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The Best STEM Challenges EVER - STEM Activities for Kids

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The Best STEM Challenges EVER - STEM Activities for Kids

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The Best STEM Challenges EVER - STEM Activities for Kids

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Our educators have worked to put together a list of our BEST STEM challenges EVER! Visit the posts to learn more about each of the challenges, or go directly to the shop now link to purchase the resource.

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Stages of Being a Maker Learner | User Generated Education

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Stages of Being a Maker Learner | User Generated Education

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It's never too early to build the skills of future DIYers

Getting tools into young hands early and often is the best way to develop DIY skills for kids. We asked pros who teach DIY to kids for their best advice for getting kids started with tools.

Tools for tykes

Real tools teach real responsibility. You can buy reasonably priced kid-size tools at home centers and online retailers, including amazon.com, red-toolbox.com and forsmallhands.com. Buy at least medium-quality tools. Cheap tools bend or break. The "Grip" nine-piece Children's Tool Kit shown here costs $35 and is available through our affiliation with amazon.com.

Cordless drivers

Though made for adults, the Skil iXO and Black & Decker L13100 cordless drivers are perfect for little hands. Prices start at about $30 at home centers and online.

Glue gun

A low-temp hot-glue gun is safer than higher-temp versions. The mini size is often called a "craft" glue gun and is perfect for smaller hands. Available at hobby shops, home centers and online retailers (about $7).

Hand drill

An eggbeater type of hand drill works easily without pinching little fingers. It works best when kids can drill into a piece of wood held in a vise. The Fiskars Craft Drill shown comes with four bits and costs $19 at amazon.com and forsmallhands.com.

Saw

A keyhole saw strengthens young kids' hands and is sized for better control. The Handy Saw Set shown comes with fine- and coarse-tooth blades and costs $7 at forsmallhands.com.

Learning to hammer

To a kid who's not quite ready to drive nails, nothing feels better than whap, crackle and pop. Supply a kid-size hammer or a rubber mallet. (Hearing protection is a good idea here. This gets LOUD.)

Driving screws

Start some screws in a scrap of drywall and let the kids screw them in with a screwdriver or a kid-size cordless screwdriver. Drywall is a lot easier to screw into than wood.

Using a wrench

Wrenches are great for beginning tool users. We sink different-size bolts into boards and then let children use wrenches to attach color-coordinated nuts.

Timothy Dahl

Sawing practice

Clamp some foam core to a workbench and let kids saw it into strips. Foam core is easier to saw through than wood, and a keyhole saw is perfect for small hands. You can buy foam core at craft, art and office supply stores.

Elisa Bernick, Associate Editor

Hammer practice

Start a bunch of roofing nails in a stump and let your young DIYers go to town. The kids will keep hammering until every last nail is flush. With their big heads and short shanks (the roofing nails, not the kids), they're easy to hit and hard to bend. And the end grain of a stump is easy to penetrate.

Books and Programs

Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem by Chris Monroe.

Chico Bon Bon the monkey uses special tools from his handy-dandy tool belt to fix a very large problem in the pipes. We LOVE this book!

Programs
Shop class used to be where many kids were introduced to DIY, but no more. There are some great regional programs and courses, however.

Check out:

Workbenches for kids

You don't like a work surface that's too high, low or wobbly, and neither do kids. You can buy child-size workbenches from school supply catalogs, but they're expensive. You can also cut down an existing workbench, or you can easily make one yourself.

The workbench top should be at least 2 x 4 ft. and stand 24 in. high for preschoolers and 27 in. high for elementary-age kids. An easy way to stabilize it is to add a lower shelf and pile on some bricks.

1. Always wear safety glasses.

2. Tie up long hair.

3. Wear closed-toe shoes.

Dissassemble and reassemble

"Put a screwdriver in your kid's hand and have them pull apart a broken gadget. If you want to make it more difficult, ask them to put it all back together just like it was."

Timothy Dahl

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It's never too early to build the skills of future DIYers Getting tools into young hands early and often is the best way to develop DIY skills for kids. We asked pros who teach DIY to kids for their best advice for getting kids started with tools. Real tools teach real responsibility.

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Curious about classroom Makerspaces? Here’s how to get started. | The Cornerstone

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Curious about classroom Makerspaces? Here’s how to get started. | The Cornerstone

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Makerspace is a rapidly growing trend in schools across the country, but to be honest, I've never implemented one myself, and I can't quite picture the logistics of orchestrating a Makerspace. How do kids know what to do? How can you find out what they're learning? How do you make time for that with all the other tasks crammed into the school day? And how do you keep the Makerspace from turning into a chaotic mess? I wanted to get answers to these questions from teachers who have extensive Makerspace experience, and not just at the secondary level. So, I invited Cheryl Nelson and Wendy Goldfein of Get Caught Engineering to share how they've managed Makerspaces in their own classrooms and helped other elementary and middle school teachers get started, too. Thank you, Cheryl and Wendy, for sharing your experiences below!
What exactly is a Maker and what happens in the "space"?

If you search a thesaurus for the word "make" you will find a plethora of great synonyms: create, cause, assemble, manufacture, achieve, invent, generate, produce, craft, build, construct, or generate. And that is exactly what happens in a Makerspace. It is truly an environment where one is only limited by one's imagination. It mixes all aspects of STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math-and sprinkles it with imagination for an exploration of "what if."

As we have integrated engineering lessons into our classrooms, we have watched as kids come up to us and asked, "Mrs. G, are there extra popsicles sticks? May I have them?" "Mrs. N, can I have this extra wire? Do you have any extra magnetic tape?"And when asked, "Why do you want these items?" the answer invariably was "I just would like to build something with it." The desire to gather "stuff" in order to "create things" became commonplace with our students.

With those experiences in mind, we started paying more attention to the Maker Movement and came to the conclusion that having a Maker Space in our classroom would be a perfect catalyst for developing problem solving skills with our students.

What materials do you use in a classroom Makerspace?

Although it would be really neat to have some of the more expensive tools that many Maker Spaces have, like 3-D printers and Little Bits Electrical Kits, we settled on creating a space that used simple items found around the house, classroom, and school, including recyclables and throw-a-ways.

Rather than have students just gather up a lot of materials to glue or tape together, we developed task cards that would provide brain push-ups and explore possible projects that interested them. Students chose something that interested them to work on. They were then allowed to draw a picture of what they imagined, build a prototype for their idea, or actually create and make a finished project.

The projects were widely varied: crocheting a hat for a cat; constructing a desk organizer; making a mock-up of a state-of-the-art lunch tray, and an alarm for treasure box. Some students wanted to create and some wanted to investigate. Taking apart old donated cell phones or toys was popular. All choices provided the students with problem solving opportunities.

How do students know what to build in the Makerspace?

As we developed our Makerspace center, we quickly realized that Makerspaces and children are a natural combination. Children are tinkerers. They enjoy taking things apart to see how they work and being challenged to put it back together. By providing an array of materials, they can create something unique that has never been seen before.

In a classroom Makerspace, students have the freedom to explore their own interests and to come up with their own projects that they would like to create. Given this freedom, students direct their own learning by delving into topics that they need to learn about to make their project successful:

Want to build an alarm? Time to review circuits and switches.

Want to create a small hat? Time to learn to sew or crochet.

It becomes a real-world inspired motivation to learn more and delve into research or track down primary source interviews from those "in the know."

How do I find the time for students to use a Makerspace?

We decided to keep things very simple in our classrooms and create a Maker's Space as a center. Students could pursue interests and begin a project of their own choosing. For those needing inspiration, these task cards with suggestions were provided.

The Maker Space is essentially open all day for students to continue their projects when regular classwork is completed. The Space is particularly busy on days when outdoor recess is impossible.

What do I need to get started with a Makerspace?

Beginning a Maker's space doesn't mean that you need to max out your or the school's credit card buying tons of materials. To begin with, stock the space with items that are typically found around the house or school - small and larger boxes, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, masking and duct tape, as well as liquid and stick glue.

Ask for donations from parents for other items such as wire, yarn, toothpicks, cups, recycled plastic containers. We have found that the best type of cardboard for ease of cutting are cereal boxes. Tools needed will include screw drivers (flat head and Philips head), pliers, and scissors. You may need to purchase items such as feathers, pipe cleaners, brads, and craft sticks, but don't hesitate to add those items to a donation request from businesses or parents.

If possible, try to include old toys or small electronics to be taken apart or help kids discover how things work. Broken toys can also be supplied for students to repair, furthering their knowledge of how things work.

How can I make sure students are learning and not just wasting supplies?

Good questions. Yes, thinking can be untidy, tinkering can generate clutter, and testing ideas can create a muddle. You do not want your Maker Space to just become a "Let's Make A Mess and Walk Away" Center. Planning ahead on your part and their part will alleviate headaches later.

To help control the consumption of supplies, we strongly suggest that students first create a detailed plan for their project. By having a detailed, labeled drawing and a list of projected materials provided to the teacher, wasted materials are reduced. This also ensures that the student has carefully thought out, researched, and planned the project.

How do I start a Makerspace in my classroom?

Ready to give it a try? Here's your Makerspace to-do list:

1. Select an area for your Makerspace. You want room for 3-4 students to work, and a display area for project ideas and a sturdy table.

2. Gather storage containers.We love to shop at hardware stores for ideas. (Did you know you can buy empty paint cans? Those are marvelous for storing various tools.) We also shop at the dollar store for assorted bins and baskets that are reasonably priced. Think carefully about where you will store extra supplies. There is nothing quite as exciting as receiving five huge trash bags of recycled items at 8:00 AM and having nowhere to put them except behind, in front, and on top of your desk!

And that reminds us...become VERY good friends with all of the custodians. They are the experts at helping you find locations to store extra items, as well as making sure that your "treasures that look like trash" don't get tossed out. (We know the favorite type of homemade cookies for every one on our custodial staff...just sayin'.)

1. Send out a donation letter for items you would like. Letters can not only go to parents and grandparents, but stores and associations and agencies, too. Really search your community for possible connections. We developed no fear in approaching anyone and everyone for items. (Did we mention the 1,000 ping pong balls, wooden spools and paint stirrers that a group donated and DELIVERED to us? Three years later, we are still making catapults with that amazing donation.) Here's a suggested donation list of STEM essentials.

2. Put donations away as soon as they come in. No excuses. Really. Trust us. We know two words: organized chaos!

3. Create a poster with rules for your center. Keep it simple. We suggest: "Plan. Persevere. Put Away." Hint: Make keeping the Makerspace organized one of your classroom jobs.

4. Create an Open and Closed sign as well as a sign up sheet for the Makerspace.

5. Hang an inventory list nearby so that the students can indicate when certain consumables are beginning to run low.

6. If possible, solicit adult volunteers to be the docents for the Makerspace. This will make your life easier, but is not necessary for a successful Maker Space.

7. Make a wish list for big items such as a 3-D printer or Makey-Makey kit and keep your eyes out for small grants that can help you obtain those items. Have a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" attitude and don't be afraid to give grants a try for things you would like to add. We regularly post small grant opportunities that are easy to write on our Get Caught Engineering Facebook page.

What Makerspace resources do you recommend?

Need inspiration and back up support for your plans? The Maker Movement has inspired lots of reference books to help justify the concept, design a space, and plan activities. Our favorites include:

The Art of Tinkering by Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich
Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff by Curt Gabrielson
Making Makers: Kids Tools and the Future of Innovation by AnnMarie Thomas
Making is Connecting by David Gauntlett
The Invent to Learn Guide to Fun by Josh Burker

In the mood to browse? Head to our Get Caught Engineering's Makers Space Pinterest Board.

It is our hope that Makerspaces become as central to a classroom as a reading corner or a math manipulative shelf. Flexible thinking, problem solving, collaboration are all 21 st century habits that a Makerspace can provide for you and your students. Providing an environment where students can create and dream of new ideas is the best way to instill those skills. And besides, as the famous creator and ultimate maker Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible!"
Together, Cheryl Nelson and Wendy Goldfein of Get Caught Engineering bring a total of 50 years of teaching experience in Kindergarten through seventh grade. They have taught gifted and special needs students as well as English Language Learners. Wendy and Cheryl have developed an integrated engineering curriculum encompassing grades K-7. Their blog and website provides free STEM resources and support ideas. Follow their Facebook and Pinterest pages for updates on grants, curriculum, and professional development opportunities. Questions for Cheryl and Wendy? Want to share your experiences or resources for Makerspaces? Please join the conversation in the comments below!

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Curious about classroom Makerspaces? Here's how to get started.

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Makerspace is a rapidly growing trend in schools across the country, but to be honest, I've never implemented one myself, and I can't quite picture the logistics of orchestrating a Makerspace. How do kids know what to do? How can you find out what they're learning?

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Math Art Idea: Make an Agamograph - Babble Dabble Do

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Math Art Idea: Make an Agamograph - Babble Dabble Do

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Have you ever heard the term Agamograph? No? Well how about Lenticular? Still scratching your head? Even if you haven't heard these technical terms before I'm 100% sure you have been amazed by them at some point in your life! Lenticulars are those amazing plastic covered images you see that morph as you pass by them. They are often sold as postcard or posters in novelty shops. Well today we are making our own DIY version, no lenses involved, just some drawing and simple paper folds and you've got yourself a simple lenticular style art piece!

So now that you have an idea of what a lenticular is what's an agamograph? Agamographs are the 3D style drawing projects we are making today, named after Israeli artist Yaakov Agam who makes giant scale version of these. His morphing designs are beautiful and incredible and I can't wait for you to learn more about him in our "Looks Like" section below.....

Sakura of America sponsored today's post. They compensated me for my time and effort in creating this tutorial for you but all opinions are entirely my own. And my opinion is that their products are nothing short of amazing! If you like to draw or paint with watercolors, they are your new best friend....you can see all their products here on their website.
A note before we start:
I created two different templates for this project and here's why.

TEMPLATE 1 is the easiest to make. You draw directly on the folded template. It's also a little more challenging to envision since you are drawing two different pictures separated into "slices." I recommend this template for designs that are not image driven, i.e. it's great for patterns and abstract drawings but not representational drawings. Use the tick marks to help you match points in the designs.

TEMPLATE 2 If you want to experiment with representational drawings OR a lenticular that morphs, for instance a smiley face that changes to a sad face use TEMPLATE 2. You will first be creating drawings then cutting them into strips and gluing them to the folded base. It does require some extra steps in the making process but is easier to visualize. It's important to note that you should print the picture template page on regular paper. It will be easier to fold once glued to the base if the paper is not rigid.

This post contains affiliate links to products I love and recommend to my readers.

Materials

Instructions

TEMPLATE 1
To Make:

Step One Draw a design in each of the "A" rows. Try to use repeating colors and patterns and utilize the tick marks to help plan your design.

Step Two Repeat step 1 with the "B" rows.

Step Three Cut along bold line.

Step Four Fold along the light lines in an accordion shape.

TEMPLATE 2
To View:

Step One Draw two different pictures, one in PICTURE TEMPLATE 1 and a different one in PICTURE TEMPLATE 2.

Step Two Cut out PICTURE TEMPLATES and BASE TEMPLATE along bold lines.

Step Three Cut PICTURE TEMPLATES into strips along dashed lines.

Step Four Fold BASE TEMPLATE along the light lines in an accordion shape.

Step Five Glue PICTURE TEMPLATE strips to the BASE TEMPLATE, matching the numbers and letters on the bottom of the strips to the corresponding letters and numbers on the base.

Step Six Re-crease the base as necessary once the picture strips are dry.

Place the agamograph on a flat surface and move your head from side to side while looking at it. Watch how the image you see changes based on your viewing angle.

Alternatively place the Agamograph on the table in front of you with the folds parallel to the table edge. Now flip the Agamograph and watch as the second design appears.

TIPS
A word about pens

Use the tick marks on template 1 to help you plan out your designs.

Print the base on cardstock. It will be more durable and rigid.

To fold the base crease along each light line then go back and reverse every other fold to create the accordion shape. This will ensure you are folding along the right lines.

Have fun with different patterns and color palettes.

I particularly loved using Gelly Roll Pens for this project because they have very fine tips, making it easy to stay within the lines of the template, and are very colorful. If you mix in some of the metallic or glitter pens (called Stardust Meteor Pens) your agamograph will sparkle and shine. It gives the patterns extra detail and dimension. We also used our Koi Brush Pens on this project for large areas of color.

Looks Like

Yaacov Agam If you like bold and colorful graphic style art then prepare to fall madly in love with Yaacov Agam. Agam's main focus is kinetic art in which the viewer's experience of the piece changes as they move around it. He has made quite a few large-scale lenticular type pieces, which is why the term agamograph was coined in his honor. How many artists can say they have an art term named after them? His work has been featured in retrospectives at Paris' Musée National d'Art Moderne and the Guggenheim Museum in New York and he is still alive and creating today at age 86. In 2014 he created a work called Faith- Visual Pray that was presented to the pope. You can see some samples of his brilliant work here.

Conclusion

Ready to make your own Agamograph? This is a wonderful math art project that introduces the concepts of angles and perspective.
And Sakura of America has their own amazing website with loads of project ideas for kids. You can see more of them here. SAKURA ART PROJECTS FOR KIDS Spread Creativity like wildfire: PIN THIS!
If you enjoyed this post hop, over and see some other projects we did using Sakura of America's art supplies:

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Math Art Idea: Make an Agamograph - Babble Dabble Do

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Have you ever heard the term Agamograph? No? Well how about Lenticular? Still scratching your head? Even if you haven't heard these technical terms before I'm 100% sure you have been amazed by them at some point in your life! Lenticulars are those amazing plastic covered images you see that morph as you pass by them.

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Math Craft Monday: Community Submissions (Plus How to Make an Orderly Tangle of Triangles) « Math Craft

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Math Craft Monday: Community Submissions (Plus How to Make an Orderly Tangle of Triangles) « Math Craft

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It's Monday, which means once again, it's time to highlight some of the recent community submissions posted to the Math Craft corkboard. I also thought that we'd try and create something known as an "Orderly Tangle" or "Polylink".

This week we had a few submissions based off the projects of the week: creating parabolic arcs from straight lines and creating concentric circles.

Watermelonlemon shared two incredibly detailed pieces:

Cerek Tunca extended the idea of drawing parabolic curves using straight lines by also connecting all of the lines that wouldn't cover over the curve.

Justin Meyers of Scrabble world posted several pictures of a translucent cube with curve stitching designs that was colored like a rubiks cube. There are several more pictures and an explanation of his thought process and how he accomplished it in his corkboard post.

We also had two submissions from Imatfaal Avidya. The first shows a beautiful octahedron based off Richard Sweeney's modular curved paper sculptures. A couple of pictures can be seen in his corkboard post.

The second submission is his recreation of Thomas Hull's Five Intersecting Tetrahedra. I hope that Imatfaal posts a How-To on this. It's a very beautiful, but very challenging model to make.

Five Intersecting Tetrahedra is a class of object that is sometimes called an Orderly Tangle or Polylink. It's made up of 5 polyhedra that are all woven together to make a single object that is rigid. Robert Lang has created several more of these in origami, and George Hart has a page discussing them. It's fun to use his program that you can download on the bottom of the page to try and find your own.

Someday we'll look at recreating a few of the origami models, but for now I thought we'd create the simplest polylink, the Orderly Tangle of 4 triangles.

Materials and Tools

Paper (I recommend thick cardstock)

Clear tape

Scissors or X-Acto knife

Download, Resize, Print and Cut Out the Template

Download the template. Print it out at the size you want. One easy way to make it smaller is to go into your printer settings and set it to print multiple pages on one sheet. I recommend printing it full size the first time you make it. Alternatively, you can make your own template by having an equilateral triangle with an equilateral triangle hole with sides half as long as the original triangle.

Use scissors or X-Acto knife to cut out the template.

Make a cut through each of the triangles on one side. Don't put it at the middle of the side or it will be harder to assemble the model.

Link Two of the Triangles Together

Link two of the triangles together and move the triangles so that the midpoint of one side is at the vertex of the triangular hole. The opposite sides should look the same. I recommend using a little tape to hold the triangles in place at this point.

Continue Linking Triangles

Now the puzzle begins. It's not exceptionally difficult, but considering it's only 4 pieces, it is more challenging than it looks.

You must link the triangles so that each triangle has another triangle side's midpoint in each of the vertexes of its triangular hole. This will also make it so that the midpoint of the side opposite this vertex is in the vertex of the triangular hole of the opposing triangle. It might help to think you are creating regular hexagrams or stars of David where each triangle is rotated with respect to the other.

Here are a few pictures showing the process.

Third triangle linked:

Fourth triangle linked (you will probably have to do a lot of bending and twisting to weave this one into its proper place):

Tape the triangles back together:

You can make them larger or smaller. Here's a picture showing them double-sized, regular-sized, half-sized and quarter-sized. Double-sized is floppy. You would probably want to make it out of thicker material. Half-sized works really well I think.

At one quarter the size, I think you could make some attractive earrings if you used some metallic coating for the paper. You might need to make them a little smaller.

Here's a full sized one with metallic origami paper glued to both sides of the card stock. Yet another Christmas ornament. My tree is going to be full this year.

Show Off Your Work

If you complete any of these or any of the Math Craft projects, please share with us by posting to the corkboard. Maybe you just have something cool that you made or saw on the web-you can share that, too!

If you like these types of projects, let me know in the comments. If you have any other ideas you would like to pursue, let me know in the forum.

Next post, we're going to create some geometric shapes using simple modular origami.

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Math Craft Monday: Community Submissions (Plus How to Make an Orderly Tangle of Triangles)

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It's Monday, which means once again, it's time to highlight some of the recent community submissions posted to the Math Craft corkboard. I also thought that we'd try and create something known as an "Orderly Tangle" or "Polylink". This week we had a few submissions based off the projects of the week: creating parabolic arcs from straight lines and creating concentric circles.

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Now you can build with LEGO® bricks using Google Maps as your baseplate. Imagine. Explore. Build online in Chrome.

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A Week of STEM activities!  | The Ardent Teacher

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A Week of STEM activities!  | The Ardent Teacher

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I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various STEM tasks that they took on:
STEM activity 1: Newspaper towers!
For these towers, the only prep work is collecting old newspapers and rolling them into dowels. It is a bit tedious; however, if you get students to help you before or after school, it's not so bad! I gave mine classroom tickets as a thank you (read more about my ticket reward system in this post).

The only supplies students were given were: 7 newspaper dowels and two feet of painters tape. They were told that their "tower" needed to be a free standing structure (not taped to the table and not being braced by binders, etc.) and they were only allowed to use the supplies they were given. I did allow them to trade materials; they could trade in an unused dowel for five additional inches of tape or vise verse.

Each group had approximately 35 minutes to complete their tower. What they came up with was impressive:

A few groups even drew up plans for their designs (awesome!)

Once completed, we had about 10 minutes left in class for their creations to be put to the test. Their height was measured as was their strength. The tallest stood 2.5 meters tall (it was pretty weak). The strongest held 10 weights (approximately 5 lbs), very impressive!

These were the weights I used to test strength of the towers:

Here is one of them being tested for strength. It wasn't our top "winner", but it did well!

STEM activity 2: Army Man Launcher!

For this activity, The setup was pretty simple-just buying the materials and getting them laid out. Students were given: one cup, one army man, one spoon, six Popsicle sticks, two rubber bands two feet of tape (they got the tape separately so it didn't tangle) and two feet of string. They did not have to use all of the materials, but they did need to use at least 2.

This is how I prepped all of the materials on my lab cart (normally, I just put out the materials and have them help themselves since it's less prep for me, but I had more time so I decided to do it this way):

Students came up with some amazing ideas and we all had an absolute blast testing them out!

After they field-tested their inventions, I took them outside and they lined up and launched all at the same time. The farthest of the day when over 20 feet! Very impressive!

STEM activity 3: Popsicle Bridges!

For this activity, the set-up was simple. I separated the students desks by 1 foot, gave each group 25 Popsicle sticks and 3 feet of tape. Their goal was to make the strongest and most aesthetically pleasing bridge across the great desk divide! (So, I guess because of the artistic component of this bridge, this challenge could be classified as STEAM rather than STEM). Some students initially grumbled about having to air their bridge nice looking; however, when I explained that this is a real issue addressed when bridges are built because people don't want to look at an eye-sore, they want bridges to be beautiful!

Super easy setup for this one! Here are my lovely bundles of sticks:

The students really rose to the challenge and came up with some amazing bridge designs:

To test the strength of each bridge, I used the same half pound weights I tested the towers with. The winners of the day were able to hold between 5 and 7 pounds! Outstanding!

STEM activity 4: Designing Life Jackets for Babies!

I adapted this idea from one of the NSTA magazines. My adaptation uses: one rubber band, one plastic baby and one small peice of pipe insulation per students (This activity is cheap! The tiny babies came from a dollar store and were with the baby shower decorations and the pipe insulator was only $1.79).

The idea for this activity is that students need to design a life jacket for a baby. The head must stay above water, no matter how it enters the water. In order to keep them from getting too silly with a water activity that involves miniature plastic babies, we discussed the importance of something like this and the need for safety. They took their task seriously, but still had fun with it!

This was definitely much more challenging than they realized it would be. They spent the entire 40 minutes given to them trying to make it work. Many got very frustrated but then celebrated excessively when they finally figured it out. Overall, I would say they had fun with this one. This was the first individual task they had all week and they rose to the challenge.
STEM activity #5: The Unsinkable Ship!
The prep for this activity was fairly minimal. Each student got a 6×6 inch square of aluminum foil and about a 2×2 inch square of cardboard. Their goal: built/design a boat that could hold the most amount of mass before sinking.

Overall, I was impressed by the focus and the variety of boats I saw. I was afraid by giving them cardboard I would see a lot of flat-bottom boats; however, this was not the case! Many of the boat designs varied greatly and they seemed interested in how theirs would stack up against the others.

This week of STEM activities was astonishing to me. Not only did the students have fun, but they were so focused for every activity. Normally, I give lab sheets that they fill out as they go to keep them focused (typically these handouts include data tables, graphing, analysis questions and full written conclusions). For these activities I did not give handouts and they were just as focused without them. For some kind of follow-through, I did have them write about what they learned in their daily warm-up (what worked, what did not work, what they would do differently next time). I would highly suggest trying something like this in your classroom-allow them to play by giving a challenge and they will rise to the occasion, all while having fun learning!

-The Ardent Teacher

Want to try this in your classroom but don't have the time to create the handouts? You can now purchase the entire week's handouts as a bundle in my TpT store! Check it out!

If you enjoyed reading this post, check out this other week long STEM project I did about the Crashworthiness of cars!

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I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various ...

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The Challenge

Design and build two catapults. Each catapult will undergo three different tests to determine accuracy and power.

I have tried several versions of this challenge with my middle school students, and I believe the most successful activity is to have students build two catapults. Working in teams, students brainstorm ideas, select the top two designs, and complete three tests to determine the winning design. Ensure students have a key design difference between the two such as a different base, launcher, or axle.

Set-up

The best way to set-up the activity is to show pictures and videos of various catapult designs. Discuss what are the basic features of a catapult. Great resources include: TeachEngineering, Science Behind Catapults, and Pumpkin Chunkin Video. I also encourage reviewing the engineering design process and stressing the importance of testing. I really like this PBS resource on using the engineering design process for STEM challenges.

Materials

To determine a materials list, I researched several ways to build a catapult as well as experimented at home. I decided to have the following available during the project:

Magazines/newspapers

Popsicle sticks (thick and thin)

Masking tape

Scissors

Plastic cups

Coke cans

Rubber bands (various sizes)

Soup cans

Plastic spoons

Bottle caps

You can make all materials available to students or incorporate budgeting by adding a price tag to each supply. I kept it simple by making all supplies available, and I did not have any issues. Once you introduce the various supplies, I found it important to give a couple of examples. I demonstrated how to make a simple coke and rubber band catapult and pointed out the main features. Encourage students to think outside the box with the supplies provided!

Testing Stations

Once students have built their catapults, it is time to launch! These three stations can be adapted to your space, but make sure students record results as they go.

Station 1 - Accuracy Cotton balls and a bowl make-up this station. The bowl will be in a set location (works well on the floor). Teams will have 2 test runs to determine launching distance. Then, from a set distance, students will launch their cotton balls. Record how many make it into the bowl out of 5 attempts.

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After years of STEM activities, including towers, bridges, race cars, and rockets, one my favorites is the classic catapult challenge! I believe it incorporates all aspects of a quality STEM activity: easy math connection, engineering design process, student-driven learning, and ha

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STEM Challenge: Build a Bedroom Model with LEGO Bricks – Line upon Line Learning

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STEM Challenge: Build a Bedroom Model with LEGO Bricks – Line upon Line Learning

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My son has struggled with area and perimeter so we decided to make it hands on. I gave Raisin a challenge this morning: find the area and perimeter of his bedroom. Further, I asked him to build a bedroom model to go along with his answer.

Then, I gave him a measuring tape and graphing paper and told him he could use LEGO bricks if he wanted. He was delighted to get to work in making a bedroom model, and was especially excited once I mentioned LEGO bricks!

First he measured all of the walls in his room. He measured twice to make sure he had it right. Then he marked his graph paper. We decided that each square would be half of a foot.

He decided, on his own, to add the furniture in to his room. He color coded each item of furniture on his graph paper map.

Then he got to work in making a LEGO model. He started with the walls.

Then he covered bits of our building block room's floor with the furniture he had measured.

At this point, Raisin decided we needed to make the furniture three dimensional! Afterall, he and his sister share a bunk bed. A bunk bed would be much more fun for mini-figs to play on!

Back upstairs to measure he went! He added a bunk bed, dresser, two bookshelves (very tall!), and even Strawberry's doll crib.

Strawberry was so excited to come home from preschool to play along with him. They played with LEGOs pretty much all afternoon.

We even made a stop motion video for you to enjoy. Here it is!

He may have though this was all for fun, but this was actually a learning tool. Here are the questions he had to answer after the fact.

What is the perimeter of your bedroom walls?

What is the area of your bedroom carpet?

What is the inside volume of your dresser? (pretend like the drawers do not take up space)

What is the total volume of the two bookshelves in your room? (pretend like the shelves do not take up space)

I love how the visualizing with the blocks made it possible for Raisin to better grasp the concepts of area, perimeter, and volume. I'll bet he'll ask for another STEM challenge next week!

See more STEM challenges at Left Brain Craft Brain!

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STEM Challenge: Build a Bedroom Model with LEGO Bricks - Line upon Line Learning

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My son has struggled with area and perimeter so we decided to make it hands on. I gave Raisin a challenge this morning: find the area and perimeter of his bedroom. Further, I asked him to build a bedroom model to go along with his answer.

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I am happy to welcome Sheila on my blog today with a guest post about Lego science. Sheila Rogers blogs about raising boys who love to learn at Brain Power Boy. She shares resources on activities for boys, LEGO, homeschool unit studies, the best books for boys, learning styles, and more. You can also find Sheila on Facebook and Pinterest.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon associate, and this post contains Amazon affiliate links. For full disclosure, please click here, and thank you for supporting my blog!
LEGO and science go together like peanut butter and jelly, or like Batman and Robin. They are the perfect match. I write about LEGO Learning and focus on fun resources for raising boys who love to learn. Natalie and I both like the learning aspects of LEGO and I thought of her site's science focus when putting together this post. LEGO is one of the very best creativity boosters that we own. I even like designing some LEGO builds when I have a few spare minutes. It is a very satisfying experience. Sometimes I enjoy finding a few things that we might not think about doing, like these wonderful LEGO Science ideas.

LEGO Learning: Science

1. Go on a LEGO Scavenger Hunt by freezing LEGO pieces in a baking soda and vinegar solution. Learn about a basic chemical reaction. Super fizzy fun.

2. Try a float/sink experiment by building a LEGO boat. You can use this post of inspiration. For older kids, encourage them to create boats in different shapes and sizes for testing.

3. Natalie has such a neat activity right here on her site: Rev up your engines and build a LEGO Egg Racer. I love this idea and can't wait to try it with my son.

4. We are big into catapults at my house. I sometimes need to peak into a room before walking through to make sure the coast is clear. Create your own LEGO catapult and learn a bit about mechanical engineering. We built the catapult with rubber bands and it is a winner.

5. How about a bit of science learning surrounding force, gravity and slopes? This LEGO Zip Line is perfect for it and so entertaining.

6. Last, but certainly not least, is the super awesome LEGO Rocket Powered Car. A chemical reaction forces the car to shoot forward 20 to almost 35 feet. Exciting!

I love that you can turn kids loose with LEGO knowing they are learning critical thinking, math concepts, construction techniques, and problem solving. Add some science to LEGO and the learning is expanded even more.

Gift Ideas for LEGO Scientists

More Lego Fun?

Try LEGO Activities from Brain Power Boy and check out my guest post on her site - Magic of Duplo.
From this blog:
Follow my Lego Pinterest board
Follow Natalie Planet Smarty Pants's board Lego on Pinterest.

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Your Turn

I hope you enjoyed these ideas. It was a pleasure to bring them to you. What is your favorite way to share LEGO learning with your kids?

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I am happy to welcome Sheila on my blog today with a guest post about Lego science. Sheila Rogers blogs about raising boys who love to learn at Brain Power Boy. She shares resources on activities for boys, LEGO, homeschool unit studies, the best books for boys, learning styles, and more.

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Teachers Are Terrific!: What's Going on in Science Class? Bucket Towers!

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Teachers Are Terrific!: What's Going on in Science Class? Bucket Towers!

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Okay, there is more of a back story to this one!

Last spring I asked if teachers could add some items to our school supply lists. I figured if some of the kids brought things I use often in the lab it would be very helpful. Now, I know I asked for pencils, but apparently, I also asked for straws.

Yep, that's a lot of straws. So, I started trying to invent things we could build using straws. And I thought about towers first- because we love to build towers. That's how the idea for the satellite dish tower was invented.

The Test Class

I use STEM challenges multiple times and after the second class, I usually have all the kinks worked out. My students LOVE it when I tell them they are the Test Class. They know this means that I have NO IDEA what is going to happen and we kind of make it up as we go.... I am serious. The test class will start to work on something and we have to stop frequently and talk about what is happening. We often add rules right in the middle of the task when we run into problems.

Here's the first kink in the Bucket Towers.

TAPE! I knew better, but just didn't think it through and gave each group a roll of tape. Take a look at the photo to the left.

Is this tower made of straws or tape?

Needless to say, we added a rule to the next class and limited the amount of tape being used.

The Bucket

Mind you, that is a spectacular structure and it held 200+ pennies when we tested it. But is it a bucket if it's attached to the structure? We had quite a discussion about this and decided the rule needed to be added that the bucket could not be restrained. (You can't tell in the photo but the straw through the bucket is attached to the structure's frame. It will turn over, but it does not swing freely.)

The String

Was the string provided only to use with the bucket?

What if you don't need all the string? Can it be used to help tie down the structure? Notice in the photo that the team used the string very cleverly to help hold up the tower. This is real-life, too! So, the string could be used in whatever way it was needed.

Conclusion

We LOVED Bucket Towers! This is a simple challenge that we repeat every year! Here's why:

It's super easy to put together!

Materials are inexpensive and things you probably already have.

Kids love it because it's just enough outside the box to allow a lot of creativity!

Every tower looks different and the kids love sharing their finished products.

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The Unique Bucket Tower Challenge - Teachers are Terrific

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Okay, there is more of a back story to this one! Last spring I asked if teachers could add some items to our school supply lists. I figured if some of the kids brought things I use often in the lab it would be very helpful.

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Two Easy STEM Tower Challenges! - STEM Activities for Kids

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Two Easy STEM Tower Challenges! - STEM Activities for Kids

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Need some quick and easy STEM challenges for your classroom? Tower challenges are great go-to STEM activities that promote problem solving, teamwork, and communication. You can create these challenges out of almost anything: index cards, playing cards, blocks, newspaper, or plastics cups. Here are two fun tower challenges that my middle school students love!
Balloon Tower Challenge
Kids love balloons! Your classroom will feel like a party when they get to work! The engineering mission is to build the tallest, freestanding tower using a bag of balloons and masking tape. Students must work together to blow up the balloons and find a way to hold them together for a tower. Remind students the importance of a sturdy base and time management. Projecting a timer for no more than 12 minutes will keep the students focused on building. At the end, walk around and measure the different heights while pointing out the differences in structures.
Pipecleaner Tower Challenge
The Pipecleaner Challenge is one of my favorite team-building icebreaker activities because of unexpected obstacles added during the building process. Plus all you need is 15 pipe cleaners per team of 2 - 4 students.

Pass out pipecleaners to each group and inform them that their engineering team has been assigned an important mission: to build the tallest, free-standing tower with only materials provided.

Allow students to begin working for a few minutes. Soon they will figure out that they need a strong base to hold the flimpsy pipecleaners, and that means it is time to add an unexpected twist!

Yell "FREEZE", and as students look up in surprise, inform teams that there has been an unexpected loss of resources in the company. Each team member must now place one arm behind their back and keep working! After some giggling, they will quickly learn that they have to work together to keep building. Give teams several minutes to struggle together, and then yell "FREEZE" again! As students groan, inform teams that their engineering manager realized the challenges with this loss in resources. To compensate, you are outsourcing some of the engineering work to {insert favorite county}. However, not everyone speaks the same language. Teams can use both arms, but must continue without speaking!

After a few more minutes (in silence), yell that business is booming, and translators have been hired. Teams have 2 minutes to complete the task! At the end of the time, walk around and measure tower heights and point out differences between designs.
Want more?
We have created a bundle of STEM Icebreaker activities that includes this Pipecleaner Challenge along with discussion questions, a teacher's guide, and more to implement this activity in your classroom! The bundle includes the Chair Challenge, another simple mini-STEM challenge to promote team-building using the engineering design process. We also added four STEM critical thinking activities to introduce students to scientific and engineering thinking through exploration of the world around them. We hope your students enjoy these activities!

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Two Easy STEM Tower Challenges! - STEM Activities for Kids

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Need some quick and easy STEM challenges for your classroom? Tower challenges are great go-to STEM activities that promote problem solving, teamwork, and communication. You can create these challenges out of almost anything: index cards, playing cards, blocks, newspaper, or plastics cups. Here are two fun tower challenges that my middle school students love!

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Science Experiments and Activities STEM for Kids

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Science Experiments and Activities STEM for Kids

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This is YOUR guide to STEM activities and science experiments all year round, STEM is a hot topic because it's everywhere! STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. You CAN make STEM activities exciting, educational, and inexpensive for young kids. Build a love for learning and a solid base for understanding key concepts later on.

Encourage experimenting, tinkering, building, observing, exploring, problem solving, and creating! Create curiosity. Create passion, Create an opportunity for kids to push the limits of what they can do.

Our science activities plus STEM challenges will help kids fall in love with the world of STEM. Check out our Holiday Themed Ideas too. You will also find our holiday STEM guides have printable STEM challenge cards too!
NEW STEM FOR THE SEASON! SPRING STEM ACTIVITIES
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Science experiments and activities and STEM challenges are awesome for young kids! These activities are visually stimulating, hands-on, and sensory rich for discovery and exploration!

My son is 8 and we started around 3 years of age with simple science experiments. Here's our very first experiment.

I like to work with what I have around the house. These activities and experiments are all parent friendly and quick to set up. However, they provide so many wonderful sensory experiences.They are also excellent for building language skills and social/emotional skills as you work together.
NEW! Homemade Science Kit for Kids NEW! How To Set Up A Home Science Lab for Kids
NEW! Printable Science Worksheets for Kids

OUR NEWEST RESOURCE! STEM Resources for better understanding STEM & STEAM

NEW! We will be featuring a monthly STEM calendar sent to subscribers a week before the end of the month! Make sure to subscribe here.

Click Here To Get Your FREE Printable Experiments

10 MOST POPULAR SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND STEM PROJECTS FOR KIDS TO TRY!

Homemade Slime Recipes

Popsicle Stick Catapult

Balloon Baking Soda Experiment

Seed Jar Science Activity

Balloon Baking Soda Science Activity

Skittles Science Activity
Sugar Water Density Rainbow HOLIDAY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS/STEM St Patrick's Day Thanksgiving Valentine's Day
EVEN MORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND STEM RESOURCES BELOW

SIMPLE CHEMISTRY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

SIMPLE PHYSICS IDEAS FOR KIDS

PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE
A Year Of STEM Activities and Challenges SLIME! It's one of our most popular and most awesome science activities yet!
What do STEM activities look like for early elementary age kids?

STEM isn't just about computer software and circuit boards. Check out the other side of STEM that even young kids can do!

What Is Stem? Read a little bit about STEM for kids to get started!

Want to understand a little bit more about this popular acronym? STEM is cool.
BASIC SLIME SCIENCE FOR KIDS
Learn a little bit about polymers, molecules, and cross linking! Slime is fascinating and so much more than something to play with! It's chemistry too.

Below you will find some great ideas for introducing STEM to kids as well as the current seasonal or holiday STEM ideas perfect for the moment. Click on the links above images to read more!

Terrific mix of science and engineering for kids to build whatever they can think of or the tallest tower possible! Fun ideas to try with both food and non food items.
STEM ON A BUDGET
Is STEM expensive? It doesn't have to be. EVERY kid should be able to do STEM.
PAPER BAG STEM IDEAS
Simple ideas for young kids and older kids too! Uses lots of basic supplies you already have!

Fun and simple ideas to introduce coding to kids with and without a computer!

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Science Experiments and STEM Activities for Kids

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This is YOUR guide to STEM activities and science experiments all year round, STEM is a hot topic because it's everywhere! STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. You CAN make STEM activities exciting, educational, and inexpensive for young kids. Build a love for learning and a solid base for understanding key concepts later on.

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Fabulous 5th Grade Fun: Protect a Peep - STEM Challenge

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Fabulous 5th Grade Fun: Protect a Peep - STEM Challenge

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Peeps! It's that time of year!
Sparkly-colored pure sugar, yumminess!
They are everywhere! What better item to use in our second to last GEMS (Girls Excelling in Mathematics and Science) after school club meeting?!!!

Smart Chicks has Peeps STEM activities! Her "Got Peeps" packet was perfect for our STEM challenge.

I didn't get any strange looks at the check out !

After looking through the 5 different types of Peeps challenges, I selected . . .

It's interesting when you are seen hauling in tons of Peeps, the stories you hear. Either people love them or . . . dislike them . . . immensely!

What's really interesting is how Peeps lovers have a story to tell about how they eat their Peeps!
For me, it's half a Peep and I'm good until next year.

Others . . .
~Eat half the box while shopping, pay for them and then ask the cashier to throw the rest away.
~ Stale!
~ Frozen!
~ Nuked in the microwave!

But, I digress! Back to the challenge . . .
The girls were super excited to take on the challenge of protecting their Peep!

I have to be honest, I was going to take a break from GEMS. It's challenging to come up with different activities twice a month, for 2 years, but after hearing this . . . GEMS must continue. How can it not?
It's all about the girls!

To all my little Peeps, GEMS will continue!

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Peeps! It's that time of year! Sparkly-colored pure sugar, yumminess! They are everywhere! What better item to use in our second to last GEMS (Girls Excelling in Mathematics and Science) after school club meeting?!!! Smart Chicks has Peeps STEM activities! Her "Got Peeps" packet was perfect for our STEM challenge.

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Learning with The Labs: professional development for all staff | Library as Incubator Project

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Learning with The Labs: professional development for all staff | Library as Incubator Project

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We've been documenting the evolution of The Labs at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh since 2012, when the project had just secured a pilot grant. It's all grown up now, and has grown up into a thoughtful and responsive makerspace model that adds real value to to the conversation. Check out the whole series on The Labs @ CLP. Enjoy! ~Erinn by Corey Wittig
It's rare in library land (at least in my experience) that new programs and services feel truly ready when the day comes for implementation. Usually, something (a strategic plan, a grant, or other factor) ends up dictating your timeline and, as a result, launch date comes and there's still much to be learned.

Perhaps it's just that I'm a perfectionist. Or, maybe, as the folks behind the Library as Incubator Project have shown us, this period of iteration, experimentation, and adjustment is necessary in order to design anything resembling an inclusive program or service that reflects the goals of a library and the needs of its users. In a very real way, maybe this period never truly ends.

This period of iteration, experimentation, and adjustment is necessary in order to design anything resembling an inclusive program or service that reflects the goals of a library and the needs of its users. In a very real way, maybe this period never truly ends.

It's not always the most comforting way to expand your service model, because you won't feel ready. Staff and patrons may be surprised or confused when sewing machines or 3D printers show up near the public PCs. But there is value in this approach. Turning the library into an incubator for new patron experiences makes total sense- incubation happens in stages and requires, above all else, patience.

Developing The Labs has required a lot of patience and many adjustments along the way. Some important goals we set for ourselves in the beginning, like training staff to be more comfortable with the digital and traditional creative tools we've dropped into three of our locations (and made available through programming kits), have had to take a back seat to program design and implementation.

Developing The Labs has required a lot of patience and many adjustments along the way.

As documented in earlier LAIP posts on The Labs, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has hired community artist mentors from the start to deliver programming and work alongside our Teen Specialists, but, outside of our three weekly locations, it's been difficult for mentors to find the time to work with staff, helping grow their capacity to work with digital media and other creative tools implemented in The Labs programming.

But Professional Development (PD) is crucial, so we had to find a way to make it happen. With the development of Learning with The Labs- CLP's professional development series for all interested staff-we have finally found a way to bring project-based learning experiences to staff and, as a result, we've been able to begin growing our internal capacity to engage in this type of experience with our users.

The idea behind Learning with The Labs is pretty simple: take an existing Labs workshop idea that could appeal to all age groups, advertise sessions in the weekly staff e-newsletter, pop up at different library locations around the system, and offer a one hour (9-10am, before the library opens) hands-on activity for staff.

The first series was Soldering 101 where staff learned how to handle a soldering iron and leaded solder by soldering to a PCB.

Next, we offered Portrait Photography where staff learned to use The Labs' DSLR cameras as well as the principals of photography and basics of composition.

And now I'm planning a series of 3D Design and Printing workshops.

Sessions begin with a short presentation ( like this Portrait Photography one) about The Labs program and the subject for the day's training before transitioning to a hands-on activity for the remainder of the hour.

There are many benefits to Learning with The Labs professional development sessions:

Staff gain new knowledge and skills using digital and traditional tools of "making"

Staff learn more about The Labs (which had been confined to teen staff and administrators up to this point)

By offering trainings at different locations the opportunity is available to branch staff who often don't have the flexibility to travel for PD at other libraries

Conversely, staff get to travel to other libraries they may have never visited before, allowing them to get to know the system better

Sessions are great team-building exercises allowing staff to meet and mix from all over the system

So far, programming has been very successful. Staff have been eager to learn and delighted when they finish something or take a good photo (just like teens). For me, it's been wonderful to see staff from lots of different branches and all levels of the organization take part. We have branch managers working alongside clerks and children's librarians. It's great.

Most importantly, Learning with The Labs is helping extricate The Labs from the teen silo it originally formed under, and it's serving a need we recognized from the start. Programming like this doesn't have the impact it could with teenagers and other users unless it's visible, and that means staff from all over the organization need to understand why we do it.

What better way to explain why than through showing them?
Want More? Corey Wittig is Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Digital Learning Librarian and program manager for The Labs @ CLP-the library's teen digital media lab initiative. Corey has worked at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh since graduating from The University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature in 2006. He spent four years in the innovative Teen Department at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main (Oakland) before graduating from Pitt's School of Information Science with a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. Since then, he's worked on designing and implementing The Labs, a system-wide network of four digital media labs, housed within four CLP locations and strategically located around the city of Pittsburgh. For his work designing The Labs, Corey was named an innovator and Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2012.

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Learning with The Labs: professional development for all staff

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We've been documenting the evolution of The Labs at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh since 2012, when the project had just secured a pilot grant. It's all grown up now, and has grown up into a thoughtful and responsive makerspace model that adds real value to to the conversation.

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STEM Resource for Primary Grades - More Than a Worksheet

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STEM Resource for Primary Grades - More Than a Worksheet

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Many teachers have asked about STEM resources for the primary grades, kindergarten, first, and second. Most of my experience is with grades 3-5. The little ones scare me a little bit 😉

But, I thought I would compile a collection of STEM and STEAM resources that can be used in the younger grades. I plan to update this list as a I come across new resources, so be sure to bookmark or pin it so you can come back to it!
Websites: Science Sparks
AMAZING resource! There are a ton of activities for the Prek-K through first crowd. Lots of pictures, too. I found many ideas for my own son. Definitely one of my favorite sites!
PBS Kids Science
There is a wealth of resources on the science section of the PBS Kids site. They have several science themed shows like Sid the Science Kid and The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That. They also have an entire section devoted to Curious George STEM! The Zoom Science section is also worth checking out, although some of the activities are for older students.
Blog Posts and Articles:
What does STEM Look Like in Preschool and What is STEM Anyway? by TeachPreschool.org

This article includes tips, examples, links, and pictures of STEM activities with younger students.

STEM Projects in Kindergarten by Heidisongs

Pictures and ideas of a cool STEM project with kinders.
Free TpT Resources:
Save Sam with STEM by Get Caught Engineering

You've probably seen the cute pics of this on Pinterest. Sam is a gummy worm, and his life preserver is, well, a Life Saver. Students must save him from drowing after his boat collapses.

STEM Activity Challenge Jumping Bugs by Science Demo Guy

Students will design a bug and then make it jump with an Alka Seltzer tablet in a film canister. Fun!

Gingerbread Trap by Science Chick

A cute engineering challenges where students design a trap to catch that wily gingerbread man.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus Engineering Challenge by Sarah Cachat

In this cute activity, students design a different vehicle for the pigeon in the story! They also write a letter to the author to tell him why the pigeon should drive their vehicle. Great ELA integration!

Ramp and Roll STEM Challenge by A Minute to STEM it

This is a simple but fun activity where students design a ramp and measure how far their object rolled off the ramp.

STEM Design Challenge My Most Magnificent Thing by Buzzing for Books

This is based on the book My Most Magnificent Thing, and students must design...a most magnificent thing! Requires students to think creatively!

Water Drops on Penny by Scienceisfun

This is a great introduction to the scientific process, and the included handouts look perfect for the little ones.
Other Notable Resources:
STEM Sprouts from Boston Children's Museum

This is an excellent .pdf file full of ideas for different science topics. There is a sample preschool teaching schedule, ideas on questioning, and STEM activity ideas. Great free resource!

Do you have any favorite STEM resources for the younger grades? Share in the comments below, and I can add them to this page!

Happy STEM-ing!

Sarah
Click here more more posts in my Summer STEM Series!

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STEM Resource for Primary Grades - More Than a Worksheet

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Many teachers have asked about STEM resources for the primary grades, kindergarten, first, and second. Most of my experience is with grades 3-5. The little ones scare me a little bit 😉 But, I thought I would compile a collection of STEM and STEAM resources that can be used in the younger grades.

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The Educators' Spin On It: STEM Activities for Kids

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The Educators' Spin On It: STEM Activities for Kids

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Are you able to easily find ways to incorporate science, technology, engineering and math at home for your child? Your guide to STEM activities for kids that can help you build a strong base for understanding these key concepts.
Here are tons of ideas for STEM at home with your child.
Our children have opportunities for STEM at school but there's so much more to be learned. Did you know that U.S. ranks 25th in math and 17th in science among industrialized nations according to the US Department of Education?

Funding and supporting our schools is a big step to these programs but let's be honest at home we have the ability to explore things so much more in depth with them at times too. Especially as you follow your child's own interests.

But where to start with STEM?

We're sharing 50 STEM Activities for Kids at Home! Go check out all of these resources to incorporate STEM into your home!
This post contains affiliate links
STEM Activities for Kids

These are our favorite stem ideas that we've done with our kids at home over the years. They are made to encourage your child to think and be creative as they begin to think like inventors. PLUS they use everyday items from around your home.

Need a solution for how to Storing STEM Activities . Start here
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Spring STEM Activities for Kids
Spangler Science Club offers amazing STEM experiments delivered to your door each month. Subscribers choose from three levels of membership that range from $9.99 to $29.99 per month.
Summer STEM Activities for Kids

Fall STEM Activities for Kids

Christmas STEM Activities

Winter STEM Activities

Outdoor STEM Activities for Kids
Grab 52 awesome STEAM Activities ebook for $14.99 Click for Recommendations for STEM Books for Kids
STEM Resources for Parents at Home

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Supporting STEM Activities at Home as a Parent

STEM needs to start to become a part of our homes each week throughout our child's education. Our children need to be confident and interested in science, technology, engineering and math to be potentially more successful as adults in their future jobs. Keep following along all year long as we share more STEM activities for kids.

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Are you able to easily find ways to incorporate science, technology, engineering and math at home for your child? Your guide to STEM activities for kids that can help you build a strong base for understanding these key concepts. Here are tons of ideas for STEM at home with your child.

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The Teacher Studio: Learning, Thinking, Creating: Engineering inquiry and cooperative group work

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The Teacher Studio: Learning, Thinking, Creating: Engineering inquiry and cooperative group work

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STEM Engineering activities in elementary school? Yes!

Today we tackled day 3 of school, I wanted my students to apply some of the concepts we have been talking about-mostly about helping each other and being receptive to help. I decided to design a little STEM engineering challenge that would require them to stick to a tight schedule, come up with a plan, try it out, cooperative, test their idea, then reflect on the process...all while relying on each other for help. As our district is moving toward the Next Generation Science Standards, this is a perfect "kick off". What engineering standards am I looking at?

What engineering design challenge did we tackle?

I wanted to create a task that was easy to prep, engaging for students, and had a high success rate.

I think I accomplished it!
What is the situation?
Help Harry.

When I first told my students that we needed to help Harry, they looked at me like I was crazy. (They will soon see that this is not an atypical situation in my room!) They started looking around quizzically and you could feel the excitement building. Finally, I caved. I introduced them to Harry.

Harry is a puffball (We have had 7 of them perched above our Smartboard and no one has said a word!) who needs a new "perch" so that he can see out over the class more safely. I told the students that I would give each team a bag of supplies and a schedule. I showed them their supplies (pipe cleaners, about 12 inches of tape, two muffin liners, a piece of aluminum foil, and two index cards) and told them to think about a nice safe place for Harry to hang out.

After 5 minutes of talking and planning without supplies, I set the timer for 15 minutes and watched the teams get to work.

I was SHOCKED at the wide range of strategies-and how much "re-engineering" took place so willingly! We will talk more about that tomorrow. We will discuss how important it is to try, test, revise, and test again. This is important whether it is in science, making predictions in reading, or elsewhere!

This group was SO excited about their plan and couldn't wait to see if Harry would be safe in his perch! (He was...so no worries)

I loved hearing the cheers echo across the room when the 15 minutes was over and I passed out the "Harries" to each team. Every single team was able to test, modify, and support a Harry!

Time to Evaluate our Engineering Challenges!

When the testing and celebrating was over, we took some time in teams to evaluate how we did in all the areas we had talked about before we started. I was pretty pleased to see how honest they were! This was a great way to kick off a year of self-assessment strategies. It was a great way to show my students that taking the time to reflect on learning and teamwork is so important.

It was a great discussion starter, collaboration-teaching, science skill-building half-hour of FUN! See what you think! Grab the freebie if you are interested and tweak the contents of the supply bag to be whatever you have on hand! This time, I used a piece of foil, about 12 pipe cleaners, 12 inches of masking tape, two cupcake liners, 2 index cards, and a popsicle stick. I considered using paper clips, a piece of yarn, a small paper cup, or a small paper plate. The task can be done using whatever you have! Want to try it yourself? Just click the image below or RIGHT HERE to take you to the freebie handout pictured above. Want to pin this for later?

Want this STEM FREEBIE with all the details? CLICK BELOW

Interested in a few more science posts?

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STEM Engineering activities, inquiry, and cooperative group work - The Teacher Studio

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Today we tackled day 3 of school, I wanted my students to apply some of the concepts we have been talking about-mostly about helping each other and being receptive to help.

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25 STEAM Projects for Kids - Babble Dabble Do

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25 STEAM Projects for Kids - Babble Dabble Do

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STEAM projects for kids are at the core of this blog. And it's not because STEAM is the latest educational trend, but because I personally believe in the power of cross-disciplinary learning.

If you are new to the idea of STEAM the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and started as simply STEM, without the A for Art. STEM and STEAM based learning has become a huge educational movement in the US in recent years. It began because of the noticeable lack of candidates entering the fields of engineering and science here in the US compared to other countries. Whether or not you agree with the focus on the disciplines highlighted by its acronym, the basic model of STEAM based education is to teach kids to bridge subjects and problem solve, and this is the aspect of it that has resonated with me.

As a designer, I have spent most of my education and career in "the studio," working on projects that require putting on both creative and analytical hats to solve problems. What I love about the design profession is the opportunity to look at a problem from many angles, test out different ideas, and ultimately decide on a solution. And that's what a STEAM based projects do. They teach kids to make connections between the subjects they are studying rather than explore them in isolation.

So if you are curious or interested in trying STEAM based projects with your kids, I rounded up 25 of my favorite cross-disciplinary projects right here. I hope these projects will introduce you and your children to the power of creative exploration and problem solving.

Now let's get making!

Cardboard City

A great group project made with make building tools

Even STEAM projects:

If you are looking to incorporate more STEAM ideas into your family's creative day check out our STEAM Kids Book

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STEAM projects for kids are at the core of this blog. And it's not because STEAM is the latest educational trend, but because I personally believe in the power of cross-disciplinary learning. If you are new to the idea of STEAM the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and started as simply STEM, without the A for Art.

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STEM to STEAM: Resources Toolkit | Edutopia

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STEM to STEAM: Resources Toolkit | Edutopia

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Whether you are looking for resources on integrating science, technology, engineering, and math or on infusing the arts to transform STEM into STEAM, these curated compilations will help you plan different approaches to integrated studies.

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Whether you are looking for resources on integrating science, technology, engineering, and math or on infusing the arts to transform STEM into STEAM, these curated compilations will help you plan different approaches to integrated studies.

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Rethinking the Library Media Center | K-12 Blueprint

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Rethinking the Library Media Center | K-12 Blueprint

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Four library media specialists share stories about transforming libraries into next-generation resource centers that students and teachers love to visit.

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10 Things Learned During the First Year at a Lower School Makerspace | Edutopia

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10 Things Learned During the First Year at a Lower School Makerspace | Edutopia

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In August of 2014, 'Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii opened their Lower School (kdg-6th grade) makerspace. The following are the "Top 10" things learned during the first year of the Lab's operation.
#10...The laser cutter is the workhorse of the Lab
If you can only buy one machine for a space like this, get a laser cutter. There wasn't a week that went by that the hum of the laser and the roar of the vent wasn't heard in the Lab. From kindergarten garden stakes, to 2nd graders making name tags, to 6th graders creating catapults, to gifts made for our retirees, our Epilog Mini vectored and rastored it's way through wood and cardboard.
#9...Look for and teach the "Teachable-Moment"
Are 2nd graders too young to create in 3D? Nope. We had two 2nd graders decide they wanted to make something on the 3D printer so with very little help, they did. More then once as a matter of fact.

First I had them draw a picture of what they wanted to make. Then we talked about how they would create it using standard shapes. After that, they made prototypes with playdough. Next, I set them up with 123D Design and told them to play around. Before I knew it, they were ready to print. One of them even learned how to use the 3D scanner to print something they made out of clay.

We also had a class of 2nd graders making pedestals for statues they created. Some of them wanted to make circles but had never used a compass. One mini-lesson later they knew about radius, diameter, and they were making circles everywhere.
#8...Kids love to make stuff
There is never enough time for a kid to complete a project in one class period. They love to make stuff and are so focused and on task. Seldom did a student come in one time, make something, and leave. They came in multiple recess periods or during study halls. And it doesn't matter what material they were using. We had kindergarteners making towers out of plastic straws, third graders making buttons for the business they created in their "mini-society" on the laser cutter, second graders building all sorts of things out of cardboard. If you put stuff out...they will build.
#7...Teachers have great ideas
During the first year of the Lab, I wasn't sure how the teachers were going to make use of the space. After a hands-on visit to the Lab during our professional development day in August, and a quick visit to the Lab with their class the first few weeks of school, our teachers got creative. Every grade made use of the Lab last year...some for multiple projects.

We also have teachers doing "making" projects in their classes for year. Our Kdg-3rd grade science teacher has her 3rd graders design and create spacecraft at the end of their space unit. This year we are going to encourage them to try to incorporate MakeyMakey's into their designs.
#6...Get out and learn from others
Before the Lab was even set up, I was sent off to some great learning experiences. "Design, Do, Discover" run by Castilleja School (CA), and "Constructing Modern Knowledge" held in Manchester, NH, were amazing. I would encourage anyone (classroom teacher, S.T.E.M. teacher, administrator) to attend both these. I got so many ideas and made some amazing contacts...the success of the first year of this Lab is in part to these two events.

This past fall I attended FabLearn 2015 and plan on going back there every year. It's an amazing conference held at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education. I also need to recommend getting out and seeing other Labs. You can learn so much from seeing what other spaces have done.
#5...You gotta have friends
The S.T.E.M./FabLab/MakerSpace world is still young and a fairly small community. The best networking group for me is "Resources for K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces (https://sites.google.com/site/k12makers/). This is an amazing collection of professionals posting, questioning, answering and sharing on any and every topic of interest to school Fab Labs and Makerspaces.
#4...Share what you know
As teachers, we sometimes stay to ourselves in our own classrooms and seldom share our ideas with anyone other then our grade level team. If you're part of "Maker Movement" in schools, that doesn't work. Since we opened our Lab over a year ago, we have had a constant stream of teachers, administrators and students from other schools come through our doors wanting to know what we are doing. I have also taken "The show on the road" and have been honored to present at the National Science Teachers Association S.T.E.M. Forum, FabLearn 2015, and various professional development sessions here on Oahu.

I know we don't have all the answers, but I have found that sharing our journey with others has been appreciated by everyone I have spoken to.
#3...F.A.I.L. is not a 4-letter word
"First Attempt In Learning" = F.A.I.L. I have a number of quotes on the door into the Lab. As the students enter in they can read them and it sets the tone for what's going to happen behind the door. Some of my favorites are:

"I have not failed 10,000 times...I've successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work." -- Thomas A. Edison

"I've heard tell that what you imagine sometimes comes true." -- Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." -- Sir Ken Robinson

"Imagination is more important the knowledge." -- Albert Einstein

"If we teach today's students like we taught yesterdays, we rob them of tomorrow." -- John Dewey

#2...Change happens

Since we began a year ago we have made some changes and additions to what goes on in the Lab. This past summer, we offered three different summer school classes. One was a 6 week, half day program to introduce 3rd-6th grade students to everything in the Lab (this class filled up in the first hour registration). The other two classes were 1 week, all day but we made them gender specific. We had boys week one, and girls week two. We ended up with our girls class filled with 14 ladies and our boys had 10.

Another change was to our schedule. The first year, I had 3 specific grades/topics to teach (kindergarten, first and fourth grades). This school year, the schedule for the Lab is wide open...teachers are encouraged to sign up for days and times that fit in with projects they have going on in their classrooms.

The last thing that changed for the 2015-2016 school year was that we are offering grade specific mini-sessions. Teachers will sign up for a 90min session on a topic specifically aimed to help their students better use the Lab during the year as they come up with project ideas. Based on the projects that each grade did this past year, these are the concepts we are offering:

2nd grade: Scratch Jr on the iPad

3rd grade: MaKey MaKey & Scratch

4th grade: Laser cutter & Inkscape

5th grade: 3D printer & 123D Design

6th grade: Circuits
#1...I am so blessed to be here
I know I said these 10 things were not in any order, but "The #1 thing learned from a first year S.T.E.M./FabLab/MakerSpace" is...'Iolani is a unique place. There are very few schools that I know of that are like it. The history, the tradition, the alumni, the parents, the kids, the staff and the administration are all amazing.

"Students take risks when teachers take risks. Teachers take risks when school leaders take risks." -- Brad Currie.

Iolani has taken a risk by investing in the maker movement in education. Not just at the Lower School but in our Upper School with the Sullivan Center for Innovation and Learning (take a look at this http://sullivan.iolani.org/). The support and encouragement that comes down from the "Top" is empowering. I am very blessed to be here.

I hope you find this posting helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please post them here.

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10 Things Learned During the First Year at a Lower School Makerspace | Edutopia

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In August of 2014, 'Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii opened their Lower School (kdg-6th grade) makerspace. The following are the "Top 10" things learned during the first year of the Lab's operation. #10...The laser cutter is the workhorse of the Lab If you can only buy one machine for a space like this, get a laser cutter.

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3 Key Qualities for a School Makerspace | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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3 Key Qualities for a School Makerspace | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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Over the past year I had the privilege of leading a team to create makerspaces in 15 high schools around the Bay Area. Our goal was to learn how to help educators create makerspaces in schools and use making in the classroom. DARPA, which funded our program, eventually wanted to take what we learned and create makerspaces in 1,000 schools. While our DARPA funding ended in December, we believed so strongly in the benefits of these spaces that we continued to support our pilot schools until the end of the year. This was particularly rewarding work.

Most of us have enjoyed watching someone's eyes light up at Maker Faire, but listening to a high schooler describe his or her first open-ended project was very powerful. What students get from making things in the classroom is an entire post by itself, but our teachers said students left these classrooms more confident and more engaged in their own learning. To help teachers understand how to teach making, we created professional development sessions on electricity and Arduino, sewing, woodworking, and cardboard automata. We created a library of Google hangouts on introductory projects, how to assess projects, fundraising, open-ended projects, how to design a makerspace, the role of competitions, how to structure the year and many other topics. We even took students to a lumberyard so they could get the materials to build workbenches.

Every space in our program was different. Some had amazing tools including laser cutters, 3D printers and milling machines and some had only hand tools. But we observed that they all seem to have a unique blend of process, people, and place to be successful.
Process
Making requires two sets of skills and the confidence to try something new. The first is simply tool skills - knowing which tool to use and how to use it safely. For a soldering iron, this is knowing which end is hot and how to apply the tip of the iron to the material. For a drill, it's knowing how to hold the drill and understanding not to place a finger over the point where the drill bit emerges (sometimes this is experiential learning). These skills can be easily demonstrated and taught.

The second set of skills can be thought of as diagnostic and problem-solving skills. These are the skills required to figure out why something won't work, come up with a creative solution and to manage one's emotions through the process. These skills probably can be taught, but they are typically learned through practice and coaching (a key skill for a teacher in a makerspace). But before kids even start a project, they need the confidence to even try. Some of the kids in our classrooms had never picked up a screwdriver before. Asking them to build an electric motor or design an object to be 3D printed is a recipe for failure - they don't have the confidence to believe that they can do it. A project that is too difficult can even damage emerging confidence. We found that the need to thoughtfully build skills and confidence led to a process involving three types of projects.

The first is what we call a level I project or a skill builder. This is a project with a defined process and a defined outcome solely to teach one or more skills. A good skill builder is the blinking light badge from the Maker Shed. The project simply teaches how to solder and to complete a circuit. A level II project has a defined outcome and uses skills learned from skill builders in an undefined process. It's in these level II projects that makers start to develop the diagnostic and problem solving skills. At Lighthouse Community Charter School, Aaron Vanderworth has his students create a chair. The dimensions of the chair (the outcome) are fixed in advance, but the students can use any process to create the chair. The beauty of this project is that it's very clear whether the chair works or not. At Piner High School in Santa Rosa, the students built every table and stool in their makerspace. The picture above is of an advanced level II project. Students were asked to create an electric motor from scratch. Finally, a level III project is an open-process, open-outcome project-essentially creating whatever the students want to create. At our most advanced schools, these are the capstone projects that come toward the end of the year after students have the skills and the confidence to embark on their own learning endeavors. The level III projects we saw included a Ranger pickup converted to run on electricity, a vest that changed color in time with music around it and a scratch-built guitar with a fret board with LEDs that changed according to the chord played. There were some amazing projects.
People
There is nothing more important in a makerspace then a dedicated teacher. I know that there's lots of conversation about flipped classrooms, blended learning and other ways of reducing the role of a teacher, but that will never happen in a makerspace. The teachers in our spaces had credentials in Spanish, math, physics, and science. Apart from the ability to tie making to classroom subjects, we found that being able to coach in two specific ways was far more important than any credential. First, a successful maker space teacher needs to be able to help students diagnose a problem so that they can create a solution. There is no way that any one teacher can be a subject matter expert in EV power systems, LED lighting, joinery, and every other topic that's going to be covered in a makerspace. The teaching process has to shift from transmitting knowledge to enabling a student to create his own solution. This is not always an easy shift for a teacher, but it is critical. Second, a makerspace teacher needs to be able to help students through the inevitable highs and lows of making something. Frequently, all that's needed for a teacher to understand how to coach is simply making something themselves. Teachers need to experience the thrill of getting that little LED to blink and the agony of feeling your own chair collapse underneath you. At our first professional development session, we asked every teacher in our program make a rolling tool cart. We estimated that it would take six hours and we were still at it 10 hours later. But every teacher left with an appreciation of the process.
Place
Finally, the space really matters. Note that I said the space matters, not a space filled with laser cutters, 3-D printers and the latest, and greatest equipment. Those tools are wonderful when students have the skills and confidence to appreciate them. But the magic can start with PVC pipe, glue guns, string, soda bottles, soldering irons, and other household supplies. The most important quality of a makerspace is that it encourages creativity. This can be done with a space full of hand tools, materials, and finished projects. The culture in a space should support the idea that anything is possible.

When kids enter a makerspace in a school, their frame of reference should shift from finding the right answer to asking the right question. One of the most amazing projects we saw was a group of three students who converted a Ranger pickup to run on electricity. They obviously learned a great deal about electric vehicles, but when I asked them to name the single biggest thing they learned, they all offered the same answer: "I didn't know that I could do that."

I often get asked why schools should include making and I can't come up with a better answer than theirs. The biggest lesson that this team learned was that they have the skills and now, the confidence, to take on a huge project and succeed. They know that they can figure it out. That's not just a skill for success in school. That's a skill for success in life. That's what making teaches.
Parker was the project director for the DARPA-funded MENTOR Makerspace program. He's built a Van's Aircraft RV-8, an RV-6 and is now focusing on treehouses, play structures and other things for two small Makers.

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3 Key Qualities for a School Makerspace | Make:

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Over the past year I had the privilege of leading a team to create makerspaces in 15 high schools around the Bay Area. Our goal was to learn how to help educators create makerspaces in schools and use making in the classroom.

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Learn Calligraphy for a Latté | The Postman's Knock

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Learn Calligraphy for a Latté | The Postman's Knock

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These carefully formulated printable worksheet sets and video courses will help you to master various TPK-original styles of modern lettering and calligraphy. I highly recommend beginning with the Beginner's Modern Calligraphy Online Course! It is a comprehensive course engineered to ensure your success with a dip pen.

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Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer | West Michigan Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographers in Michigan

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southern michigan lifestyle portrait & wedding photographer

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timeless joyful editorial wedding photographer

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Christmas is on its way here and I cannot wait! I must admit I am totally one of those people that start decorating for Christmas before it is even Thanksgiving

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PlanetJune by June Gilbank » Kusudama Flowers Tutorial

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PlanetJune by June Gilbank » Kusudama Flowers Tutorial

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Kusudama Flowers Tutorial

Japanese Kusudama balls are traditionally assembled from real flowers and herbs, and used as incense or pot pourri. A decorative paper version can be created by first folding origami flower petals and gluing them together into flowers, and then assembling 12 flowers into a decorative ball.

But these lovely paper flowers are so versatile and have many uses in addition to assembly into a kusudama ball:

Make a single kusudama flower, as shown here, as a lovely place setting, wedding favour, or buttonhole.

Add floral wire stems to the bottom of each flower and assemble them into a paper bouquet.

Glue 12 flowers together into a full kusudama ball to make a beautiful gift or stunning decor for parties and weddings.

(You may also recognise the Kusudama flower as the logo for the now-defunct papercraft site, Folding Trees, that I used to run with Eve Henley. With Eve's agreement, this tutorial is my updated and revised version of the kusudama tutorials she originally posted there.)
This tutorial is Donationware - the instructions are available for free, but if you like it please consider sending me a donation to show your appreciation:

Send me a donation and receive the easy-to-print PDF version of the tutorial as a thank you! It includes some additional info that you'll only find in the PDF version:
- Instructions and tips for adding stems and making a paper bouquet (pictured below)
- Step-by-step instructions for turning 12 flowers into a decorative floral ball (pictured below)

Donations of any size are much appreciated. Just add the amount you wish to donate, and, once you have checked out and paid, your PDF will instantly be available to download from your PlanetJune account.
Make your flowers into a paper bouquet and floral ball (instructions available for any size donation)
The complete instructions for the kusudama flower are available below, regardless of whether or not you choose to pay for them 🙂

This is a PlanetJune original tutorial. Please do not share or reproduce this tutorial; instead post a link to http://www.planetjune.com/kusudama

Kusudama Flower

You will need

5 squares of origami paper per flower (your choice of size; I like to use 2″ or 3″ squares)

White craft glue

Optional: glue spreader

Instructions
Note: As with all origami, this works best if you strongly crease each fold by running your thumbnail along each fold before moving on to the next step.
Step 1. Start with a square of origami paper. Fold it in half on the diagonal to form a triangle, with the coloured side facing out.

Step 2. Fold the left and right corners up to meet the top point and form a square.

Step 3. Fold the front points out so each outer edge lines up with the edge of the square.

Step 4. Unfold the last fold so the points meet at the top again, then open each side up into a pocket (below, left).Flatten each pocket out along the crease lines you just made, to form a kite shape (below, right).

Step 5. Fold the tip of each kite shape forward along the line of the edge of the paper, to form a triangle.

Step 6. Fold the lower edge of each side up along the existing crease.

Step 7. Add a thin layer of glue along one of the front flaps (shown in blue, below, left), then bend the petal so the front flaps meet and create a petal shape (below, right). Hold in place until the glue dries.

Step 8. Repeat Steps 1-7 four more times, to make a total of five petals.

Step 9. Add a thin layer of glue (shown in blue) along the edge of one side of a petal, then add another petal next to it, so they meet at the centre. Hold in place until the glue dries.

Step 10. Repeat Step 9 for the remaining petals, to complete a 5-petalled flower. (I find it easiest if I first make a two- and a three-petal piece as shown, then glue the two together).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please leave me a comment if you did, and consider leaving me a donation. (The PDF version that you'll get in return for any size donation also includes instructions for making your flowers into the bouquet and decorative ball.) Thanks!

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment here! I read and appreciate every comment. I only respond to questions here on the blog, so please return to this page to see my reply, or check the box below to subscribe to new comments by email.

Please note that I can only answer questions related to PlanetJune patterns and tutorials ( see details), and I can only respond to questions or comments written in English. Thank you :) - June

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Japanese Kusudama balls are traditionally assembled from real flowers and herbs, and used as incense or pot pourri. A decorative paper version can be created by first folding origami flower petals and gluing them together into flowers, and then assembling 12 flowers into a decorative ball.

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hello, Wonderful - 12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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hello, Wonderful - 12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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Do you have a little tinkerer at home who loves taking objects apart and putting them back? Or how about one interested in learning the how's and why's of how things work. These brilliant engineering projects will keep curious minds thinking about how things work. And to top it off, they each make a fun activity or toy to play with afterwards! Take a look at some cool objects you can make right at home with the kids - such as catapults, propeller cars, floating straw boats, water siphons and more.

Straw Boats (via Pink Stripey Socks) These colorful straw boats are fun for little ones to design and actually float! Plus they're easy to make with some basic materials you probably already have on hand.

Mini Robot (via Red Ted Art) This adorable little robot can move and wiggle and is a great way to get kids thinking about how circuitry works.

Propeller Car (via Instructables) Although basic in construction, this neat popsicle stick car is a lesson in how energy can be harvested to in turn, push the car forward.

Balloon Propeller (via All For The Boys) A simply constructed balloon propeller is a neat way to show how air can spin the balloon round and round in circles.

Airplane Launcher (via Frugal Fun 4 Boys) This easy paper airplane launcher is guaranteed to to keep the kids entertained for a good amount of time.

Paper Plate Magnet Maze (via Cakies) How fun is this. Teach kids how magnets attract each other with this simple and awesome paper plate maze game.

DIY Catapult (via Instructables) Catapults are classic objects that can teach kids some basic physics and engineering skills. Plus, they're just fun to fling things through the air.

Indoor Slingshot (via PBS Kids) With some basic paper tubes, you can make this super cool slingshot. And it's a safe and fun one for kids using marshmallows!

Egg Drop Challenge (via Buggy and Buddy) Do your kids know what it takes to drop an egg without breaking it? Get them excited to find out how by designing and building their very own egg drop contraption.

Balloon Candy Experiment (via Learn Play Imagine) How do you blow up a balloon using soda and candy? Find out how with this fun project (which is also a good way to use up leftover candy and keep them out of kids' hands).

Play Dough Circuitry (via Makezine) Take a kid favorite tool like play dough and show them how a bit of magic circuitry works to make a happy face light up!

Siphon Water Coaster (via Babble Dabble Do) Get the kids interested in how siphons and atmospheric pressure work with this inventive project that's part science and engineering focused.

Also see:

6 Ways Kids Can Play With 3D Printing (Now)

9 STEM Toys That Make Science Fun

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12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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Do you have a little tinkerer at home who loves taking objects apart and putting them back? Or how about one interested in learning the how's and why's of how things work. These brilliant engineering projects will keep curious minds thinking about how things work.

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Finding Starter Projects for New Makers (Part 1: Make & friends) | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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Finding Starter Projects for New Makers (Part 1: Make & friends) | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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Every fall we get a new crop of schools and teachers coming to us looking for ways to get started with making. We're developing more awesome Maker Media-made resources for you. In the meantime, over the next several posts we're going to share the resources our colleagues in the classroom use to get students started making.

To give credit where this is due, we gleaned the links in this post and the forthcoming ones with input from many colleagues, especially Stephanie Chang and Aaron Vanderwerff.

In today's post, we share the resources made by us at Maker Media. Don't forget to also check out what's happening at our non-profit sibling: the Maker Education Initiative.

Browse Make:Projects. We've seeded this DIY project-sharing site with projects straight from the pages of Make: magazine, and it has grown with many more submitted by our most creative readers. Every project we've suggested for Maker Camp is described online in Make:Projects. You can access step-by-step instructions and materials lists for hundreds of projects.Our tips for finding the simpler ones:

Some of the "Easy" projects should be do-able by new Makers and adaptable to challenge intermediate Makers.

The Wind Triggered Lantern, Soda Bottle Rocket, or Cigar Box Guitar provide easy starting points.

The Kids topic page includes both the projects that young people would build and those that kids would enjoy playing with.

Family Fun is a good page if you have a low kid-to-adult ratio in your class or club.

You might also want to check out the most popular projects.

Not all our projects have made it into Make:Projects. Our bloggers regularly post inspiring project ideas, and of course there's Make: magazine which our colleagues have carefully curated with great content, inspiring maker profiles, lab-tested projects, and regular features. Teacher Aaron Vanderwerff uses his library of Make: magazines to spark his students' brainstorming sessions. At 42 volumes and counting, now we have enough issues to cover even very large classrooms!A few places to start:

We recently piloted a set of five activities we called the Maker Faire Classroom Pack. Check out our one-page guides for Sculpted Circuits, Scribble Machines, Paper Circuits, LED Binder Clip Bling, and Light Up and Paint.

We had another amazing summer of Maker Camp, with nearly 500 affiliate organizations and thousands of campers participating in the 30 days of making. Did you know Maker Camp can also be used anytime as an online resource for your classroom? We have hundreds of project ideas with instructions, along with videos featuring awesome makers and epic field trips to places like the White House Kitchen Garden, Blue Man Group, Google's Self Driving Car Project, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Search projects and videos by week at makercamp.com, and check out the supporting materials for educators in the Maker Camp 2014 Affiliate Playbook. Visit us in the Maker Camp area at World Maker Faire, where our Maker Camp Counselors will be showing off their favorite Maker Camp 2014 projects and offering hands-on making.

Make: Television was a DIY series produced by Twin Cities Public TV. Each of the 10 half-hour episodes inspired millions to think, create, and, well, make. Make: premiered nationwide on Public Television stations and online at makezine.tv in January 2009. Check out the breakdown of shows, and the project pack or other supplementary materials

We know hundreds of teachers bring each new cohort of students to Maker Faire for project inspiration and an explosive day of learning. You too can transform Maker Faire into a learning lab. Thousands of other teachers have come to Maker Faire on their own to renew their passion for project-based learning and teaching. Read our fourth annual roundup of why educators love Maker Faire. This year, we also include their strategies for making the most out of this unique DIY professional development opportunity. Can't make it to New York City next weekend or to the Bay Area next spring? We have lots of live and archived video covering the event and there are over 130 community-organized events around the world that bring the spirit of the events we organize to cities everywhere.

The Makerspace Playbook (School Edition) is available for free download on makerspace.com. It emerged from two years of work with 16 high schools starting or running makerspaces. Along with Virginia-based teacher Adam Kemp's book The Makerspace Workbench, you'd have all you need to launch a space or class devoted to making. When we were working very closely with high school makerspaces, we also maintained a blog which has some good links and repots from teachers in the field.

The excellent report A Blueprint: Maker Programs for Youth came out of an NSF-funded workshop before World Maker Faire 2012. It includes a great chart at the end, with NYSCI list of 40 suggested projects starting on page 35. For more background material to support your case to start some kind of making program or makerspace at your school take a look at Proceedings from the "Innovation, Education, and the Maker Movement" Workshop.

Maker Shed features a wide variety of kits perfectly suited for classroom use. We also carry books like Curt Gabrielson's Tinkering, which contains high-interest content that ties into science standards without the rigidity of current classroom canon. Gabrielson draws on more than 20 years of experience doing hands-on science, most recently as part of the terrific group Community Science Workshops.

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Finding Starter Projects for New Makers (Part 1: Make & friends) | Make:

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Every fall we get a new crop of schools and teachers coming to us looking for ways to get started with making. We're developing more awesome Maker Media-made resources for you. In the meantime, over the next several posts we're going to share the resources our colleagues in the classroom use to get students started making.

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Designing Teaching and Learning Tools | Exploratorium

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Designing Teaching and Learning Tools | Exploratorium

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At the Exploratorium, designing tools for teaching and learning is something we do every day-almost all of our exhibits are created and tested here at the museum. The digital tools we create for teaching and learning allow us to push beyond our museum walls and connect with learners and educators everywhere.

From educational media to classroom activities, from a behind-the-scenes look at ideas we're tinkering with to the vast riches of our Explore section, our teaching tools support educators and provide hundreds of ways to play and learn. For all ages, in both formal and informal learning settings, these essential tools spark curiosity, exploration, and understanding.

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Tools for Teaching and Learning | Exploratorium

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At the Exploratorium, designing tools for teaching and learning is something we do every day-almost all of our exhibits are created and tested here at the museum. The digital tools we create for teaching and learning allow us to push beyond our museum walls and connect with learners and educators everywhere.

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Technovation Families - AI Education for Families

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Explore, play, and build with Artificial Intelligence as a family. Create AI-based solutions to problems in your community, together.

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There's a lot to be gained by exploring math concepts in a design setting, for both children and adults!

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Milk Jug Crafts for Kids - Crafts Made from Milk Jugs

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Abby the Librarian: Science Activity Packs: Balloon Rocket

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Abby the Librarian: Science Activity Packs: Balloon Rocket

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I've mentioned before that we're revamping our prizes for the Summer Reading Club this year. Part of that is providing a choice of Science Activity Packs when kids complete the Summer Reading Club. Science Activity Packs include supplies and instructions for a science activity that kids can do at home.

Our Balloon Rocket activity packs include:

1 balloon (purchased in bulk from Amazon, $12.97 for 144 balloons)

1 long piece of kite string (we had this already)

1 plastic straw (purchased at our local grocery for a couple of dollars, I think)

The only thing we don't include is a couple pieces of tape. And we include instructions.

Instructions:

1. Tie one end of the string to a chair, door knob, or other support.

2. Put the other end of the string through the straw.

3. Pull the string tight and tie it to another support in the room.

4. Blow up the balloon (but don't tie it.) Pinch the end of the balloon and tape the balloon to the straw as shown above. You're ready for launch. Let go and watch the rocket fly!

Source: http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/balloonrocket.php

The website includes some additional ideas for experimenting and explains how the science works.

Stay tuned for more Science Activity Packs in the coming weeks!
This year, we've revamped our Summer Reading Club prizes to get rid of cheap, plastic toys and encourage kids to keep exploring and learning after they're done with the SRC. Check out my post on revamping our Summer Reading Club prizes for a full list of Science Activity Pack ideas!

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I've mentioned before that we're revamping our prizes for the Summer Reading Club this year. Part of that is providing a choice of Science Activity Packs when kids complete the Summer Reading Club. Science Activity Packs include supplies and instructions for a science activity that kids can do at home.

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STEM-Works - Science, Technology, Math & Engineering Resources for Kids

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STEM-Works - Science, Technology, Math & Engineering Resources for Kids

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STEM-Works - Science, Technology, Math & Engineering Resources for Kids

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A resource for teachers, mentors, parents, STEM professionals and volunteers eager to help children learn about science, technology, engineering and math.

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EDUCATIONAL MAKERSPACES | Teacher Librarian

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EDUCATIONAL MAKERSPACES | Teacher Librarian

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Editor's Note: This article, reprinted from the June 2014 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, is a thoughtful and insightful examination of the philosophy and pedagogical underpinnings of the maker movement. The authors' analysis and argument are strong, and the benefits they tout are inspiring. The authors will follow up with two more articles on the maker movement which will be published in the next two issues of Teacher Librarian.

To download a PDF version of this article, click here.

Educational makerspaces (EM) and maker education (ME) have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach teaching and learning. The maker movement in education is built upon the foundation of constructionism, which is the philosophy of hands-on learning through building things. Constructionism, in turn, is the application of constructivist learning principles to a hands-on learning environment. Thus maker education is a branch of constructivist philosophy that views learning as a highly personal endeavor requiring the student, rather than the teacher, to initiate the learning process. In this philosophy of learning, teachers act as a guide for inquiry-based approaches to the development of knowledge and thinking processes. Upon reflection, it is natural to believe that the learner should initiate learning, as it is physically impossible for any teacher to mechanically rearrange and reinforce the physical neuronal pathways developed in the brain during the learning process.

In practical terms, educational makerspaces are the ideal environment for maker education. Thus it is necessary to explore maker education to properly understand educational makerspaces. In an ideal constructivist environment, the line between learner and instructor becomes blurred. For instance, consider a student experiencing a roadblock in designing a gear reducer. As the first student struggles in the design, another shares a solution he or she has used or is currently using. Then together the students work to overcome the obstacle; in this case one student is the classical "learner," while the other is the classical "teacher." Yet as the students collaborate to meet the challenge, they are both actively engaged in learning and teaching new concepts to each other. All the while the adult teacher observes from the outside, remaining out of the picture unless further rigor becomes necessary. The primary objective of the teacher in this case is to facilitate the acquisition of concepts by building a specific project. This is the ideal learning environment of an educational makerspace.

Makerspaces outside of the educational environment are adult playgrounds for thinking and whimsical construction. Learning may occur, but it is not the primary objective. Educational makerspaces, on the other hand, harness the same intellectual playground concept for the purpose of inspiring deeper learning through deep questioning. However, to preserve the true aspect of maker education, it is imperative that the process remain learner driven rather than teacher driven. In this case, the teacher is a master strategist considering the army of tools at their disposal-notice that the students are not the army; rather the tools are the army. The teacher then commands and arranges the tools in such a way that the enemy-ignorance and small thinking-is effectively banished and replaced with intense questioning, playful curiosity, and deeper thinking. In this approach the learners are being gently guided by the army of tools-the educational makerspace-to create their own learning for their own reasons. At any random moment, the makerspace may appear to be simply a chaotic melee of students, tools, and strange creations. However, in reality, it is a well-planned design to allow students discover the concepts the teacher intended them to learn all along.

The maker education approach to learning is highly individual yet lives within certain boundaries. It recognizes that no two students will learn the same concepts at the same rate. It even recognizes that some peripheral concepts may not be learned by all students. Yet students faced with a common challenge to design their own unique solutions will naturally come to some common understanding. This occurs because there are laws in the universe that we have found to be quite consistent: gravity, the speed of light, vector math, material science, and a host of others. These rigid boundaries do not bend, even for the most stubborn of students. No matter how hard a student wants the pen to float in mid-air, with the rules of physics, it is doomed to crash to the earth. However, the curious and innovative student may decide that the pen simply needs a little encouragement from a helium balloon or a catapult or quad copter. This type of innovation naturally arises from students being challenged to find a solution to a particular challenge.

The individuality within such an environment comes from the solutions that students create. While the laws of nature preclude certain solutions, there are thousands-if not millions-of workarounds in which the laws can be harnessed by innovative thinking. Thus one of the overriding themes in maker education is individuality. At some level, maker education is a grassroots reaction against one-size-fits-all education designed for mass warehouse-style instruction. Deep inside we know that we are each very unique, and we strain at the ropes of conformity that have been imposed by many aspects of modern education. The effective use of educational makerspaces form the basis for a new paradigm in education which is actually a remaking of former systems, such as the artisan system, in which a master or mentor took an understudy. In our technicolor society, we desperately need to move from the gray hues of our recent educational past to a panoply of vibrant colors and a desire for our students to experience the ecstasy of creating their own stunning masterpieces.

Curiously, the tools that are ushering in the maker education renaissance are so modern that many have still not heard of a 3D printer, used 3D design software, or programmed a mobile application to control their refrigerator. Yet these are the very possibilities educational makerspaces are bringing to the average school. It is precisely here that many institutions are balking because there is a feeling that bringing in such technology requires experts in order to teach it. However, this is not strictly true. Some expertise may be needed to use certain tools common in makerspaces, but in general, educational makerspaces do not need to be overly complicated or formidable.

Of all the aspects required in a makerspace, environment is at the very top of the list. No makerspace survives and thrives without a supportive environment. There is no amount of bright, shiny new technology that can take the place of inspiration, and inspiration is a direct result of the environment created by the space. A simple and relatively unadorned makerspace with an electric atmosphere of learning will invariably succeed where a fully instrumented, equipment-rich space lacking that same spirit is doomed to fail. Thus when considering the installation of a makerspace in school, it is crucial to first consider the environment necessary for success. The aspects of the environment can be broken down into three areas: the feel, the guiding principles, and the spacemakers.

The Feel of an Educational Makerspace

The feeling students perceive in the makerspace is of the utmost importance. For inquiry-based learning to occur, students must be attracted to the space and be inspired to use it. Attracting students to the space is the first big challenge. A makerspace without makers is just a workshop full of lonely tools. How does one attract students hungry to learn? Create an environment that inspires students with the principles highlighted below.

Invite curiosity. Students are naturally drawn to things that pique their curiosity. If you have ever watched young children, it is obvious that the power of curiosity is a deep motivator. Curiosity has the ability to reach deep into the soul and draw out the best and most engaging aspects of our personalities. A gentleman by the name of Sugata Mitra has done some fascinating studies in which he introduces a computer with Internet access to rural Indian villages for the purpose of studying the power of curiosity to motivate independent learning. His results are some of the most compelling evidence for the dynamic effects of curiosity on knowledge acquisition.

Thus one of the most important considerations in the educational makerspace environment is how to invite curiosity.

Inspire wonder. Closely linked to curiosity, wonder is a fast-fading ethic in our culture, yet the awe that comes from the unexplained is a very necessary component in connecting to curiosity. To illustrate this point, consider the last time you were truly awed by some technology or experience. It has likely been days, if not weeks, since a deep sense of transcendence has washed over us. We have been trained by our society to respond with, "Been there, done that," rather than, "Wow!! How did that happen?!" As a researcher, there is no more powerful ally in the search for truth than the wonder that gives rise to the deeply probing question, "Why does it work that way, as opposed to all the other possibilities?" A deep sense of wonder is poignantly missing in many learning environments, and finding ways to create it in an educational makerspace is a crucial ingredient for success.

Encourage playfulness . As educators of teenagers, we rarely consider learning in the very young. Yet in the space of time from birth to three years old, humans develop a complex sensory-motor feedback loop known as "balance," enabling them to walk and run. They develop an auditory library of phonemes and cadences that can be recognized in milliseconds and repeated back with variances to communicate intricate meaning, such as, "More juice please," which results in another human engaging the previously mentioned complex motor-sensory feedback loop to walk to the fridge, grab a bottle of juice, and pour the liquid into a cup without spilling any of it. They also learn to identify regularly appearing optical disturbances, focus them onto the retina of the eye, and interpret them using edge-recognition algorithms, color analysis, and pattern recognition. This level of feedback control loop complexity is currently not even found in the most sophisticated artificial intelligence developed by the military. Thousands if not tens of thousands of scientists have worked on these challenges for over fifty years and still cannot learn as much as a two-year-old who is learning by playing! Playfulness is an extremely important tool in the engagement of learning. Students who play will learn without even knowing it has happened. We may not yet thoroughly understand the power of play, but an effective educational makerspace will engage students through the medium of playfulness because it works.

Celebrate unique solutions. We are all familiar with the power of praise. Not all individuals are highly motivated by affirmation, but to the significant fraction who are, being recognized for a talent or creation is a powerful motivator. Even the individual who is not as highly motivated by being recognized typically appreciates that someone has noticed. Thus a makerspace will be much more likely to thrive in an environment where unique solutions and one-of-a-kind devices are noticed and put on display for all to see. To keep the excitement and confidence of students high, successful educational makerspaces will regularly recognize student contributions and achievements by displaying them, having show-and-tell sessions, or simply by saying, "I think you should go see Shauna. She has a couple of fantastic examples of how to do that!"

The Guiding Principles of an Educational Makerspace

While we should encourage students to explore their unique interests and pursuits, there are still some basic principles that are important to articulate by posting them and talking about them often.

It's OK to fail . In fact, we encourage what most of society calls "failure," because in reality, it is simply the first or second or third step toward success. No amazing innovation is created on the first try. Truly paradigm-shifting technologies and devices are the outgrowth of many iterations. Thus the path to success is paved with failures. There is a famous concept in business that to reach success more quickly, one must find ways to double their failure rate. Educational makerspaces must be failure tolerant, and it would be even better if exploration and productive failure were explicitly encouraged by signs, words, and responses to failure. Big ideas are built on the lessons learned from smaller failures!

Breaking things is not a cardinal sin . In light of the previous paragraph, a truly vibrant makerspace is likely to have the carcasses of broken things lying around. While it is a good idea to discourage indiscriminate destruction, sometimes the advancement of a truly brilliant idea may result in unintended damage. This is normally not fatal. Good training is important for expensive machinery, but consider the power of saying, "Oops! I suppose that was a bad idea. How do you think we can get this running again?" This type of proactive statement empowers a budding engineer or scientist to solve a bigger problem-the broken device-while garnering the confidence of a trusted adult. Contrast this with the words, "I can't believe you did that. You aren't allowed to use this anymore!" One statement encourages learning and growing, while the other has the capability of permanently shutting off a student's willingness to experiment, tinker, and make things. This single topic is much too large to cover in detail in the present article, but suffice it to say, mistake tolerance is critical. Educational makerspaces must be able to tolerate the occasional broken instrument by communicating that mistakes happen, but we fix them and move forward.

Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate! The best companies, engineers, and researchers in the world know the power of teams-today's science is not a solo sport. The challenges are simply too complex for any single individual to create the solution. Thus the only practical way forward is to collaborate with others. Then each member of the team works within their strengths to move the project forward. The same principles hold true in a makerspace. To encourage growth and collaboration, challenges beyond the natural ability of any single individual can be given. Then students can band together in groups to come up with creative solutions that they would never have invented individually. Thus within the framework of a makerspace, the typical mantra of, "Don't cheat from your neighbor," simply becomes irrelevant. Students are encouraged to share knowledge, help each other, and work in teams. The challenges presented should simply be too large for any single individual to solve on their own. Great educational makerspaces embrace the power of collaboration.

The Spacemakers

Every successful makerspace has individuals that start and manage the space. We are going to call them "spacemakers." Spacemakers, like every leader, will be likely to face challenges and obstacles. They must be resourceful, failure tolerant, collaborative, and always learning themselves. In short, they need to be able to live out the principles and ethics of the makerspace in front of the students. It is particularly important that questions be answered with another question-good old-fashioned Socratic wisdom. If spacemakers spout off answers too often, they become "experts," and students will not surpass their knowledge. In contrast, a spacemaker who asks questions need not feel threatened by not knowing the answer because unanswered questions are a sure sign that the makerspace is still serving its purpose. In fact, as students gain confidence, they will begin to be the experts, and the spacemaker can then help them become mentors. This recursive process will ensure lasting success and inquiry by even the most timid of newbies.

In effect, the spacemaker becomes what Liz Wiseman calls a "multiplier." Multipliers bring together groups and are able to extract the fullest potential of individuals. They do this by recognizing talent, liberating potential, challenging others to grow, encouraging productive debates, and investing resources into the space and the makers. These individuals do not feel the need to be the experts but stand on the side to alternately cheer and challenge the makers. Make no mistake, individuals who aspire to starting or managing an educational makerspace must be leaders who practice the philosophy of the multiplier, but if followed, this philosophy will help to create a thriving educational makerspace.

Many concepts of maker education and educational makerspaces have been briefly touched on in this article, but there are three main take-away lessons: (1) maker education inspires deeper learning, (2) educational makerspaces are based on student ownership of their learning, and (3) it is not necessary to be a technical expert to start a makerspace in your school or library. We could review those concepts here, but instead let's summarize some of the benefits of maker education spaces. Maker education fosters curiosity, tinkering, and iterative learning, which in turn leads to better thinking through better questioning. This learning environment fosters enthusiasm for learning, student confidence, and natural collaboration. Ultimately, the outcome of maker education and educational makerspaces leads to determination, independent and creative problem solving, and an authentic preparation for the real world by simulating real-world challenges. In short, an educational makerspace is less of a classroom and more of a motivational speech without words.

Mitra, S., Dangwal, R., Chatterjee, S., Jha, S., Bisht, R., & Kapur, P. Acquisition of computing literacy on shared public computers: Children and the "hole in the wall." Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 21, 407-426. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves

Gopnik, A. How babies think. Scientific American, 303, 76-81. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik_what_do_babies_think

Oech, R., & Willett, G. (2008). A whack on the side of the head: How you can be more creative (rev. & updated ed.). New York: Grand Central.

Cameron, J. (2002). The artist's way: A spiritual path to higher creativity (10th anniversary ed.). New York: Tarcher/Putnam.

Rath, T. (2007). Strengths finder 2.0. New York: Gallup.

Wiseman, L., & McKeown, G. (2010). Multipliers: How the best leaders make everyone smarter. New York: HarperBusiness.

R. Steven Kurti is the chief maker at Table Top Inventing(http://www.ttinvent.com). He has been building and making things professionally since his PhD research at Case Western Reserve University. His goal is to inspire a new generation of makers to find their passion and proactively change their world. Steve can be reached at answers@ttinvent.com.

Debby L. Kurti completed an MA in educational technology from Pepperdine University. She focuses on fostering communities of practice among students and educators. Her philosophy of teaching is that learning is not about transmitting knowledge but rather showing the power of ideas. She can be reached at answers@ttinvent.com.

Laura Fleming has been an educator in the state of New Jersey for sixteen years. She has been both a classroom teacher and media specialist in grades K-8 and currently serves as a library media specialist for ninth through twelfth grade in New Milford, NJ. Her goal is to create learning experiences that empower and equip students with necessary skills to effectively produce and consume content across multiple media platforms. She can be reached at larfleming@yahoo.com; her website is http://www.worlds-of-learning.com.

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Editor's Note: This article, reprinted from the June 2014 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, is a thoughtful and insightful examination of the philosophy and pedagogical underpinnings of the maker movement. The authors' analysis and argument are strong, and the benefits they tout are inspiring.

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STEM curriculum for K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

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Engineering Adventures Curriculum Units | Engineering is Elementary

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Engineering Adventures Curriculum Units | Engineering is Elementary

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Engineering Adventures Curriculum Units | Engineering is Elementary

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Choose from ten units with fun, hands-on engineering design challenges based on real events around the world

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Elementary and Middle School Lesson Plans, The Engineering Place (K-20 Outreach), NC State University

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Elementary and Middle School Lesson Plans, The Engineering Place (K-20 Outreach), NC State University

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The Engineering Place Activities Fall 2014

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The Engineering Place Activities Fall 2014

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DIY Reusable Rice Heat Packs - Wellness Mama

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DIY Reusable Rice Heat Packs - Wellness Mama

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I've mentioned in the past that we don't use microwaves, but I do make one exception.

We make homemade reusable rice heat packs are easily heated in the microwave. Most of my concerns about microwaves (especially that they make food taste terrible) don't matter for something we aren't eating, so I don't mind using it for this purpose.

Natural Heating Pads

Before I had kids, I used an electric heating blanket. Once I conceived my first child, I noticed that the warning label cautioned against use while pregnant and also carried warnings of the potential for burns, electric shock and fires.

I wanted to find a natural alternative, and in college, I often used this hot/cold pack that could be heated in a microwave or put in the freezer.

That one finally bit the dust after college, but thankfully, my mom figured out a homemade version that we've been using ever since.

Her homemade rice heat pack is super-simple to make and works wonderfully. Just a couple minutes in the microwave and they stay warm for almost an hour.

How We Use These

I now have a couple of these and all of my children have one that they made with my mom. We use them all the time, but some of my favorite uses have been:

In labor: I had terrible back labor with my last birth because she decided to arrive breech. The only thing that got me through the excruciating positions needed to get her out safely were these heat packs on my back. They were amazing.

Cold nights: Once upon a time not that long ago, we lived in a poorly insulated apartment with three kids, including a preemie. It got really cold at night and no amount of running the heater (despite the $400 electric bills) got it warm in that apartment. We would heat these up each night and place them in our children's beds under the sheets (but below their feet) to keep them warm while they were falling asleep.

Cold and Flu: In the unfortunate event of a cold or flu, these are wonderful for keeping warm and easing the achy muscles. (These are the other things we do if illness strikes to speed recovery)

Great sleep: Years ago, I started sleeping with an ice pack on my head. I found that it improved my sleep quality. These rice packs are great to put in the freezer and use for that to improve sleep.

Reusable Hand Warmers: I'll be posting a separate tutorial for these, but lately, I've made little miniature heat pads with felt and fleece to heat up and use as hand warmers (if we ever get cold enough to need them this year!)

Rice Pack Supplies

One 5-pound bag of white rice (might not all be used)

A 12-inch square piece of material. I've used cotton, old sheets or pillow cases, or flannel (see other variations below)

Thread

A sewing machine or a needle

Rice Pack Instructions

1. Fold the material in half with right sides together and sew two of the sides so that three sides are closed and one smaller end is left open. In other words, if it is folded, sew the bottom and the long side so that it becomes a tube that is roughly 12 inches by six inches with one six inch side open.

2. Turn inside out so that the rough ends are hidden.

3. Fill the tube with rice until it is about 2/3 full.

4. Fold the remaining side in so that the rough ends are hidden and sew closed.

To use: Heat in the microwave on high for 60 seconds or until desired temperature.

Simple Variations

There are some great tutorials online for making a really nice looking rice heat pack. This is one of my favorites. I make nicer looking ones like that for gifts, but for regular home use, these are easier:

Use an old knee-high sock- just fill with rice and sew or tie the end.

Use an old pillow case: Just cut in half. Use the side with the bottom seam and fill with a couple of cups of rice. Sew a line all the way across to create a sealed tube, then repeat with another couple of cups of rice. Repeat until the entire thing is full and seam the end to create a finished rice pack with several tubes full of rice.

Create a simple sleeve with a piece of square material: Fold in half and sew up two of the sides, leaving a thinner end open. Fill with rice and sew the remaining side to seal.

Ever made your own heating pad before?

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DIY Reusable Rice Heat Packs | Wellness Mama

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I've mentioned in the past that we don't use microwaves, but I do make one exception. We make homemade reusable rice heat packs are easily heated in the microwave. Most of my concerns about microwaves (especially that they make food taste terrible) don't matter for something we aren't eating, so I don't mind using it for this purpose.

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Falling into Fall with Studio DIY • this heart of mine

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Falling into Fall with Studio DIY • this heart of mine

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Introduction: How to Weave on a Cardboard Loom

Weaving on a cardboard loom is really fun and super easy to do. I originally did this in school - my mom still has some of the stuff I made. I was the weaving master. :D

In this instructable I'll teach how how to make a cardboard loom and weave on it. It's a great activity for long car rides, waiting at the doctor's office, or classroom arts and crafts. Weaving on a cardboard loom is also great for people of all ages - you can make lots of modifications to make it suitable for folks of all skill levels. You can do quite a bit with a simple cardboard loom.

So come on, let's learn how to weave on a cardboard loom and be the envy of elementary school children everywhere! :D

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Step 1: What You'll Need:

yarn

scissors

large plastic or metal needles

cardboard

a ruler

The yarn, scissors and needles can be changed as necessary to suit the age of the person you're going to be doing the weaving with.
Young children and those with poor motor skills will benefit by using very large plastic needles and thick yarn as it will be easier to handle. Advanced crafters/weavers can use finer needles and yarn. :)

I'm using Lion Brand Yarn bonbon yarn for this - it's really fine so it makes the finished weaving look really nice. :D

Step 2: Make Your Loom

You can really make this any size you want! With this project, I figured I'd make a coaster size weaving. I'm using a piece of cardboard 5x5 inches.

Draw a line 1/2 inch in on every side of the loom. These will be your guides and will make holding it a little easier.

Now, you'll draw the lines for the notches! In most cases you want these to be 1/4 inch apart. However, you can make them as big as you want. The wider they are the easier the weaving will be. :)

Start at the 1/2 inch line, and make marks every 1/4 inch (or your chosen width) all the way across the top and the bottom of the loom.

Cut on the marks, stopping at the 1/2 line you've drawn.

Step 3: Stringing the Loom

Choose a thinner, smooth yarn for this part.

With the marked side of the loom facing up, thread a bit of yarn into the first notch on the upper left side. There should be a tail of a few inches on the back side of the loom. Tape this to the back of the loom.

Carry the thread down to the bottom left notch on the loom and pull it into that notch. Bring the thread back over to the front by bringing it up through the notch directly to the right of the leftmost bottom notch.

Continue doing this all the way across the loom - the pictures will explain this better. The front side of the loom with have yarn going from notch to notch, the back side of the loom will just be small segments of yarn looped around the notches. Leave a tail of the end of the yarn and also tape that to the back of the loom. :)

Step 4: Weaving!

Now for the fun part!

Cut a length of yarn (shorter is easier to work with at first - no more than 2 feet) and thread the yarn through the needle. I like to make a knot so that it stays in the needle - it has a tendency to fall out if you don't.

You'll be using the needle to guide the yarn through the loom in an under-over pattern. (Under the first string, over the second, under the next, etc.) Once the needle has passed through all of the strings, pull the yarn through and leave a tail of a few inches at the end. Push the yarn up on the loom so that it's about 1/4 inch away from the notches.

Bring the needle and yarn back through the loom from the side you just exited using an over-under pattern that's the opposite of your first line and pull the yarn through. (If your first line of yarn goes under the last string to the right, it needs to go over the last string to begin the second row.) Just don't pull too hard on the yarn - you don't want to warp the strings on the loom!

Push the second line of yarn up to meet the first.

Step 5: Continue + Introducing New Yarn Once You Run Out

Continue each row, alternating the over-under pattern, making sure not to pull the yarn too tight.

Every few rows, it's a good idea to use your thumbs to push the yarn up the strings so that it looks nice and uniform.

When you get to the end of a color, take it to one edge of the loom and leave a tail of a few inches hanging off to the side. You can either cut a length of yarn that is the same color or introduce a new color.

Take your new length of yarn, and insert it into the same side where your ending tail is. You'll be following the same over-under rules as before. So if the tail of the yarn ended going under the last string, you'll start your new yarn going over it. Pull your yarn through and make sure to leave a tail at the end.

Continue weaving as usual. :)

I've included a few photos of introducing the new lengths of yarn - I think they explain it better than words!

Step 6: General Weaving Tips

They are five major things you can do to make weaving a bit easier:

1. Tie your yarn to the needle. Otherwise it will slip out quite often because you're gonna be pulling the yarn through the strings on the loom like you mean business.

2. Use your fingers to hold the last string on the loom while pulling the yarn through. This is prevent you from pulling the yarn too tightly and warping the strings. If you don't leave the yarn a little loose on the left and right strings on the loom, it can warp your work. It won't lie flat when you're done and it might not turn out the shape you intended.

3. Use short lengths of yarn. Going all gung ho and using lengths of sting that are several feet long will more often than not create lots of knots. I do it anyway, but don't say I didn't warn you. :D

4. Use your fingers to push your work up quite often. This makes the finished weaving look much cleaner and you'll be able to get more rows of yarn on your loom this way.

5. Leave at least 1/4 inch of empty space at the top and bottom of your work. It'll make finishing your weaving much easier. :)

Step 7: Tucking in All the Loose Ends

So you've filled up your loom, but now you've got lots of crazy yarn ends everywhere. We're going to use the needle to tuck these ends down into the sides of the weaving.

The pictures illustrate this very well, but here's a breakdown of how it works:

1. Thread the end of the yarn through the needle.

2. Insert the needle into the side of the weaving, on the outside edge of the string.

3. Pull the needle through the edge of the weaving

4. Pull the yarn through, pull it tight, and cut off the end.

5. Use your fingers to rub the edges of the weaving and make things look nice and neat.

Try to pull the ends of yarn through weaving of the same color. It'll help disguise the ends. :)

Step 8: Taking It Off the Loom.

Remove the tape from the long strings on the back of the loom. Release the top loops first, and then the bottom. Hold the weaving near the top, and pull up on the top loops.

You want to pull the string through the weaving, so that the bottom loops are brought up to be flush with the bottom of the weaving, and the top loops gain extra length.

Once the weaving is scooted down to the very bottom of the strings, you can cut the top loops in the middle and tie those off.

We'll take care of the long strings in the next step. :)

Step 9: Finishing It Up!

After tying off the loops, you'll still have two long strings to take care of. We're going to deal with them like we did with the loose ends in step seven.

The only difference here is that you will want to bring the string over the first row of the weaving and then push it through the side. By looping it over the top row of the weaving, you keep the string from getting pulled completely out of the weaving. You kinda have to anchor it in there. :)

And now you're done! Enjoy your coaster, placemat, loincloth, pin cushion or other completely awesome thing you've just woven. :D

Let me know if you have any questions or comments below.
Especially if you have suggestions on easier ways to finish the weaving!

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

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Weaving on a cardboard loom is really fun and super easy to do. I originally did this in school - my mom still has some of the stuff I made. I was the weaving master. :D In this instructable I'll teach how how to make a cardboard loom and weave on it.

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FETCH! . Science Activities . Pinball Wizard | PBS KIDS

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FETCH! . Science Activities . Pinball Wizard | PBS KIDS

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By Cheryl Trowbridge

Tunnel books are fun and unique! We made ours using a post card for a prompt and wrote a haiku to go with it. I've made these with grade 4 and up, but younger students could enjoy this activity in "centers", with the help of parent volunteers, or by having the various parts prepped for them ahead of time.

There are lots of different directions you could take this project. We added a pocket on the back for holding a written story that we added later. For a convenient pdf of this lesson, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

Materials (per student):

1 - 4×6 post card (a single, horizontal scene from nature is best for traditional Japanese haiku)

*4 - 4×6 index cards (white)

*4 - 4×6 index cards (white), each pre-cut into two 3"x4" pieces

(3 extra 4×6 index cards, white, if you want to add a pocket in the back)

1 - 3×5 index card, cut to 2 ½"x4 ½" (a color other than white if possible, to use as a template for tracing the opening)

scissors

glue stick

pencil and eraser

lined paper for writing haiku

black UF Sharpie

colored pencils

(*Each "page" of your tunnel book will require two - 4×6 cards. These instructions are for the four "page" book shown.)

3. Pass out post cards and have students write a nature-themed haiku to go with their postcard. The first line (5 syllables) introduces their subject, the 2nd line (7 syllables) continues describing it, and the 3rd line (5 syllables) completes the idea. 6. Cut away the center section of each page, cutting around any elements that extend into the middle. 7. Assemble your tunnel book, Directions: Haiku:
1. Begin by reading a few haiku poems to your students, so they get the feel for the structure of the verse. Choose haiku that focus on nature as a theme, as you find in traditional Japanese haiku. Explain that a haiku does not need to rhyme. Titles are optional.
2. Show how each of the 3 lines has a specific number of syllables (5,7,5). Practice by clapping out the syllables in the haiku you just read.
Tunnel Book: (A "What Am I?" haiku is fun for kids.... the student uses the haiku to describe something in the picture without naming it, somewhat like a riddle.)
1. First, make the hinged sides of your book by folding each of your 3"x4" index cards accordion style: fold in half lengthwise ("mountain fold"), then fold each loose edge up ("valley fold") to line up with the fold in the middle.
2. Next, put a little glue along the inside edge of two of your hinges, and place them on the left and right sides of the back of your post card. Repeat this step for each 4×6 card.
3. Then, center your 2 ½" x 4 ½" card on each of the 4×6 cards and trace around it. These will be your pages and your "cover".
4. Write one line of your haiku across the top of each of 3 cards, and your title (if you want one) across the other. Trace with Sharpie.
5. Now, illustrate each page of your book by choosing elements from the post card and repeating them on the edges of each page. Keep most of your design along the top, bottom and sides, but allow some elements to overlap into the center section. (Remember that objects closer to you will appear larger than those farther away. Outline your drawing with Sharpie and color with colored pencils.)
)
Optional pocket:
8. Use one of your extra 4×6 cards to make a pair of hinges, like you did in step 1, above.(By pinching the middle of each page, without creasing to the edges, you can snip into the center to create an opening for your scissors.
9. Glue the hinges to the front of a 4×6 card.
working from the back (line 3 of your haiku) to the front, gluing the back of each hinged page to the hinges behind it. 10. Fold the last 4×6 card in half width-wise and glue one half to the front of the 4×6 card.
Glue the other half to the back of your postcard.
11. Finally, glue the front of the hinges to the back of the post card to complete your pocket. 12. Now, write a story, fold it up, and put it in the pocket!

Filed Under: Tagged With: Bookmaking, bookmaking, colored pencil Colored Pencil, Drawing, Lessons

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Tunnel books are fun and unique! We made ours using a post card for a prompt and wrote a haiku to go with it. I've made these with grade 4 and up, but younger students could enjoy this activity in "centers", with the help of parent volunteers, or by having the various parts prepped for ...

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DESIGN SQUAD . Parents & Educators | PBS KIDS GO!

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DESIGN SQUAD . Parents & Educators | PBS KIDS GO!

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Color-Coded Clean Up: Organizing Your Makerspace | Making in School

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Color-Coded Clean Up: Organizing Your Makerspace | Making in School

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DESIGN SQUAD NATION . Build | PBS KIDS GO!

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DESIGN SQUAD NATION . Build | PBS KIDS GO!

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Hands-on engineering activities featuring easy-to-find materials and step-by-step instructions. Try an activity and upload a photo of what you’ve built.

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The Automata Blog: Download plans for ramp-walking wooden robot!

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The Automata Blog: Download plans for ramp-walking wooden robot!

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Exclusive: The Automata / Automaton Blog is pleased to present this set of free mechanical toy plans for a ramp-walking wooden robot!

Roberto Lou Ma previously shared plans for making a ramp walking rhinoceros. He has once again graciously supplied us with a set of instructions and images, this time showing how to make a ramp-walking wooden robot like the one in the video above.

Click on each of the images below for full-sized plans and patterns. Download these to your computer or print them directly from your browser window (being sure that they are at full size).

Step 1 - Introduction to Walking Robot Project

Step 2 - Parts list for Walking Robot

Step 3 - Exploded Diagram of Walking Robot

Step 4 - Components Photograph

Step 5 - Making the Robot's Feet

Step 6 - Assembly Sequence for Robot

Step 7 - Variations on the Robot Theme

Many thanks to Roberto Lou Ma for this excellent set of mechanical toy plans! Check out more cool creations by Roberto Lou Ma on his YouTube channel.

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The Automata Blog: Download plans for ramp-walking wooden robot!

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Exclusive: The Automata / Automaton Blog is pleased to present this set of free mechanical toy plans for a ramp-walking wooden robot! Roberto Lou Ma previously shared plans for making a ramp walking rhinoceros. He has once again graciously supplied us with a set of instructions and images, this time showing how to make a ramp-walking wooden robot like the one in the video above.

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The Automata Blog: Free plans for a ramp-walking wooden rhino toy

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The Automata Blog: Free plans for a ramp-walking wooden rhino toy

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Exclusive: The Automata / Automaton Blog is please to present this set of wooden toy plans!

Retired civil engineer, cartoonist, automata & toy maker Roberto Lou Ma (creator of the ramp-walking robot figure) has been so generous as to create and share this set of instructions on how to make a ramp-walking rhinoceros. The figure uses geometric figures and straight cuts, so it should be fairly easy for everyone to make.

Click on each of the images below for full-sized plans and patterns. Download these to your computer or print them directly from your browser window (being sure that they are at full size).

Step 1: Intro to the wooden rhino ramp walker toy

Step 2: Patterns for rhino ramp walker toy

Here are the rhino toy patterns in PDF format, which will allow you to print them out at full size.

Step 3: Assembly instructions for the rhino ramp walker

Step 4: Hinge and glue details for the ramp walker

Step 5: Making the ramp for the rhino to walk upon

Thanks to Roberto Lou Ma for the wonderful set of mechanical toy plans!

Check out more cool creations by Roberto Lou Ma on his YouTube channel.

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The Automata Blog: Free plans for a ramp-walking wooden rhino toy

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Exclusive: The Automata / Automaton Blog is please to present this set of wooden toy plans! Retired civil engineer, cartoonist, automata & toy maker Roberto Lou Ma (creator of the ramp-walking robot figure) has been so generous as to create and share this set of instructions on how to make a ramp-walking rhinoceros.

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Wobblebots Walk Without Motors or Electronics | Make:

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Wobblebots Walk Without Motors or Electronics | Make:

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In the 1960s, the ramp walking toy was everywhere. While it was before my time, I've heard that they even gave them away in cereal boxes. You could place these toys on a slight incline, and they would wobble their way down, one step at a time. Powered only by gravity, these novelties seem fairly simple at first glance, but their motion and ability to balance have been the subject of academic studies in the past.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJLH5GYyVhY]

For quite a while, the common view was that animals maintained the balance necessary for walking primarily through neurological control, but researchers have found that the physical structure of the legs are at least as important. When you examine the motion of bipedal walking, you'll likely notice that legs behave sort of like pendulums, swinging back and forth. Ramp walking toys do a very simple version of the same thing, swinging one "foot" forward, shifting their weight, and then swinging the other foot forward.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOPED7I5Lac]

In the 1980s, roboticist Tad McGeer noticed this pendulum-like action and began research on what is now called "passive dynamic walking." What resulted from his research was a new way to look at bipedal robotics. Since then, passive dynamic walking approaches in robotics have become fairly common, and have been seen on ramps and even treadmills. The robots, these toys, and humans all walk with a remarkably similarly gait, in a very efficient and stable manner.

Science aside, the toys that inspired these robots are actually pretty old, originating sometime in the late 1800s. They're a great exercise in simple woodworking, and are a suitable weekend project for kids and adults alike. If you'd like to make your own, download and print the plans for the rhino or robot toys (designed by Roberto Lou Ma) provided for free on the the Automata Blog. Who knows, it may be your first step into building amazing new bipedal robots!

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Wobblebots Walk Without Motors or Electronics | Make:

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In the 1960s, the ramp walking toy was everywhere. While it was before my time, I've heard that they even gave them away in cereal boxes. You could place these toys on a slight incline, and they would wobble their way down, one step at a time.

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Classic NES Games In 3D Paper Dioramas | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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Classic NES Games In 3D Paper Dioramas | Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers

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All gamers have a favorite game. Maybe that game was actually amazing on its own merit, and maybe the nostalgia that is laced within your memories is enough to elevate it to grandiosity.

Alain Wildgen wanted to pay homage to a retro game in his own way. About a year ago, he created the first level of Super Mario Brothers. He says that this first one, made from foam and paper, took roughly 20 to 30 hours.

He has refined his process since then. The workflow he now follows is fairly strait forward:

1. Decide which game to feature

2. Search for good graphics to use, typically from Spriter's Resource or VGmaps

3. Load the image into Gimp and clean it up or stitch together multiple images

4. Print on Din3 or Din4 paper

5. Cut each layer with a scalpel

6. Cut pieces of foam rubber to create the different elevations

7. Paste it together

He has been doing this for a little over a year now and has created 18 dioramas. These are all for his personal collection and are not for sale. He does upload his files for others to be able to assemble on their own. Typically he posts links to the downloads on his facebook page, like the Zelda map he shared recently, which you can download here.

Alain says he has a whole list of projects just waiting to be done, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Day of the Tentacle, Megaman, and the Illusion of Time. If you want to follow along and see what he comes up with next, you an follow him on Tumblr as well as his Facebook page

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Classic NES Games In 3D Paper Dioramas | Make:

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All gamers have a favorite game. Maybe that game was actually amazing on its own merit, and maybe the nostalgia that is laced within your memories is enough to elevate it to grandiosity. Alain Wildgen wanted to pay homage to a retro game in his own way.

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Design Your Own Cardboard Pinball Machine | Make:

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Design Your Own Cardboard Pinball Machine | Make:

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If we're being honest, there are only two classes of dioramas that get made in school: embarrassingly bad; and the too-perfect dioramas secretly made by parents. The great equalizer between these two types of dioramas is that they're both equally boring.

Do you know what's exciting? Pinball!

Combine the two and you have the PinBox 3000, a flat-packed cardboard kit that allows you to assemble and design your own desktop pinball machine. The system is geared towards pinball nerds like myself, but even more so, targeting students and educators looking for a way to add some excitement to school projects.

Make:'s founder and Executive Chairman Dale Dougherty had a chance to catch up with PinBox 3000 creator Ben T. Matchstick at the 2015 National Maker Faire in June. In their conversation (shown below) Ben describes the story behind the PinBox 3000 and future plans to sell custom playfields as accessories.

But what I love most about the Pinbox is its use of everyday items: rubber bands, cardboard, marbles, to create any game design you can imagine. As a confessed pinhead, I can't wait to get my hands on this thing and build my own little dream machine.

The PinBox 3000 is currently fundraising on Kickstarter. The core system sells for $50, a small price to pay for a kickass diorama.

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Design Your Own Cardboard Pinball Machine | Make:

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If we're being honest, there are only two classes of dioramas that get made in school: embarrassingly bad; and the too-perfect dioramas secretly made by parents. The great equalizer between these two types of dioramas is that they're both equally boring. Do you know what's exciting? Pinball!

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Two days ago I felt really bored and after thinking a bit I thought why not make myself one of those cool pinball machines that are there at videogame centers...so then I started searching for materials and after a lot of searcch these are the materials I used :

So I made the frame of the pinball machine from cardboard by just making a small cardboard box sort of thing!
And then to make the launching mechanism that will launch I used a chopstick and cut it in half and then glues 2 pieces of cardboard on the top and bottom and then just put a spring in the center and as you press the top the spring will get pressed as it will be attached to cardboard and that will make the launcher launch the ball once pulled back!

The flippers were the easiest as all I had to do was to make sure they were moving around a pivot and then use elastic bands to make the spring back action once hit!

Then I added a rotator wheel and two bumpers and a triangle supporter and some tracks!
The mission of this game was to make sure that you go on the track and finish it without dying in less than 5:00 mins!
I passed the lower mission....the lower track once but never passed the higher track... :(
My friend on the other hand is really good with this so he passed the lower mission 4 times and the higher mission twice!
We both played for 10 turns....

Chopsticks really came in handy to make the frames for the rotator, the triangle, the bumpers, the tracks support and even the launcher! I thought of using BBQ ssticks for supports but they were just too weak!

Here is a video of it in action! The video was made before I added the duct tape decoration so it doesn't look as good as the pictures in the video....

Enjoy watching the pictures!

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Two days ago I felt really bored and after thinking a bit I thought why not make myself one of those cool pinball machines that are there at videogame centers...so then I started searching for materials and after a lot of searcch these are the materials I used : So I made the frame of the pinball machine from cardboard by just making a small cardboard box sort of thing!

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How to Make a Pop up Book: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

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How to Make a Pop up Book: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

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Pop-up elements add an exciting new dimension to any book (sure wish textbooks had them). If you are looking for a craft to make for a young child you know (or anyone!), you can create your own pop-up book rather simply. All you need is a...

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Step 1:
Click on the link to download the .pdf template for the pop-up Frankenstein:
Frankenstein Template
Step 2:
Print out both pages from the template onto heavy paper, such as card stock or construction paper.

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Step 1: Click on the link to download the .pdf template for the pop-up Frankenstein: Frankenstein Template Step 2: Print out both pages from the template onto heavy paper, such as card stock or construction paper.

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Pop-Up Cards | Mechanisms & Templates for Free | DIY Instructions for Beginners

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Pop-Up Cards | Mechanisms & Templates for Free | DIY Instructions for Beginners

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A handmade greetings card is always a thoughtful gesture, but a handmade pop-up one is extra impressive! There are many different techniques to use, including kirigami (a mix of paper cutting and origami) and simple strips which hold parts of a 'scene.'

Below, you will find lots of inspiration as well as the best video how-tos and free templates that I have found online. I've also included a list of the different types of pop-up mechanisms you can use.

I hope you like the page and I hope it inspires you to give this craft a go :)

As a beginner to pop-ups, the V-fold and box fold techniques are likely to be the ones you will be using most:

are very versatile and are where a V shape pops up when the card is open. They can be cut and folded directly into the main piece of card, or they can be created by adding an additional section of card for the pop-up shape. (It might help if you view an animation of a V-fold.) To create a more advanced effect, you can even add V-folds on top of other V-folds for more layering, and you can also create a V-fold lifter which produces an impressive floating effect. An asymmetrical V-fold pivot is another impressive effect which produces a side-to-side movement.

Box Folds (also called interval stands or layers): By contrast, these are created using parallel horizontal or vertical fold in order to produce 3D box shapes rather than making use of V shaped angles. You can leave these boxes as is, or glue other shapes onto them. They can be created by cutting directly into the folded card first, as explained here and here, or the boxes can be made with additional pop-up card sections onto the folded base card. Of course, if you cut the boxes directly into the folded card, you will be able to see through the gap in the card unless you add a backing.

Combining the Two: For more advanced techniques, you can also build extra boxes onto other boxes to create more and more layers, or you could build boxes onto V-folds and V-folds onto boxes!

The box (or step) technique is the first thing to learn as a beginner, as you will see this technique used in many cards, both simple and advanced. It is an important mechanism to know.

The diagram below shows a single sheet of paper which has been cut and folded to create three different box shapes:

1. The solid black vertical lines are where you cut through the paper with scissors or a craft knife.

2. The red lines are valley folds, which are easier to do if you use something pointy (but not sharp enough to go through paper) such as a bone folder to score a horizontal line where you intend to fold. Scoring the paper makes it easier to achieve a sharp, straight fold.

3. The blue lines are hill folds and are created last, along with the 'fold line.' Fold the piece of paper/card along the fold line whilst pulling the three strips of paper you have created inwards (towards you). Squashing the paper strips between the folded paper sheet should result in hill folds, so long as the paper strips remain flat and straight, and the (red) valley folds remain correctly folded.

You will find that the shortest distance between the fold line and a valley fold is equal to the distance between the hill fold and the other valley fold (i.e. x=x, y=y, z=z).

The dashed line represents the fold line where the sheet of paper has been folded in half lengthways, like you would do if you were making a landscape layout greetings card.

The bottom of the diagram shows the side profile of each of the three paper strips, when the paper is folded (along the fold line) to a 90 degree angle. So, changing where you make your cuts and folds changes the heights and sizes of the pop-up boxes.

The idea is usually to then to glue a picture or other card shape onto the front of the box, so that when the card is opened, it is this image that 'pops up.'

Please note: Because the boxes are created within that one sheet of paper/card, there will be gaps behind the boxes which you'll be able to see through. You would therefore need to add another sheet of paper/card as a backing like this. Or, you could make the paper strips from separate pieces of paper and add 'glue flaps' at each end so you can glue them to your card in the correct place without cutting into your base card at all.

For different takes on the regular box fold technique, there is also:

The open-top box which turns the box shape on its side.

The floating table-top plane which is where a piece of card seems to float in the air but is in fact supported by boxes.

Mouth folds: Mostly used to create the effect of an opening and closing mouth.

Tabs and Slots: This is a slightly more complicated mechanism which you can add onto a card to produce a sliding movement. The tab can be pulled and pushed to produce the movement, or an automatic sliding tab can be made so that opening and closing the card will activate the tab.

An X Mechanism: Created by cutting slits into two identical shapes so that they can slot together, and then placing this 'X' onto a box mechanism on the base card.

Rotating spinning discs: Attaching a card disc to the main card using a split pin allows the disc to be spun around. Different images are printed around the edge of the disc so that rotating it allows the displayed image to be changed at will.

Adding a Rotator produces a rotating movement.

For information on even more techniques, check out Popular Kinetics.

The mouth fold does exactly what it says- it creates a fold that looks like a mouth opening closing when you open the card!

It's very simple to do:

1. Fold your card (or paper) in half.

2. Measure where the center line is (shown in red on the diagram). You don't need to mark this out unless you want to (in pencil). It doesn't have to be exact.

3. Cut horizontally across the card from the folded edge to the center line. Do this wherever you want the pop-up positioned. In the diagram, I have chosen the center. (Cutting to the exact center isn't compulsory; in fact you can make this cut as short as you like (for a small mouth), but you don't want to go much past the center line and make the cut too long as this could result in the pop-up sticking out of your card when folded.)

4. Fold the card corners outwards from where you just cut so that they are folded at a 45 degree angle, as shown in the diagram, to form two triangle shapes.

5. Do the same on the other side of the card so that the 45 degree folds (shown in green) have been folded both forwards and backwards.

6. Put the card flat again and open the card out.

7. Push the folds inwards, to the inside of the card and fold the card in half again.

8. Press down onto the folds to crease them once once.

9. You should now be able open and close the card to open and close the mouth. Finished!

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Your Beginner's Guide to Making Pop-Up Books and Cards

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A handmade greetings card is always a thoughtful gesture, but a handmade pop-up one is extra impressive! There are many different techniques to use, including kirigami (a mix of paper cutting and origami) and simple strips which hold parts of a 'scene.'

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Search our world-wide directory and join us in the democratization of design, engineering, fabrication, and education

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Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics {STEM} skills are vital to our kids' futures, and the future of society. Besides... it's fun to incorporate STEM into everyday activities for young children. I've pulled together 100 super-fun STEM resources to help you enjoy some fun {and sneak in the learning} with your kids.

STEM is everywhere. Have you ever really thought about how often our kids come across something STEM related in their day? Science is found in their natural world - the trees, plants, butterflies, erosion on the creek bed, and so much more. Technology is part of our kids' every day lives - iPads, Kindles, computer programming, telescopes, and all the way back to the invention of the wheel. Engineering is found in the construction of bridges, homes, buildings, and other infrastructures. Math is a crucial skill to help them balance checkbooks, buy groceries, budgeting, and so much more.

I had a hard time choosing the STEM resources to include in this post as here were so many great activities, sites, books, and toys to choose from. Let's explore together...

Activities, Experiments, and Explorations

Hands-on activities, experiments, and explorations abound on the internet. You can find simple science, technology, engineering, and math activities everywhere. I'm sharing some of my favorite in each category below:

Science

Technology

Engineering

Math

Great STEM Books

There are so many fantastic books for kids. I just love using both fiction and nonfiction to illustrate STEM concepts with my kids. No list of STEM resources would be complete without a book list. Here are some great ones to check out:

Science

Technology

Engineering

Math

STEM Toys and Kits

Kids learn through play, and I think it's so important to introduce new concepts - or reinforce old ones - through creative play and games. Through play, kids learn to make sense of their world, along with crucial critical and creative thinking skills. You and your kids will love these picks:

Science

Technology

Engineering

Math

Extra STEM Resources Written by Me

I've shared favorite STEM resources from my own site and from around the web, but there are so many other wonderful resources I had to leave out. For more STEM fun, you can check out these three final resources:

If you know of other great STEM resources you'd like to see included on a future list, please let me know. I welcome comments and suggestions!
Above all, remember to enjoy the journey to learning with your kids each and everyday. STEM can be so fun for kids {and adults} of all ages! This post is part of a link up from the iHomeschool Network where you'll find almost 100 lists of 100 resources to enhance your homeschool - check it out... Things like Encouragement for Homeschool Moms, Resources for Catholic Families, 100+ Math Resources and Printables, Things I want My Daughter to Know, and so much more!

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Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics {STEM} skills are vital to our kids' futures, and the future of society. Besides... it's fun to incorporate STEM into everyday activities for young children. I've pulled together 100 super-fun STEM resources to help you enjoy some fun {and sneak in the learning} with your kids.

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Check out this awesome craft using Elmer's. http://bit.ly/1DjJsr1

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50 Physics Lesson Plans for Middle school Students — Edgalaxy: Cool Stuff for Nerdy teachers

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50 Physics Lesson Plans for Middle school Students — Edgalaxy: Cool Stuff for Nerdy teachers

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50 Physics Lesson Plans for Middle school Students

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(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Here are a number of great science lessons plans for middle school students. Enjoy

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4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!) - Frugal Fun For Boys

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4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!) - Frugal Fun For Boys

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Here's a simple open-ended building activity for kids of all ages - Colored craft sticks, wooden cubes, and small plastic cups! Simple materials, and yet we have been having a blast building all kinds of amazing structures with them.

This project is the second project in our Summer STEAM Camp series! This week, we are exploring with the sense of touch.

Here are the materials we used for this project: (Amazon affiliate links)

Who knew that craft sticks, cubes, and cups could be so interesting? Extend the play and learning with these fun engineering challenges.
Challenge #1: Build a structure with one cube as the base. Yes, just one cube!
When I announced this one, the boys told me it would be impossible. So I showed them this construction which I had already built:

So then Owen came up with this:

And Gresham built this:

As long as you add pieces on both sides of your structure simultaneously, you can build some amazing designs!
Challenge #2: Using any size base, build the tallest possible structure.
Stacking craft sticks on top of plastic cups allows you to build a much more vertical structure than what you can make with cups alone.
Challenge #3: Feats of Balance. Make something stick out in an impressive way!
This structure that Aidan built seemed to defy gravity! Those cubes are really lightweight, and it was hard to believe that they could counterbalance the craft sticks and cups sticking out like that. But add enough of them...

How many cups can it hold?

One more...

And one more...

OOPS!

Dad made this one:
Challenge #4: What can you build with just one cup as the base?
More than you might think!
Bonus Challenge: Build a chain reaction!
Remove the first cup, and the sticks fall down in a chain! See how to make it here: Simple Popsicle Stick Chain Reactions
Like these engineering challenges? Here are more with simple materials: 5 Engineering Challenges with Clothespins, Binder Clips, and Craft Sticks Be sure to stop by the rest of the posts in the Summer STEAM Camp series!
Easy and Colorful Magnetic Sculpture - Pink Stripey Socks

Creative Pool Noodle STEAM Fun - One Time Through

String and Bead Puzzle - What Do We Do All Day?

Learning About Slugs - Why Do Slugs Have Slime? - Lemon Lime Adventures

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4 Engineering Challenges for Kids (Cups, Craft Sticks, and Cubes!) - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls

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Here's a simple open-ended building activity for kids of all ages - Colored craft sticks, wooden cubes, and small plastic cups! Simple materials, and yet we have been having a blast building all kinds of amazing structures with them. This project is the second project in our Summer STEAM Camp series!

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Contact paper and cellophane stained glass windows | Pink Stripey Socks

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Contact paper and cellophane stained glass windows | Pink Stripey Socks

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Our weekly baby and toddler music class has now morphed into a music and craft class. The kids are getting more mobile now, so we figured it was good to give them something to make and do with their hands. (Otherwise, they go straight to grabbing the lovely books on the shelves or pushing the furniture around. Cute, but slightly disruptive to the library.)

But what kinds of activities could the kids do? Well, the activity had to be
- Suitable for children from 1-3
- Easy to prep
- Easy to set up
- Super easy and quick to clean up
- Made from cheap materials
- Fun!!! (Of course.)

Because of my love for stained glass, I wanted to try a simple stained glass activity with the kids. Instead of using glue (too messy for the younger kids), we used contact paper to attach our colored cellophane.

Materials:

Two identical rectangles of contact paper (I just bought a small roll from the Dollar store instead of buying the expensive large roll from the department store)

Masking tape and clear tape

Frame cut out from a cereal box (Note: Make the opening of the frame smaller than your contact paper rectangles)

Different colored pieces of cellophane cut into small rectangles

Directions:
1. Carefully remove the backing from one contact paper rectangle and use masking tape to tape the sheet sticky side up to your table.

2. Let your child stick the cellophane rectangles onto the contact paper. (Chuck loved this part.)

3. Remove a portion of the backing from another sheet of contact paper. Then, slowly stick the second sheet of contact paper on top of the first ( sticky side down), smoothing it, and removing the rest of the backing as you go. (This was the toughest part. When we got bumps or bubbles, we just lifted up the top sheet of contact paper and tried again.)

4. Tape your contact paper rectangle onto your frame. Decorate the frame however you want.

Here are some of the mommy and children's actual work (My sample item is in the one on top in the middle.)

Review:
They were fun to make and came out super colorful and cute.

We struggled a bit with the contact paper, but I didn't care because some of the 2 year olds actually sat still for a couple of minutes and stuck the colored cellophane onto the contact paper. What? A couple minutes of concentrated effort? Awesome. I'll take it!

One very pregnant mommy even said that this was the longest time that her almost-2 year old sat still. She didn't want to leave because he was behaving so nicely.

Ahh, music to my ears. Her comment just made my day.

I love seeing moms and children engaged in an activity and enjoying time together.

Happy crafting!

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Contact paper and cellophane stained glass windows

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Our weekly baby and toddler music class has now morphed into a music and craft class. The kids are getting more mobile now, so we figured it was good to give them something to make and do with their hands. (Otherwise, they go straight to grabbing the lovely books on the shelves or pushing the furniture around.

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Sisters Guild: Monday Makery - Hula Hoop Rag Rug

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Sisters Guild: Monday Makery - Hula Hoop Rag Rug

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What do you get if you cross a hula hoop with a pile of T-shirts? A wonderful rag rug of course!
We have lots of wooden floors in our house and "not enough rugs" apparently! Whilst I've wanted to teach my eldest daughter to knit I feel that she is just a little too young and that perhaps the effort and concentration required doesn't quite match the time it takes to create a result. So we've been weaving in the garden, making rugs. The skills needed are easily learned with a motion of 'over and under' or 'through the door' and its utterly appealing to young children. It takes only a few hours to complete and children will get completely absorbed in their world of weaving.

Here's what you'll need:

A large hula hoop - the one we used here had a 32" diameter

8-10 large T-shirts - I found a size 16 womens t- shirt or a mans XL worked perfectly.

scissors

1. Begin by cutting your weaving materials. You'll need to cut your T's across their width. Cut off the hems and discard. Then cut your T's with 1 inch strips; each creating looped fabric, cutting horizontally across the T-shirt.

2. Now lets make the warp. The warp is the skeletal part of the weave, it's the frame which you then use your 'weft' to weave around. It's simple; take 11 of the loops cut from the fabric and stretch the first one across the hoop. Then take a second piece and stretch across perpendicular to the first, creating a cross shape. Continue until all 11 loops are stretched around the hoop.

3. Push together two of the loops to create a single warp. This is needed to create your odd number of warps. In order to create the weave you will need the odd number to alternate each row of your weft. over, under, over under.

4. Now lets get weaving. Take your first 'weft' (your fabric loop) and wrap it around the centre of one of the warps (fabric spokes), thread it through its end loop and pull through.

5. Weave over and under each warp spoke around in a circle making sure it fits quite snug. For the initial part of making this rug you'll need to use each warp loop as single warp spokes.

6. When you reach the end of your piece of weft loop through another piece: threading it through the last weft and then back through itself. Continue weaving over and under making each circle snug but not tight. If you weave the fabric too tight as you go it may cause lumps and curves when in fact you need it to sit flat once you've finished.

7. When the rug has roughly 14 circles around it or is 8-10 inches across you can start using each warp (the base spokes) as individual warps. When you get to the double warp (the two you pushed together at the beginning) separate them and use one warp as two individual warps like the others and keep the other of the two as one single warp. This keeps the odd number you need to give the weave its alternate rows. To help you remember you can tie a coloured piece of fabric above the 'special' warp that is used as a single spoke.

8. When your rug reaches the size you want it to be but no closer to the hoop than 4 inches its time to tie off the final weave. To do this simply cut the end and tie them around their nearest warp spoke.

9. Then cut each warp off the hoop one at a time tying the ends in their pairs against rug.

10. You can trim them down closer to the rug to create a fringe or tuck them into the rug altogether. We left the ties quite long as we liked the tasseled look, but also because Sessi liked to use them to illustrate to everyone how she made the rug

If you wanted to make a larger rug you could of course try finding a larger hoop to use, though I can imagine, having made lots of these rugs, how beautiful they would be sewn together to create a larger piece. There would of course be gaps where the circles don't reach the whole way round but I think the effect would be beautiful.

Sessi has asked if we can now make a tall long rectangular rug and so I think having learned the basic technique here we will embark on a new one. To make the rectangular one we will take two pieces of bamboo and wrap warps vertically from one piece of bamboo down to the other, then make our rug by weaving horizontally across the vertical warp, tying each at the side to hold it in place.

We hope you have fun making your own beautiful rugs. They make such wonderful splashes of colour to add to a childs room, or used as mats for sitting and playing. As they're easily machine washable you can take them into the garden and off to the park for picnics too, easily carried in children's own little backpacks.

The fabric for these rugs can be found in daddy's drawers - do ask permission before taking any of his clothes! Alternatively - as we did, you can raid the charity shops, then, searching for your colours will be much more fun, plus your helping a good cause too! To make sure you find the right size take a fabric tape measure with you and stretch each one you find to make sure it will go over your hula hoop.
One T-shirt gave us more than the 11 loops needed for the warp, and though we found all our t-shirts in the same size it doesn't matter too much how big each loop for weaving as long as you have the correct size for making the skeletal frame around the hoop.

Alongside our boutique we publish a series of blogs, each day bringing a new theme; our Monday Makery craft and recipe ideas can be found here, Tuesday tell's 'the story behind our collections' , Wednesday brings you a preview and a peek into our boutique with our 'Wednesday Woo', Thursday treats us with 'the art of living' where you can pop by to discover places to go, chance upon things to do, and come across inspiration for family life, Friday is a playful portrayal of 'an A-Z of Sisters Guild', and we've got 2 new series of blogs coming soon!

If you would like to share some ideas as a guest blogger on the Monday Makery we would be very excited to hear from you. Use the contact form on our main website here.

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What do you get if you cross a hula hoop with a pile of T-shirts? A wonderful rag rug of course! We have lots of wooden floors in our house and "not enough rugs" apparently!

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5 Tips for Starting a Makerspace on a Budget | Renovated Learning

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5 Tips for Starting a Makerspace on a Budget | Renovated Learning

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When I talk to other librarians and educators about starting a school Makerspace, one of the most common things I hear is: "I'd love to do (insert cool Maker activity) at my school, but we don't have a budget for that". What many people don't realize is that the idea that you need a lot of money to start a Makerspace is a myth. All you need is to have vision, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. A lack of funds is no longer an excuse for keeping your students from experiencing the empowerment of bringing the Maker Education Movement into your program.

Makerspaces on a Budget

This quote is from the introduction to my article in The Scanner, the ISTE Librarian's Network Newsletter (Volume 6, Number 1). In this article, I go over some of my best advice on ways to kickstart a Makerspace without spending a ton of money. These are just a sampling of ways that you can get started without spending a ton of money.

In the article, I talk about how to...

Cultivate a Makerspace Vision

Host a supply drive

Get help from local businesses

Utilize DonorsChoose and

Apply for Grants

Check out the The Scanner to read the rest. Also, check out the ISTE Librarian's Network page for links to previous newsletters.

Edited to add: Months after writing this original article, I revisited this topic again in my AASL Knowledge Quest post, How To Start a Makerspace When You're Broke. Go check it out for even more tips and advice.

Diana Rendina, MLIS, is the media specialist at Tampa Preparatory School, an independent 6-12 in Tampa, FL. Previously, she was the media specialist at Stewart Middle Magnet School for seven years, where she founded their library makerspace. She is the creator of the blog RenovatedLearning.com & is also a monthly contributor to AASL Knowledge Quest. Diana is the winner of the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award, the 2015 ISTE Librarians Network Secondary Award, the 2015 AASL Frances Henne Award & the 2015 SLJ Build Something Bold Award. She is an international speaker on the Maker Movement and has presented at conferences including AASL, FETC & ISTE. Diana co-authored Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace with Colleen and Aaron Graves and is also the author Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget.

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5 Tips for Starting a Makerspace on a Budget

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When I talk to other librarians and educators about starting a school Makerspace, one of the most common things I hear is: "I'd love to do (insert cool Maker activity) at my school, but we don't have a budget for that".

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My Thoughts...My Reflections...A Principal's View: How Our Space Became a Makerspace

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My Thoughts...My Reflections...A Principal's View: How Our Space Became a Makerspace

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The Makerspace Playbook

Edutopia - Designing a School Makerspace

In addition to the resources listed above, I also had to do some research on Twitter to see which members of my PLN were into the Makerspace Movement and determine who I could begin following on Twitter to learn from them about their Makerspace. The following members of my PLN were influential in jump starting our journey and ultimately the opening of our space.

Starting with folks in my own backyard:

@lorraineshimizu - The colleague who gave me the spark
@R_H_Steele - The Principal of the @ChristieCubs
@jess_malloy - Learning Commons/Makerspace Facilitator for the @ChristieCubs
@NancyWTech - Librarian turned Technology Specialist

Some folks a little farther from home:

@DianaLRendina - Check our her Makerspace Resource Page
@tinaberumen & @shawnaford1 - They shared this great resource with me - Make it @ Your Library

After several discussions online with the folks listed above we rolled up our sleeves and started to determine what steps we could take immediately and what steps we could take over time and ensure our space was done right. We decided we wanted to do some fundraising and write some grants so we spent the summer writing grants and setting up accounts on@DonorsChoose and @GoFundMe. Additional funding sources we are using include World Wear Project & Funding Factory because every little bit helps! If you want to learn more about how you can raise money to support your school, check out this post by @LindseyLipsky, titled, Finding Funds for Your Classroom.

While we waited for funds to be generated online, we started collaborating with district leaders, sharing our vision and determining how we could take this space...
...and turn it into a Makerspace where collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking happened the moment you walked into the room.

The first step was creating space by eliminating book shelves, wooden cubbies and reshelving books. The Library Media Services group in our district and my amazing librarian (Head Maker)@j9dowdy played a huge roll in facilitating this process, which actually took months!

We have a lot of books and each one had to be moved! Once the space was created we could really begin to make some progress.

The void you see between the tables and the wooden cubbies against the wall (what is called our tech bar) is where a 2nd row of cubbies used to be.

Its all about getting floor space. So the original bookshelves in the back of the library were emptied, books were reshelved and we began moving the shelves around to determine how we could maximize our space.

Our goal from the beginning was to create a space that allowed for traditional library use, but also supported a Makerspace that could be used during library time or that teachers/students could access simultaneously during their instructional day. If you look at the picture above, you can even see a screen and projector that would need to be relocated. It was the small things, that took the longest amount of time. I told you, we wanted to do this right, so we were ok taking the time do get it right.

Shelves were moved and books were reshelved which allowed our space to ultimately be inverted, leaving a large open space as you enter the library and the traditional library space was moved to the back of the library where bookshelves used to be. The projector was also moved back this space so traditional lessons and important things like "staff meetings" could still take place and utilize the projector.

During our transformation, it was important that students begin to be exposed to the Maker Movement so with the support of several departments throughout the district, including the Multilingual Department, students were able to "make" with Legos and "create" settings, alternate endings and write their own stories using Lego Story Kits.

Now that we had the students attention and their interest was high, we started with our Lego Wall. I had spent some time researching Lego Walls and found this site to be the most helpful.

The Masonite went up first and the first base plate was glued to the wall. I read it was important to use the Legos as spacers when putting on the base plates so the next photos show us doing just that.

I will be the first to admit, the Lego Wall took a little bit longer than expected, but doesn't every DIY project? We built it brick by brick or I guess base plate by base plate, but ultimately it was completed and we made sure everyone knew we were the Sigler "Super" Stars.

As I mentioned above, we were waiting on funding...I can happily say, both of the projects posted on@DonorsChoose and @GoFundMe were funded. If you had a hand in funding either of those projects, I cannot thank you enough!!!

In addition, we applied for a grant through a local branch of the Awesome Foundation in Plano, TX@awesomefound which was funded and has been used to support the purchase of Lego Robotics Kits. I cannot wait until they arrive!

The good news kept coming as we also received word that a grant we had written throughLowe's Toolbox for Education was funded. Each of these grants allow us to keep adding pieces to our Makerspace.

With the all of the great news about funding resources coming through and the progress we were making with creating space, our 2014 closed on a high note and we knew 2015 was going to be exceptional!

The staff returned from winter break on January 5, 2015, which is the day our Makerspace officially opened! Teachers were able to visit the Makerspace and explore the various stations the students would be working through the very next day!

Enjoy the photos of our teachers "exploring" the various stations

We were very anxious to show this Makerspace to the teachers and students, but the overwhelming response we have received thus far has squashed any fear we may have had, because the students and teachers have LOVED the space! The ideas continue to flow for stations to be rotated in and out to continually challenge our students and in a couple of weeks, each station will have a problem that students must attempt to solve.

The following stations are on our list to be rotated in:

Cardboard Creation Station

Book Blurbs

Record It

Bookmarks

Marble Challenge

Thank you for visiting our space! I hope sharing the story of how our space became a Makerspace will inspire others to create a space of their own.

Until then, keep creating, keep exploring, and keep making!

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The Makerspace Playbook Edutopia - Designing a School Makerspace In addition to the resources listed above, I also had to do some research on Twitter to see which members of my PLN were into the Makerspace Movement and determine who I could begin following on Twitter to learn from them about their Makerspace.

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Creating an inspiring space for young children has never been easier! Use the FREE myKaplan Classroom FloorPlanner to design the classroom perfect for your needs.

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Engineering Ideas for Kids on Pinterest | Engineering, Catapult and Simple Machines

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Engineering Ideas for Kids on Pinterest | Engineering, Catapult and Simple Machines

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Ideas to support NGSS engineering practices and standards in their infancy stage. 

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Makerspace | Piktochart Infographic Editor

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Makerspace | Piktochart Infographic Editor

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(2) Makerspace - Arts and Crafts on Pinterest | Weaving, Duct Tape and Robots

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(2) Makerspace - Arts and Crafts on Pinterest | Weaving, Duct Tape and Robots

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Bring some STEAM into your program with crafty art projects

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Makerspace Resources | Renovated Learning

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Makerspace Resources | Renovated Learning

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All the Makerspace resources you could hope for (and more)

I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way. My hope is that you will consider this a go-to resource as you progress along your own Maker journey. No matter whether you're just getting started with makerspaces or are looking to grow your program, there's something here for you.

What is the Maker Movement?

The Maker Movement has been around for a lot longer than many of us realize. Really, the desire to make things with our hands has existed since the dawn of humanity and DIY culture has long played an important role. Make Magazine has been around since 2005 and the first Maker Faire was held in 2006. Check out the articles below for a great take on what the Maker Movement means for education.

Colleen Grave's first started a makerspace at Lamar Middle School and then when on to pilot a makerspace at Ryan High School. She shares all about her experiences, projects her students are making and has gathered substantial resource lists as well. Her blog is seriously awesome. (Of course, I'm biased because we wrote a book together)

Laura Fleming's blog about her library and makerspace at New Milford High School. One of the pioneers of the school library makerspace movement, Laura has shared many amazing resources (and she has an awesome book too!)

Andy Plemmons' blog; in addition to being an all-around awesome librarian, Andy does an amazing job of bringing making into Barrow Elemenntary School. He collaborates with the University of Georgia and often brings the makerspace into his curriculum collaborations with teachers. He's also amazing at fundraising and creating big, school-wide projects.

Krissy runs an amazing makerspace called the Launch Pad at her elementary school, and she is an fantastic advocate for creativity. She also creates gorgeous posters (many with maker themes) that she makes freely available on her site and she founded the #elemaker hashtag. Did I mention that her job title is Innovation Coordinator?

Gwyneth Jones is an all around awesome librarian who shares resources relentlessly on her blog. She started a makerspace in her library recently and has taken a balanced approach, starting with a few affordable centers. She also makes amazing posters and graphics and offers them for FREE on her blog.

Robert Pronovost's blog about Ravenswood Elementary Makerspace. He's documented his space since he created it and offers some great advice on procedures. Definitely an excellent example of a successful elementary space.

Blog run by public librarians who work with young adults. The write about all things YA and have quite a few posts on makerspaces and maker programs.

Blog that focuses on libraries and artists working together. More of a public library and museum focus.

The people who started it all - there's amazing project inspiration and ideas on here, as well as lots of free resources.

Co-written by me, Colleen Graves and Aaron Graves, this book is packed full of lots of practical information and real-life examples of using design challenges in makerspaces. We cover everything from building a maker culture and setting up the physical space of your makerspace to organizing global collaborations and sharing your projects through Maker Fests. We go into detail about creating design challenge prompts that can inspire your makers. The book has sections specifically focused on elementary and secondary curriculum connections and we feature interviews with a ton of amazing maker educators at all grade levels.

Available from Amazon and other book sellers now!

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I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way.

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hello, Wonderful - 12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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hello, Wonderful - 12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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Do you have a little tinkerer at home who loves taking objects apart and putting them back? Or how about one interested in learning the how's and why's of how things work. These brilliant engineering projects will keep curious minds thinking about how things work. And to top it off, they each make a fun activity or toy to play with afterwards! Take a look at some cool objects you can make right at home with the kids - such as catapults, propeller cars, floating straw boats, water siphons and more.

Straw Boats (via Pink Stripey Socks) These colorful straw boats are fun for little ones to design and actually float! Plus they're easy to make with some basic materials you probably already have on hand.

Mini Robot (via Red Ted Art) This adorable little robot can move and wiggle and is a great way to get kids thinking about how circuitry works.

Propeller Car (via Instructables) Although basic in construction, this neat popsicle stick car is a lesson in how energy can be harvested to in turn, push the car forward.

Balloon Propeller (via All For The Boys) A simply constructed balloon propeller is a neat way to show how air can spin the balloon round and round in circles.

Airplane Launcher (via Frugal Fun 4 Boys) This easy paper airplane launcher is guaranteed to to keep the kids entertained for a good amount of time.

Paper Plate Magnet Maze (via Cakies) How fun is this. Teach kids how magnets attract each other with this simple and awesome paper plate maze game.

DIY Catapult (via Instructables) Catapults are classic objects that can teach kids some basic physics and engineering skills. Plus, they're just fun to fling things through the air.

Indoor Slingshot (via PBS Kids) With some basic paper tubes, you can make this super cool slingshot. And it's a safe and fun one for kids using marshmallows!

Egg Drop Challenge (via Buggy and Buddy) Do your kids know what it takes to drop an egg without breaking it? Get them excited to find out how by designing and building their very own egg drop contraption.

Balloon Candy Experiment (via Learn Play Imagine) How do you blow up a balloon using soda and candy? Find out how with this fun project (which is also a good way to use up leftover candy and keep them out of kids' hands).

Play Dough Circuitry (via Makezine) Take a kid favorite tool like play dough and show them how a bit of magic circuitry works to make a happy face light up!

Siphon Water Coaster (via Babble Dabble Do) Get the kids interested in how siphons and atmospheric pressure work with this inventive project that's part science and engineering focused.

Also see:

6 Ways Kids Can Play With 3D Printing (Now)

9 STEM Toys That Make Science Fun

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12 BRILLIANT DIY ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR KIDS

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Do you have a little tinkerer at home who loves taking objects apart and putting them back? Or how about one interested in learning the how's and why's of how things work. These brilliant engineering projects will keep curious minds thinking about how things work.

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Makerspace Resources and Programming ideas | Create, Collaborate, Innovate

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Makerspace Resources and Programming ideas | Create, Collaborate, Innovate

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Check out these Great Blogs from other Makers

The Tinkering Studio Blog : This R&D lab on the floor of the Exploratorium is a maker's dream! And they blog about all of the great work they are doing. Read and Re-read for great ideas!

Renovated Learning : Diana Rendina is an amazing maker librarian with frequent makerspace posts! Follow her blog and get an almost daily dose of awesome ideas for your library makerspace. Check out Diana's Makerspace resource page, Tips on Writing Donors Choose Projects, The Value of Guided Projects in Makerspaces.

Makered.org : Every Child a Maker

Josh Burker : Josh is a maker extraordinaire, he's always making cool stuff and sharing project ideas. PLUS, he wrote the awesome Invent to Learn's Guide to Fun.

Expect the Miraculous : Andy Plemmons is a genius about connecting his young makers with mentors. Plus, he's just an all around phenomenal librarian. (When I grow up, I hope to be like him! )

UNCG SELF Design Studio : I interviewed Matt and Sarah for my Librarian's Guide to littleBits, they always have amazing stuff going on, so go give them a like on Facebook to keep up with them! Check out this blog post about them over at makeymakey.com too!

Makerology : Krissy Venosdale is the founder of the #elemaker tag. Need I say more?

Design Saunders : David is another awesome elemaker I met working on the Librarian's Guide to littleBits. He's a makerspace mash-up of fun!

Worlds of Learning : Eric Sheninger hired Laura Fleming to renovate his highschool library and create an innovative learning space for students.

Design Make Teach : Another great maker educator with a flow of great ideas!

Daring Librarian : Gwyneth Jones is an avid sharer of great ideas! Follow this blog ASAP!

Library as an Incubator : Great blog with tons of information for school and public libraries alike!

Makerspaces.com : Andrew is pretty great at curating free resources for you!

Evolve Project : Brian Pichman is doing great work connecting libraries with makerspace resources. Plus, he's pretty great at finding out about the best cutting edge maker tools.

Innovation Lab (at St. Petersburg College ) : Chad Mairn is another rad maker librarian I met interviewing bitsters for the Librarian's Guide to littleBits. He's got all the great stuff at his academic library!

Maker Bridge : This is a great resource for the maker community that helps us all get connected via resources, reviews, and a weekly blog!

Active Learning : Kristin Fontichiaro's blog about making and libraries!

More Great Books for Your School Library Makerspace

I've learned so much from my Twitter PLN. Use Hashtags in your tweets and follow the conversation too!

Aaron and I have worked diligently to make, document, and write over 50 makerspace projects that you can implement with your makers. The book will be available from McGraw Hill in Oct 2016. Below is an example of a full year of makerspace programming. I hope to update this with what I did this year and what I'm planning for next year soon!

Last, here is a list of workshop ideas I created with Leah Mann in 2014. Lots of great FREE ideas:

FREE WORKSHOP IDEAS:

OTHER RESOURCES:

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Makerspace Resources and Programming ideas

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New to Makerspaces? Create Collaborate Innovate Posts on Making What is a Makerspace? What is a Maker Librarian? How can I run a library AND a makerspace? What kind of activities can we do? Check out more maker-focused posts and resources on my New Here? page Become a Maker Sign up for this MOOC offered...

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Meet epics makers in live hangouts at Maker Camp, a free summer camp from Google and Make for building, tinkering and exploring. For details, including daily...

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Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch | Edutopia

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Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch | Edutopia

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Step 2: Get Others Involved

Start a steering committee for your makerspace by involving interested teachers and students. Include your committee in purchasing decisions, goal setting, workshop ideas, and even leading makerspace programming. Learn from other schools and students about what they do by reaching out with Skype or Google Hangouts.

If you can, reach out to the community and get parents and community members involved. You'll also engage students if you enlist mentor experts. Start by finding student experts in your school and around your community. Utilize Twitter or Skype in the Classroom to branch out. Our students love connecting with other maker students around the country, as well as maker experts like the inventors of Makey Makey.

Step 3: Purchasing Makerspace Resources

Here are three guidelines:

1. What purchases will give you the most bang for your buck? Will buying a 3D printer break your budget?

2. Write grants, ask your PTA for funds, or use crowdsource funding like Donors Choose or GoFundMe. You can sign up for monthly emails about grant opportunities from Mackin.

3. Ask for old electronics, popsicle sticks, balloons, old car toys, old electronic toys, wire cutters, old telephone wire, old tennis balls, etc. You'll find lots of great STEM lessons at past Google Maker Camps. Follow STEM accounts and other makerspaces on Instagram, and scour Pinterest for cheap ideas.

Step 4: Building a Community of Makers

Immerse your students in maker supplies. Just as surrounding kids with books motivates them to read, surrounding them with tinkering tools motivates them to create. You don't need a special room for your makerspace. All you need are maker resources, somewhere to store items, and a beginner's knowledge of how to use your resources.

Once I moved our makerspace materials from the back room into an easily accessible area behind our circulation desk and instituted a project shelf, our students started tinkering every day!

Step 5: Hosting Workshops and/or Design Challenges

One of the most important aspects of starting a makerspace is getting the pulse of your community. I have an "iWanna" box on the circulation desk, and the first successful design challenge at Lamar was born from a student idea that ended up there. That student wanted to create catapults, so we ended up throwing down a Catapult Challenge to Diana Rendina's class in Florida, and they in turn challenged us to create games in Scratch and invent controllers with Makey Makey.

Students also love tinkering with Snap Circuits, littleBits, Knex, Lego, Makey Makey, Sphero, and Scratch during our maker mornings (see a resource list here) -- although just owning all of these resources is not going to ensure that making leads to learning. Let kids tinker and play, but eventually, you'll have to guide their learning by creating design challenges.

Design challenges teach problem solving and creative thinking, and they're one of the easiest ways to create a community of makers. Makey Makey co-inventor Jay Silver declares, "Design challenges are so important. . . it introduces time limits, a focused theme, and ends with a show and tell." You can show off student creations by hosting a mini-maker faire, connecting your makers with other students via Skype and Twitter chats, or showcase projects on other social media.

Here are some design challenge ideas that worked for me:

Step 6: Integrating Maker Education Into the Curriculum

While tinkering can lead to learning, remember that makerspace programming can also support classroom curriculum. Here are some ideas for incorporating making in the classroom:

What are some goals that you'd like to set for your school makerspace? Have you incorporated any great makerspace lessons in classrooms at your school? Please share in the comments section of this post.

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Starting a School Makerspace from Scratch | Edutopia

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Start a steering committee for your makerspace by involving interested teachers and students. Include your committee in purchasing decisions, goal setting, workshop ideas, and even leading makerspace programming. Learn from other schools and students about what they do by reaching out with Skype or Google Hangouts.

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Projects for grades K-12 | Making in Schools

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Projects for grades K-12 | Making in Schools

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Simple Pegboard Marble Track - Frugal Fun For Boys

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Simple Pegboard Marble Track - Frugal Fun For Boys

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Here's an easy way to build a marble run - with pegboard, pipe insulation, and zip ties!

My older boys really enjoyed the engineering challenge of our magnetic marble run, but this marble run was a better speed for our three year old (who is more likely to bump the pieces on the magnetic run, etc.). Just be sure that any children using marbles can be trusted not to put them in their mouths.

We put a plastic container at the bottom to catch the marbles. Half of an empty water bottle made a perfect addition to the marble run. The marbles spin around in the bottle before dropping through the opening!
To make this marble run, you will need:

Foam pipe insulation - ours measures 1 inch (inside diameter) and 2 inches (outside diameter). For younger kids, use a larger size of insulation and a larger ball instead of a marble. Pool noodles would also work for this.

Zip ties

Pegboard

Empty water bottle

Rubber bands

Twist ties

Scissors

I used scissors to cut the foam insulation to the right lengths and also to trim off the top so that you can see the marble rolling down.

Zip ties did not work to attach the water bottle to the pegboard, so I used long rubber bands. I tied the ends of the rubber bands together with twist ties, as seen below:
More Fun Marble Projects:

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Here's an easy way to build a marble run - with pegboard, pipe insulation, and zip ties! My older boys really enjoyed the engineering challenge of our magnetic marble run, but this marble run was a better speed for our three year old (who is more likely to bump the pieces on the magnetic run, etc.).

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Build a Marble Run with Craft Sticks - Frugal Fun For Boys

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Build a Marble Run with Craft Sticks - Frugal Fun For Boys

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Of all the many marble runs we've built over the years, this is our new favorite! Simple materials and sturdy construction make it a WIN for a wide variety of ages. This would be great for a classroom STEM challenge.

It all started the other day when we needed a break from homeschooling. It has been too hot to get outside, and we were all going a little crazy! Owen and I decided to make a marble maze in a shoe box lid. I got out a shoe box lid, craft sticks, and a low temp hot glue gun. I wasn't sure if the craft sticks would be stable at all when glued on their sides, but it worked surprisingly well.

Owen (age 5) really enjoyed doing the gluing and building with only a little help from me. It may seem like a poor idea to give a kindergartner a glue gun, but a low temp gun can be just fine with proper supervision! Owen would not have been able to do this project by himself with craft glue as the dry time is just too long for craft sticks standing on their sides.

Owen enjoyed tilting the box lid and rolling his marble through his completed course!

Owen didn't want to build his marble track with more than one possible path for the marble, so Aidan decided that he would make a more complicated marble maze.

He even planned out his design on paper ahead of time! Craft sticks are pretty easy to cut with scissors to get the size pieces you want.

Building a marble maze is such a constructive way to spend an afternoon, plus it's great for hand-eye coordination. We also discovered that the marbles make a really cool sound when they hit the craft sticks. The sound inspired us to make another marble project...

For this one, I used the bottom of a shoe box to create a back-and-forth marble run.

I cut a hole in the top of the box to drop the marble into:

Kids of all ages will enjoy this one! It's so relaxing and the sound is just so cool.

After seeing this marble run, Aidan suggested building something like the Plink-O game on "The Price is Right." Aidan has never watched that show, but he saw something like that last year at the state fair. My husband thought that was a great idea and suggested making the craft sticks go the other direction.

This is what we came up with:

For this marble run I used an Amazon box. Aidan thought it should be more shallow than it was, so we cut it down with a utility knife and covered the edges with duct tape. I made three holes in the top of this one so that the boys can drop marbles in at different places. This game is fun because the marbles take a different path each time!

We were planning to make sections at the bottom (with more craft sticks) for the marbles to land in. Aidan wanted to put different point values in each section. I just realized that we never got to that step! Guess we'll have to add those!

Here's a video of our final marble run in action:

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Of all the many marble runs we've built over the years, this is our new favorite! Simple materials and sturdy construction make it a WIN for a wide variety of ages. This would be great for a classroom STEM challenge. It all started the other day when we needed a break from homeschooling.

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What happens to used paper? Most paper is thrown away in landfills or is burned. Why not turn old newspaper, office paper or unwanted wrapping paper into a piece of art? Follow these directions step-by-step.

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Use these easy origami instructions and diagrams to learn how to make really cool origami. They're so easy a caveman can do it.

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All of these printable origami instructions are free to print and share, so enjoy them!

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Hands on Engineering STEM Projects for Kids and Students

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Hands on Engineering STEM Projects for Kids and Students: Easy and fun collection of STEM projects and lessons for elementary and middle school. Made for teachers, science fairs, and weekend activities. Find more ideas on our website STEM Inventions! You can also find lesson plans, project sheets, and more...

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We were inspired to make these 'cards' by the simplicity of using LEDs to add a spark of light to any project. This is a great "wiring 101" project because kids can see exactly how a circuit works, and they can assemble it themselves without stripping wires, adding switches or worrying about being shocked. Once they understand the connections, they can make card after card after card.
Supplies
LEDs (You can scavenge LED from a string of holiday lights or order a container for $4.95 from the Electronic Goldmine)

Wire (We use 26-gauge florist wire - from any craft store or florist. You just need 18")

Paper Fastener (from the office supply store)

3V Battery (coin battery)

Masking Tape

A sheet of cardstock to fold into a card

Other colored paper, markers, glue, scissors, etc, to design the card

Ages: 6+ with grown-up help.

Time: 30 minutes
Project Steps
In this project, it is important to follow the steps and test your circuit as you go.

1. Plan out your design lightly in pencil before you get started. Fold the cardstock in half to make a card. You will cut away some portion of the front of the card so make sure to factor this into your design. We used cut paper to create the elements of our picture; we created these first so we could plane the layout, and then we set them to the side.

2. Plan out your circuit. The paper fastener will need to punch through the front of the card, and the battery must be affixed (negative side up) to the back of the card. When the card is closed, the button of the paper fastener should meet the (negative) face of the battery. The LED should show from the front, when the card is closed; the battery should be hidden.

3. Once you've sketched in the placement for your paper fastener, battery and LED, draw the path of the wires. One wire should connect the paper fastener to the cathode leg of the LED. Another wire should connect the anode leg of the LED with the positive side of the battery (the end of this wire will be sandwiched between the back of the card and the battery). To identify the anode and cathode legs, take a close look at your LED. The anode leg is slightly longer and the little flag at the top (inside the plastic 'bulb' section) is smaller. The cathode leg is shorter, and the little flag at the top is larger.

4. Now - start taping your circuit components into place. You can also use masking tape to make sure your wires don't cross. Tips: Just tape the battery around the edges; don't cover the whole thing because then you will lose the connection between the battery and the paper fastener. Also, you can bend the legs of the LED away from each other and this will make it easier to wrap the wire around them.

5. With everything taped down - test your circuit! Close the card; when you down on the paper fastener (so that it touches the battery) does the LED light up? If it doesn't light up, trouble-shoot. Make sure your connections are secure at each point, that the wires are not touching, and that the positive side of the battery is pressing down firmly against the wire leading from the anode leg of the LED.

Now, finish your design! Draw or glue in the rest of your picture. You can cover the wires with another piece of paper if you don't want them to show, but make sure to punch a small hole where the LED will stick through. Make sure to add a little note or circle on the front to let people know where to press to light up your card!
Curious Jane, founded by contributor Samantha Razook Murphy, offers project-based after-school programs and summer camps, revolving around creativity in the arts and sciences.

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We were inspired to make these 'cards' by the simplicity of using LEDs to add a spark of light to any project. This is a great "wiring 101" project because kids can see exactly how a circuit works, and they can assemble it themselves without stripping wires, adding switches or worrying about being shocked.

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Challenge Cards - James Dyson Foundation

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Challenge Cards - James Dyson Foundation

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Challenge Cards - James Dyson Foundation

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These 44 STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) challenges will stretch your brain, get you hands on and help you to develop the skills you need to be a design engineer.

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Easy Origami Cats - Paper Crafts for Kids - Red Ted Art's Blog : Red Ted Art's Blog

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Easy Origami Cats - Paper Crafts for Kids - Red Ted Art's Blog : Red Ted Art's Blog

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Aaaah yes.. here we are again MORE Origami for Kids.. more EASY Origami for Kids.. as my kids hit 5 and 7yrs old, I find that they can do more and more origami type projects. And we particularly love the "easy and simple" origami patterns, that only need a few steps to complete - much much easier for them to remember and complete. Today, we have these cute little origami cats. And once again, they are very easy to do. A great way to introduce paper folding techniques to kids.

Also check out our similar (and equally popular) Origami Bunnies and Origami Butterflies ... and then similarly easy, but with some more steps involved Origami Boat and Origami Budgie! And of course the wonderful Lucky Stars too!

Aren't they cute? And the kids get to decorate them which ever way they wish!

We also have a super lovely and easy origami bear you may like to check out!

RED TED ART TV

Check out our Origami Cat Video here:

We have more DIY Paper Toys for your here:

We particularly LOVE these DIY Paper Spinners (great for learning about colour theory too!)

Also popular on Red Ted Art are these DIY Origami For Kids projects:

Happy Origami making!! Hope you like our easy Origami Cats too!!

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Easy Origami Cats - Paper Crafts for Kids - Red Ted Art's Blog

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Aaaah yes.. here we are again MORE Origami for Kids.. more EASY Origami for Kids.. as my kids hit 5 and 7yrs old, I find that they can do more and more origami type projects. And we particularly love the "easy and simple" origami patterns, that only need a few steps to complete - much ...

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Resources - SparkTruck Resources by www.sparktruck.org is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

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Engineering Kits for Kids | Travel-Sized Cup Stacking - Lemon Lime Adventures

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Engineering Kits for Kids | Travel-Sized Cup Stacking - Lemon Lime Adventures

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We are on the go a lot. From therapy appointments to outings at the park, we seem to be traveling somewhere on a daily basis. We love taking busy bags and kits with us to keep our minds and hands busy. Lately, these range from sensory kits to engineering kits. I am excited to share one of our latest engineering kits for kids. We have made a couple but we are having a lot of fun with these travel-sized cup stacking challenges.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
What You Need for a Travel-sized Engineering Kit for Kids

Honestly, the possibilities are endless with the types of engineering kits you can create. In fact, this is one of three that we have recently been using frequently. Each of our engineering kits focus on a traditional engineering challenge for kids and make it miniature.

Materials for Travel-sized Cup Stacking Kits

Plastic miniature cups (shot glasses work great, we got ours at the dollar store)
Cardstock Paper

Case/ Bag/ Carrier

{optional} Printable Challenge Cards (more about this later)

Making an Engineering Kit for Kids

Putting your kit together is super simple! See, its just two ingredients (if we can call it that) but the fun and learning is endless. There are so many variations of the challenges that your children can create.

Next time you are on your way out the door, just grab your kit and go!

The challenges can be as simple or as challenging as you want to make it. The boys couldn't stop playing with this kit! I want to think they played with it over an hour the first few days and now take it everywhere we go.

The boys even decided that they wanted to make you some printable challenge cards to take with you when you make your own kit. All you need to do is print these pictures out on card stock paper and laminate them for durability.

Seriously, there are no rules! Just because you have downloaded these printable challenges, don't let them limit you. I bet you and your kids can come up with even more variations.

Find More Travel Busy Bags

Every month, we team up with some of our favorite kid bloggers to bring you fun, seasonal busy bags your kids will love. Check out this month's lineup of 14 awesome activities below:

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Engineering Kits: Kids' Travel Sized Stacking Cups // Lemon Lime Adventures

Colouring Page Airplane Scavenger Hunt // Mama.Papa.Bubba.

My Busy Book for Travel // Powerful Mothering

Tic Tac Toe Busy Bag // The Pleasantest Thing

Color Road Sign Match Up Activity // Mommy Needs a Coffee Break

Printable Road Trip Games for Kids // Lalymom

Free Airport Scavenger Hunt // Playdough to Plato

Little Red Riding Hood Finger Puppets // Easy Peasy and Fun

DIY White Board Busy Bag for Kids // Sugar Aunts

Magnetic Buttons Busy Bag // Teach Me Mommy

Yellow Car Game // Adventures of Adam

Wheel Letter Match Busy Bag // Coffee Cups and Crayons

Transportation Memory Game // Itsy Bitsy Fun

DIY Travel Busy Bag for Early Writing // The Educators' Spin On It

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Engineering Kits for Kids | Travel-Sized Cup Stacking

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We are on the go a lot. From therapy appointments to outings at the park, we seem to be traveling somewhere on a daily basis. We love taking busy bags and kits with us to keep our minds and hands busy. Lately, these range from sensory kits to engineering kits.

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Teaching kids about recycling: upcycled building kit for kids

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Teaching kids about recycling: upcycled building kit for kids

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Have you ever noticed that no matter how many toys your kids have, they are always drawn to things like cardboard boxes and paper towel rolls? It seems that a simple box will usually entertain them longer and promote more creativity than the fanciest of store bought toys.

Rather than fight this phenomenon, just embrace it and marvel and what natural upcyclers your kids are.

Furthermore, encourage even more of this open-ended creative play by gathering those materials they like so much and creating an upcycled building box with prompt cards to get their creative juices flowing.

To make your own upcycled building box, start digging through your recycling bin for materials. Cereal boxes, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, berry baskets and packaging materials are some of my favorites. Once you have a nice selection of materials, put them into a box or crate so that they are ready to be used.

I continually save anything that has good building potential in our inventors box so we will always have a good selection for projects we are working on.

Next, download the and cut them out. Idea Starter Cards Each prompt invites your child to invent something... a machine to clean their room, their ideal pet, or even a rocket ship to take them to the moon.

You can either let your child pick whichever prompt interests them or draw one from a stack. I usually let my daughter read all of the options and choose which she wants to build.

The only other materials needed are kid-safe scissors and a roll of masking tape.

Now it is time to build! Explain to your children that they can use anything from the building box to make their invention. Encourage them to use the materials creatively, and make sure they know that there is no right or wrong way of doing things.

After hours and hours of working on her creation, my little one unveiled the girly robot (wearing plenty of bows and jewelry) that will be cleaning her room from now on. My favorite part is the to do list that she wrote up for the robot and attached to her purse to make sure she did everything she was supposed to. Now that is a girl after my own heart!
Here are just a few of the reasons why I love this activity so much:

It is absolutely free and doesn't require a trip to the store to buy anything.

My daughter loves it and can easily spend 2 to 3 hours at a time, uninterrupted, working on her latest creation (which means I have time to cook dinner!)

The amount of thought and creativity that goes into each invention is amazing. It really teaches kids to "think outside the box".

It saves so many things from the trash can or recycling bin.

It is never too early to start teaching your children to be more eco conscious, and this is a perfect opportunity to talk to them about reducing waste, recycling and upcycling.

For More Earth-Friendly Kid Activities, Check Out:

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How to Create an Upcycled Inventor's Box for Hours of Open-Ended Play - Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Have you ever noticed that no matter how many toys your kids have, they are always drawn to things like cardboard boxes and paper towel rolls? It seems that a simple box will usually entertain them longer and promote more creativity than the fanciest of store bought toys.

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Teacher's Pet Activities & Games » Lego Challenge Cards » EYFS, KS1, KS2 classroom activity and game resources » A Sparklebox alternative

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Teacher's Pet Activities & Games » Lego Challenge Cards » EYFS, KS1, KS2 classroom activity and game resources » A Sparklebox alternative

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Teacher's Pet - Premium Printable Classroom Activities & Games - Classroom Resources, games and activities for Early Years (EYFS), Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2)

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Printable Classroom Activities and Games by Teacher's Pet. Primary school resources, including premium downloadable, printable activities and games. Resources for Early Years (EYFS), KS1 and KS2 including challenge cards, board games, CVC, VCOP, stickers, posters, wordmats, signs, roleplay activities and much much more! A sparklebox alternative!

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Sparkles, Smiles, and Successful Students: Getting Started With STEM

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Sparkles, Smiles, and Successful Students: Getting Started With STEM

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I'm starting a short mini-series on some things I want to try during this school year. Join me on this journey by following along - I'd love to hear what new things you are trying this year! Make sure to read all of this - there are TONS of FREEBIES linked up to help you get started too!

First, I want to say that I am in the same boat as most of you - I am a beginner. I started doing research when I saw this coming up more and more and since I will be teaching 4th and 5th Science, I thought this would be a great addition to help meet our state standards.

STEM challenges are small problems that students solve with specific materials. Through this learning with little or no direction they learn the engineering process. This align with almost all state standards and NGSS to some degree at every grade level. I love the open-endedness of the challenges and how students get to really explore and share how the process works. Students essentially get in groups (for most challenges) and have a limited amount of time. I require that during that time they document their learning through a recording sheet so they have information to share with the class when finished.

Here are some amazing blogs/posts that will give you a better explanation:

1. Sunny Days in Second Grade: Our First STEM Challenge

2. Teachers are Terrific, She has a great store as well TONS of stem resources. I love the way she says what she is working on for each grade - so helpful and you can differentiate activities without changing process to make it work for different grade levels and from year to year.

My STEM Pinterest Board. Click the link to be taken to it - click follow at the top to make sure you see any new pins being added (closer to school there will be plenty)

My links and where I got resources:

Stem Rules Poster = FREE (see below)

Here are the FREE cover and rules pages! (click the pictures to download!) To make them editable you lose the cute fonts in Google Drive, so you'll have to use some of your own.

Use this list to get some resources. To me the important parts are materials, and any guidelines that they might have. Leaving them open-ended is great for students to explore. I plan to make notes for next year about what could be included or what worked best!

Homemade Toys - make a toy for younger children explain why it works and what it does.
Marble Track - 4/5 Learning about angles
STEM Crazy teachers - TONS OF great briefs!!!
Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge - Great for younger grades or to start out
Saving Fred - great beginning activity to work together! + it uses candy!
Roller Coaster Challenge - pretty wordy but you can use Pinterest pins to fill in the gaps
Zipline Racers - this one looks really cool! Not official STEM plan but could easily do with a little modification
Design a Car - this is versions of this that use editable (food) items, they look fun too!
Design a Boat - fun challenge
TONS of challengs and lesson plans - eGFI (look on left column to search for specifics

In my binder, I have 3 sections: Back to School, Challenges, and Projects. Projects require more effort and multiple parts along with a challenge and really integrate the learning across different subject areas. I compiled my list of challenges and you can download for FREE - here OR click the picture below. You can google the name of any challenge to get the gist or lesson plans and those are what I have printed in my binder for reference. Because I'm teaching 4th and 5th, I only included those grade levels and these are NOT editable (sorry!) but you can get your ideas there and fill out the blank ones at the bottom!

I plan to do 1 STEM challenge or experiment to start every new chapter. Currently, I just don't have the funds and resources to do them once a week although I would love to! I plan to start with the Saving Fred activity for both 4 and 5. I want the students to get the feel starting with a fun activity before moving forward.

During the first couple sessions, I plan on introducing the role cards (crossing my fingers) they will be able to utilize them. I think it will be good but since not working with this age level before, I'm willing to just go with teamwork on the challenges. I will also explain the rules before every challenge and make sure each group has paper to document trials and be able to explain once finished what worked and what didn't - a HUGE part of the process.

Getting all of that in place, will make it easier for the continuing challenges the rest of the year.

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I'm starting a short mini-series on some things I want to try during this school year. Join me on this journey by following along - I'd love to hear what new things you are trying this year! Make sure to read all of this - there are TONS of FREEBIES linked up to help you get started too!

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DIY Portable LEGO Kit with 24 Free Printable Activity Cards

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DIY Portable LEGO Kit with 24 Free Printable Activity Cards

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Now that it's not pitch dark around dinner time anymore (thank you, summer!!!), we've been going out to dinner more often. I usually pack a few things for S to play with while we wait for our food, and with it being LEGO week and all - I was inspired to put this together. S looooves it.

Here's what it looks like - a little plastic container with a snap-close lid and it has a handful of LEGO bricks and some activity cards. (Any plastic container that will fit in your purse/bag that snaps closed should work. I got this one for $2 in the beading section at a craft store.)

S picks an activity card and then makes the matching structure.

To make this set, I picked the following bricks from our LEGO stash (you will want to pick the same if you are using our Free Printable Activity Cards ( Set 1, Set 2, Set 3). An easy way to get these (if you don't already have lots of them) is to go to a LEGO store - you can buy individual LEGO bricks there. Apparently the types of bricks available varies by store - we were able to buy all of these a la carte at ours, but they may not be at your local store.

Here's what it looks like totally unpacked.

S has really enjoyed it thus far. It's small enough to fit in my purse, so perfect for any sort of wait - doctor's office, restaurant, etc. And you could even use it on road trips or plane flights. Lots of possibilities!

There are 24 activity cards ( Set 1, Set 2, Set 3) you can download and print for personal use (you may not distribute them on your website). UPDATE: one of my lovely readers (thank you, Aidan!!!!) made a beautiful version of these on her computer (meaning they look much nicer than my handdrawn ones, hahaha). You can download the prettier cards here! (The prettier version is also available in jpeg format if that's easier - Set 1, Set 2, Set 3). And the awesome Karalee made a set of blank templates for those of you who have different colored bricks you'd like this to work with. Thank you SO much, Karalee! You can find her blank templates here: Set 1, Set 2, Set 3.

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

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DIY Portable LEGO Kit with 24 Free Printable Activity Cards

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Now that it's not pitch dark around dinner time anymore (thank you, summer!!!), we've been going out to dinner more often. I usually pack a few things for S to play with while we wait for our food, and with it being LEGO week and all - I was inspired to put this together.

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Makerspace | Creating a space for young makers and educators

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Makerspace | Creating a space for young makers and educators

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