of bounds (over the side lines or back lines) after they have crossed the finish line.

5. The test area should be a smooth surface (like a wood tabletop), not a rough surface like a carpet or tile floor with dips in between the tiles.

Scoring: For a successful test run (as defined in Figure 11, above), your total score is calculated using Equation 2:Equation 2: [Please enable JavaScript to view equation]
The material and weight points are defined above. Remember that you receive points for the materials you do not use. Use the scoring worksheet if you need help calculating your score.

How high can you get your score? Submit your score to Science Buddies following the directions above, to see how you stack up against other competitors!

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Variations

Do you want more of a challenge than building a basic balloon car, without the restrictive material requirements of the Fluor Challenge? Try a modified scoring system that awards points for carrying weights as far as possible, without assigning costs to different materials. For example, you could use Equation 2.
Equation 2:
[Please enable JavaScript to view equation]
Where "weight" is measured in units of whatever your car is carrying (for example, "number of pennies") and distance is how far the car travels from its starting point to its stopping point, measured in centimeters or meters (remember that scientists use the metric system).

This is a tricky challenge of its own-can you get more points by carrying a heavy weight a short distance, or by carrying a small weight a long distance? What about something in between? Can you figure out how to get the highest score?

Mouse trap cars are another fun project similar to the balloon car. Do some searching for mouse trap car designs, but be careful when handling a mouse trap!

Build a small hovercraft using a balloon, like in the Science Buddies project How Does a Hovercraft Work?.

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

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Balloon-Powered Car Challenge | Science Project

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Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how. Difficulty Time Required Short (2-5 days) Material Availability Readily available Safety Cutting some materials, like plastic bottles, can create sharp edges.

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guidelines/dot points in a calendar appointment 

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guidelines/dot points in a calendar appointment 

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Subject: Name 'as advertised'

Location: Cleveland Library 'as advertised"

Start Time and Finish Time: ‘as advertised’

Description:

Bookings required/not required:

Maximum booking limit:

Image:

Age range: 8+ years

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Did you know that some of the earliest version of the Spirograph® date back back to nearly 200 years ago? Since then, these geometric drawing tools and toys have been used by mathematicians, engineers, and even bankers! In 1965, British engineer Denys Fisher introduced to the world what we now know as Spirograph®.

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Stomping pad with makey makey - could be simple fun activity to be re purposed into something bigger? could be compatible with dinosaur no internet game?

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Stomping pad with makey makey - could be simple fun activity to be re purposed into something bigger? could be compatible with dinosaur no internet game?

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Use this guide to create the ultimate stomping pad. With this guide, you will learn to make an over-sized weight sensitive stomp pad to control one button games. Make two to practice your jumping jacks or make four for a DDR dance mat! This durable floor pad uses rubber bands as an insulator and as an added bonus helps the floor pad stay in place.

Supplies:

Makey Makey Classic, Chipboard, Foil Strips, Two extra long wires from STEM pack, Conductive tape, Duct tape, Glue stick, Rubber bands of varying sizes

Teacher Notes

Teachers! Did you use this instructable in your classroom?
Add a Teacher Note to share how you incorporated it into your lesson.

Step 1: Create a Conductive Pad

Picture 1 shows the supplies you need. The extra long wires are in our STEM pack and you can use any conductive tape, but we used the tape from our Inventor's Booster Kit.

The first step in creating a conductive pad is to use your glue stick and adhere one foil square to one side of each piece of chipboard. (Picture 2)

Make sure you leave a little foil off to the right side so you can wrap the foil around the end of the chipboard. This will help us create a strong connection for Makey Makey. (Picture 3 and 4)

Place both chipboards side by side with the foil covered ends facing each other, foil side up.

Educator Tip:
Talk with students about how since Makey Makey uses everyday conductive objects to work, they can actually build their own sensors and switches that resemble real products in the world. These oversized stomping pads are created similarly to the way a button on a keyboard or a calculator work! These two foil covered pads will break the circuit and then when a student stomps or jumps on the pad, the circuit will close and send a signal to the computer making the computer think a key was pressed!

Step 2: Wire Conductive Pads

Grab the extra long wires from the STEM pack and tape one wire to the spine of the foiled chipboard with regular tape. (Making sure not to cover the exposed end with this insulating regular tape. Picture 1)

Now grab your conductive tape (pictured is from our booster kit) and tape the copper end of the wire to the foil on the chipboard. Use multiple pieces of conductive tape to ensure a good connection from the wire to the foil. Cover all of the exposed copper with conductive tape. (Picture 2 and 3)

This process will make sure the foil is conductive from the wire all the way across the foil length. Plus, it will hold our wire in place. Since you are going to be doing a lot of stomping, you want to make sure the wire will not move when you step on your stomping pad. Hiding the wire on the end of the chipboard ensures connectivity and durability, but it also makes it easier to keep the wires out of your feet's way!

Repeat this process for the other chipboard. Ensure that when the two pieces of chipboard are placed side by side with the foil covered ends, that the wire comes out in the same direction.

Educator Tip:
Conductive fabric tape is pretty cool! It's the same type of tape used in laptop and cable shielding, but since it is so flexible it can also be used for sewing and making wearables!

Step 3: Protect Wiring

Cut two strips of Duct tape that will cover the short ends of your chipboard. (Our chipboard is about the size of a sheet of paper 8" X 11") Place half of the Duct tape on the outside of your chipboard and the other half over the foil side to cover the connection you just made. ( Picture 1)

Place another strip of Duct tape other side of your chipboard. ( Picture 2)

With your stomping pad open and the foil sides up, check to make sure you have both wires in the center and coming out the same direction like in Picture 3.

With the wires in the center, create a hinge to hold your stomping pad together by adding one piece of duct tape over your wire protection tape. Use one piece of duct tape on the inside of your switch and place another piece of duct tape on the outside of your switch for durability. (See Pictures 3 and 4)

If you plugged this into a Makey Makey at this point and closed it together, your stomping pad would always go off! When the two pieces of foil touch, it closes the circuit just like a switch. We'll need an insulator to break the circuit.

Step 4: Add an Insulator

To break the circuit and create a switch, you'll need an insulator. Add an insulator to one side of your floor pad to keep the two conductive pads apart and your circuit open until someone "presses" your switch. (Or stomps on it!)

If you use rubber bands, you can tinker with making a weight sensitive floor pad once you hook up a Makey Makey.

Educator Tip:
Thanks to Aaron Graves for dreaming up this sturdy and awesome insulator trick for floor pads! Rubber bands make a great insulator, hold the floor pad together, AND make this floor pad adjustable!

Step 5: Wire Up Floor Pad and Adjust Sensitivity

Let's connect those wires to Makey Makey and test your floorpad switch! Connect a black alligator clip to one wire and a red alligator clip to the other wire. (Picture 1)

Now connect the black alligator clip to earth on your Makey Makey and the red alligator clip to the space input. (Picture 2)

(NOTE: You don't have to color coordinate, we just find it's easier when explaining how to do stuff.)

Let's test our stomping pad for weight sensitivity. Stomp on it to see if you are Makey Makey-ing connection.

The more rubber bands you add, the harder you'll have to stomp to make a connection. If your switch isn't working, then take away some rubber bands. Or if it is too sensitive and connecting too much, then add more rubber bands to add insulation between the two conductive pads.

Now go code the coolest one button game and get stomping!

Be the First to Share

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Ultimate Stomping Pad With Makey Makey: Use this guide to create the ultimate stomping pad. With this guide, you will learn to make an over-sized weight sensitive stomp pad to control one button games. Make two to practice your jumping jacks or make four for a DDR dance mat! This durabl...

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https://games.ala.org/print-play-games/
Could be good for games day?

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A simple idea for coding without using technology??

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Oh my goodness, this is such a fun activity, and you can put it together with any LEGO® bricks you own! Use bricks to create a code. Then kids can build and de-code secret messages!
Create Your Code
The concept of this activity is quite simple - create a code using a different brick for each letter of the alphabet.

Owen worked with me to develop our code. We went through our LEGO® bricks and selected small pieces that would not take up much room on a baseplate. We also made sure that we could find at least 5 of the same piece. It's especially important to have plenty of the bricks that you choose for the most common letters like A or T.

We had fun choosing a couple of silly things, like a steering wheel for J! Want to change your code? It's super easy to swap out pieces, or start all over.
Build Secret Messages
Then it was time to write a code! I constructed a code for Owen to solve. I wrote out blanks for each letter, which made it easier for him to keep up with where he was as he decoded it.

So much fun cracking the code!

Here's what the code said - and he wrote an answer back for me to decode!

Jonathan is only 5, but he had fun with decoding messages also. We started with just building his name, and then I wrote him a message to decode. Perfect literacy practice - it doesn't even feel like work!

Need more LEGO® ideas? We are participating in LEGO® Week this week with some awesome bloggers! Be sure to check out the rest of the LEGO® Week Activities.
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this site.

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Secret Codes! Write Coded Messages with LEGO Bricks - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls

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Oh my goodness, this is such a fun activity, and you can put it together with any LEGO® bricks you own! Use bricks to create a code. Then kids can build and de-code secret messages! Create Your Code The concept of this activity is quite simple - create a code using a different brick for [...]

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Craft simple things - take around to set up makey makey stations - paired down version of monster mash?

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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/

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STEM Lessons for Educators – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Explore standards-aligned lessons from NASA-JPL in science, technology, engineering and math for students for grades K-12. Engage students in NASA missions exploring Earth and space.

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Resources . DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL | PBS KIDS

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Engineering activities, animations, engineer profiles, and episodes organized by themes like electricity and simple machines.

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SLQ Wiki
MTA
Instructables
MakeZine
Exploratorium
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Collen Graves
Morten Bay Libraries
Eastern Regional Libraries
Google Arts&Culture
Google Voyager
Science Buddies
Logan Libraries
Yarra Library
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STEAM Links
SL Training Calendar
Barefoot Computing
Clearpatch
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/

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This documentary succeeds in part because of Director Avi Belkin's skillful use of archival footage to show us how Wallace interacted with public figures ranging from Richard Nixon and Vladimir Putin to Malcolm X and Barbara Streisand.

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Public Libraries Online " A Publication of the Public Library Association

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This documentary succeeds in part because of Director Avi Belkin's skillful use of archival footage to show us how Wallace interacted with public figures ranging from Richard Nixon and Vladimir Putin to Malcolm X and Barbara Streisand.

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Introduction: Extending Grabber

You can find the lesson plan, 1-page project sheet, and more project ideas at STEM-Inventions.com

Step 1: Materials

For the basic example, you'll need:

Designable components:

For testing:

Step 2: Assemble and Reinforce the Beams

1. Create four beams by inserting the craft sticks into the pieces of straws.

2. Leave a small gap (about 1mm) between the ends of the craft sticks.

3. Break off a 3-4" piece of skewer. Get a piece of masking tape. Use both hands to hold the tape and stick it onto the skewer. Without letting go of the tape, apply it to the straw piece. Fold the other half of the tape over the skewer.

4. This will reinforce the connection between the sticks. Without it, the straws might bend and cause the grabber to be inoperable.

5. Young students may have trouble with this step.

6. Repeat with all four beams.

Step 3: Connect the Beams

1. Use the pointed end of the skewer to carefully pierce the center of the straw.

2. Pierce another straw piece with the same skewer.

3. Pull the skewer most of the way through, then break off the skewer, leaving a 2-3" piece connecting the two straw pieces. By pulling the skewer all the way through, the pointed tip can be reused.

4. Repeat for the other two beams to create two 'X' shapes.

5. Repeat this process to connect the two 'X' shapes together as depicted.

Step 4: Design the Grabber

Use pieces of craft sticks, pipe cleaners, and/or rubber bands to improve the grabber's grip. This part of the project is more open-ended.

Step 5: Test

Tape two cups together as depicted.

Try to pick up the cups. If this proves too easy, then improvise new challenges.

Avoid picking up objects that weigh more than a few ounces.

Step 6: Safety, Tips, and Troubleshooting

The skewer pieces may be pointed. Don't allow students to try to grab at each other or wave the skewers above shoulder height.

Be sure that students create and reinforce the beams before assembling. Students may be eager to assemble the beams, but the reinforcement step is important for this project to be durable.

The cup challenge may be easy for many students. Improvise a variety of challenges to encourage redesign, such as picking up a large marker, a rolled up piece of paper, your keys, or other small objects.

If the joints are falling apart, you can wrap tape around the skewer pieces to prevent the straws from slipping off.

2 People Made This Project!

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You can find the lesson plan, 1-page project sheet, and more project ideas at STEM-Inventions.com For the basic example, you'll need: Designable components: For testing: Create four beams by inserting the craft sticks into the pieces of straws. Leave a small gap (about 1mm) between the ends of the craft sticks.

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Idea for tech day - set up a green felt screen (use the black felt boards to set it to) and project up onto the tv down in junior area. Create a walk through line where kids stand infront of the ipad and it puts them 'into' a movie of sorts. could have an exploding disaster and they can run and look like they are trying to escape or be under the sea

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- bowling - get kmart pins
- battleship - grid coordinates on ground - learn accuracy with steering - stop on the grid coordinate and other play has to yell hit or miss. Program sphero to make bomb noise
- include paddlepop ramps
- orbit the sun like planets. Try to follow the lines. change colour to planet colour
- paint with spheros

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WeDo interactive dinosaur - opens mouth and roars

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Line following – use the cork tiles with a black line and intermittent ones with colour. Kids can create their own maze in designated space and because the robot is preprogrammed, just press start.

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Hello Ruby for homeschoolers - Computer Science in One Minute! Watch now "

Hello Ruby is the world's most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology and programming. The story started with a book, and now Ruby continues her adventures in exercises, activities and videos. It's suited for kids age 5 years and older (but even adults might learn something new).

"Hello Ruby is way more than a children's book"
Fast Company

"The heroine of Liukas' book is a girl, but it's not a book for girls."
Guardian

"Hello Ruby has obviously struck a chord. "
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"Getting girls into programming, one children's book at a time "
TechCrunch

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Welcome to the whimsical world of computing. Hello Ruby is a children's book and an app that teaches programming fundamentals through stories and kid-friendly activities. It's suited for kids between 5 and 8 (but even adults might learn something new).

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Could be good for saturday steam if we can get brads?

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Welcome to the whimsical world of computing. Hello Ruby is a children's book and an app that teaches programming fundamentals through stories and kid-friendly activities. It's suited for kids between 5 and 8 (but even adults might learn something new).

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A tropical Island

A Fairy/Three little pigs

A different shapes

And two blank clear ones

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https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/#text

https://www.classtools.net/QR/create.php

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QR Code Treasure Hunt Generator | ClassTools

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Design a QR Code 'Treasure Hunt' to get students using their mobile devices to move and to learn

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Barcode Creator

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Linear Barcodes, 2D Codes, GS1 DataBar, Postal Barcodes and many more!

This online barcode generator demonstrates the capabilities of the TBarCode SDK barcode components. TBarCode simplifies bar code creation in your application - e.g. in C# .NET, VB .NET, Microsoft ASP.NET, ASP, PHP, Delphi and other programming languages. Test this online barcode-generator without any software installation ( Terms of Service) and generate your barcodes right now: EAN, UPC, GS1 DataBar, Code-128, QR Code, Data Matrix, PDF417, Postal Codes, ISBN, etc.

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Linear Barcodes, 2D Codes, GS1 DataBar, Postal Barcodes and many more! This online barcode generator demonstrates the capabilities of the TBarCode SDK barcode components. TBarCode simplifies bar code creation in your application - e.g. in C# .NET, VB .NET, Microsoft ASP.NET, ASP, PHP, Delphi and other programming languages.

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Jungle Zombie (Minecraft Dungeons) byminecraftisthebest2008 12 2695 views

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With working windmill / clock tower. Papercraft templates for DIY house or business? add roads .

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https://www.instructables.com/id/Ueber-Geek-Christmas-Tree-with-QR-Code-decorations/

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Details

This program can be shortened by 20-50 mins by having the code pre-saved on the tablet and/or the player pre-constructed.

Aim/Key Learning

Construct, code and create a phonograph record to play a song.

Preparation and Materials Required

1. Setup

Time: 5 mins
Setup each group area with the following equipment:

2. Introduction

Time: 10 mins
Introduce yourself, participants introduce themselves, cover any housekeeping. Cover basic group rules such as working together, being respectful and taking turns. Explain the aim of the workshop (above -'Today we are going to create a phonograph player to play music. Our player using the LEGO MindStorms kit is going to play musical notes based on what colour we colour the record').

Show the participants a brief demonstration of a completed player and coloured record playing music.

3. Construction of Player

Time: 30 mins
Participants use the build instructions to construct the player using the LEGO MindStorm kit. You can save some time in this step if you only have the required parts from the kit at each group instead of participants searching for them in each kit.

4. Coding of Player

Time: 20 mins
Open the LEGO MindStorms app on the tablet and create a new project.
Show participants a blank record and explain how the LEGO MindStorm EV3 is going to use the colour sensor to see the colours drawn on the record and play a note. The record contains 30 notes (or sections) and each note is played for half of a second. With this information, we are going to code the LEGO MindStorm EV3 to turn the record, check the colour on the record and play a note.
The build instructions contains an example program to follow.

1. From the 'play' block, drag a 'medium motor' block and connect it to the 'play' block. Make sure that the port of the block is set to 'A' and click the blocks function and change it to 'on' with a speed of 4. We change the function so the motor starts spinning and moves to the next block in the code. The speed of 4 is the required speed to move the record so that each note is approximately half a second.

Note: Kits that have been well used may experience a jerky movement at this speed. Adding weight to the top of the record, such as a wheel, may fix this issue

2. Next drag a 'loop' block and connect it next to the 'medium motor' block. Change the loop function to Time and set the time to 15. This ensures that we only rotate for 15 seconds, the length of the record

3. Now drag a 'switch' block and connect it inside the 'loop' block. Ensure that the 'switch' block port is set to '1' and that the function is to 'Color Sensor > Measure > Color'. The switch block will perform an action based on what colour is measured from the colour sensor connected to port 1

4. The default of the 'switch' block is Black, No Color and Add a case. For the Mary had a little lamb record, we are going to need the following cases:

5. Click the No Color case and select 'Make Default' and leave the contents of the switch case blank. This is needed in the event the LEGO MindStorm EV3 encounters any other colour not in the switch case, to do nothing

6. Under the Green, Yellow and Red cases, drag a 'Sound' block to each setting the function to 'Play Note' for a duration of 0.5. The note of each colours case should represent the note in the example. Green is E6, Yellow is D6 and Red is C6

5. Colouring of Mary had a little lamb

Time: 10 mins
Using the example in the build instructions, participants colour in a blank record of Mary had a little lamb. Taking note of how the colours coincide with the notes, both on the music and in the code.

Participants will now attempt to play their records by placing them on the player, turning on their LEGO MindStorms EV3, connecting it to their tablet and pressing Run. If it doesn't play correctly, it maybe due to the colour sensor being to high and the amount of light in the room. Try lowering the sensor on the LEGO beam closer or further away from the record.

6. Colouring of Twinkle Twinkle little star (optional)

Time: 30 mins
Now that participants are familiar on how the player works, an optional component is for them to colour in another blank record to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle little star, taking note of the musical notes, possibly adding additional cases to the switch case in code, etc. This option may take a few goes and multiple blank records to complete.

7. Evaluation and Closing

Time: 5 mins
At the end of the session, ask for volunteers to share their learnings or how they found the session. Thank everyone for their participation and team work.

Activity Feedback

Inclusive Communities welcomes feedback of the activities on our wiki, please let us know how it worked out in your library!

If you have an activity or variations of existing activities you would like to share across the Regional Libraries Queensland and Indigenous Knowledge Centres network, drop us a line at ic@slq.qld.gov.au or visit the Adding Content page.

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This program can be shortened by 20-50 mins by having the code pre-saved on the tablet and/or the player pre-constructed. Construct, code and create a phonograph record to play a song. Time: 5 mins Setup each group area with the following equipment: Time: 10 mins Introduce yourself, participants introduce themselves, cover any housekeeping.

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DIY Scratch Paper
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An Open-World Game Created by NYSCI and Design I/O

Welcome to Algos, a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered, water and food are scarce, and it's up to you and your Pack to help fix the environment!

You find yourself waking up in a barren land where the only way to bring balanced life back is to replenish water sources and find varied seeds that are scattered all over the world. You can't do it alone, and can't stray too far from water, so you and a "Pack" of helpful creatures set out an algorithmic adventure across Algos.

The Pack is an all-ages game inspired by NYSCI's groundbreaking Connected Worlds exhibit and was created by NYSCI and Design I/O.

The Pack has also been featured as Apple's App Of The Day, read about it here!

Read The Press Release

This project was supported by The JPB Foundation. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1543144. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Play NYSCI's - The Pack

The Pack is an open-world game that is procedurally-generated, meaning each new game you start will be in a completely unique world.

The Pack is based around two timely STEM subjects - environmental awareness and computational thinking. Set in a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered and resources are scarce, it's up to you to restore the environment by collecting seeds that will help regrow the land.

You embark on an open-ended quest to find food and water by using your "Pack" - creatures that have unique functions like digging, moving, holding, grabbing and repeating. When your Pack has more than one type of creature, you can combine them in a computational sequence (also known as an algorithm) to perform tasks like digging up water and seeds, bumping food off trees and creating a complex algorithm to achieve multiple things at once.

As you advance, you must create more complex algorithms that allow you to do new things. Learning and mastering how to use these algorithms is the key to finding all of the seeds and restoring harmony to Algos!

Download for Mac OSX Download for Windows

Download The Teacher Guide

NYSCI's Teacher Design Team, a group of middle school teachers who represent a variety of schools and subjects, were deeply involved during the design of The Pack. By working through the app with their students, they created five different examples of how The Pack could be used in their classrooms. Read and download the teacher guide to get inspiration on how to use The Pack in your own classroom.

Download the teacher guide

More helpful links:

Hear us chat with Robofun on a Facebook Live interview about how The Pack is one of our favorite modern educational resources.
NYSCI x Robofun Facebook Live Interview

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An Open-World Game Created by NYSCI and Design I/O Welcome to Algos, a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered, water and food are scarce, and it's up to you and your Pack to help fix the environment!

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Needs this extra part for $35.00
https://bit.ly/3b0eo7d
But something new for the mbots

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Again we start the XOD patch with reading the data from the sensor. For a tumbler robot, the patch is more complicated than in previous experiments. That's all because of the "Me 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor" based on MPU6050 chip which communicates via I2C. By now, there is no officially supported node for this chip in the XOD environment. For this reason, we made our own node mpu6050-yrp-linear-accel which is an Arduino library wrapper.

mpu6050-yrp-linear-accel node

To make the program work we use a few Arduino libraries. These libraries should be added to the XOD IDE client. To add an Arduino library open the place where XOD is installed and copy the library folder to packages/xod-client-electron folder.

The list below shows which Arduino libraries you need to copy.

The I2Cdev and MPU6050 libraries by Jeff Rowberg. Last versions can be downloaded from the GITHUB.

The PinChangeInt library by Arduino. This library is used to control interrupts on pins on the controller board.

The MPU6050 chip has an INT pin which can be used to notify the controller about available data change. With this pin, you can get more accurate data from the sensor. "Me 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor" from the Makeblock supports the INT pin, and we will take advantage of it. Take a look at the right pin in the picture below.

"Me 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor" pinout

"Me 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor" has a white label and communicates via I2C. All four RJ25 ports on the mCore board are white labeled so the sensor can be connected to any of them. We connect the sensor to the RJ25 port 1 on the mCore board.

What inputs and outputs does the mpu6050-yrp-linear-accel have? Let's see.

INIT - the pin that initializes the sensor;

UPD - the pin that triggers a new read from the sensor;

GXoff, GYoff, GZoff - the gyroscope offsets;

AXoff, AYoff, AZoff - the accelerometer offsets.

This offset pins are optional and used to calibrate the sensor to improve the sensitivity and determine the mount position at the robot body. By default the offset values are set to 0.

ROLL, PITCH, YAW - the rotation angles around the X, Y, Z axes;

laX, laY, laZ - linear accelerations along X, Y, Z axes;

DONE - the pin that reports that data is read.

Now, let's add the watch node, link it with the ROLL and upload the patch. Turn on the debug mode to watch what the ROLL values are. To the test, we are going to deviate the robot from the balance position in different directions.

The ROLL value approximately changes from 4.6 to 57. If the robot stands vertically the ROLL value is about 46. We get such a strange range of values because the sensor is not calibrated. So let's do it.

How to calibrate the sensor?

We should specify the offset values GXoff, GYoff, GZoff, AXoff, AYoff, AZoff of gyroscope and accelerometer which are equal 0 now. To obtain this values we made the mpu6050-calibrate node.

The calibration can be performed once. Create a new empty temporary patch and add the mpu6050-calibrate node. Link six output pins with six watch nodes and set the INIT value to On boot.

Fix the robot in a vertical position and deploy the patch with the debug mode. Wait for a little, in less than a minute, the node outputs the necessary values. You can write them down not to forget.

For our robot [GXoff, GYoff, GXoff, AXoff, AYoff, AZoff] offsets are [131, 29, -99, 1756, -2118, 1554]. Returning to the main patch we enter this values into the input pins of the mpu6050-yrp-linear-accel node and make a new debug test to see how the ROLL range changed.

Now rotating the robot 90 degrees in different directions, we get almost the perfect range of ROLL values from -89 to 89. That means we've calibrated the sensor well. The new range is very convenient for us to form the "error" concept.

mBot is balancing about 87 degrees to the ground. The ROLL value for the balance position is about 3 degrees. We use this value as a set-point for the PID-controller and define the error.

Any deviation from the balanced position makes an error. Look at the sketch below and check out the possible states.

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Again we start the XOD patch with reading the data from the sensor. For a tumbler robot, the patch is more complicated than in previous experiments. That's all because of the "Me 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor" based on MPU6050 chip which communicates via I2C.

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8th-: Tech Girls - Vanessa/Laura/Tessa
13th-: Dungeons and Dragons
Bec/Aaron/Arden
20th - : STEAM Saturday - Bec/Laura
26th-: Redland Reads -
|Author Talk (Tracy&Les Stanley) - Aaron/Toby/Craig

APR
10t

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https://gfycat.com/spotlessrelievedflee

Colour and create an looping paper toy.

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How To Make Flextangles - DIY Paper Toys (online-video-cutter.com)

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Watch and share How To Make Flextangles - DIY Paper Toys (online-video-cutter.com) GIFs on Gfycat