I can admit it. I have a mild obsession with paper snowflakes. I always have. As a kid, I would spend a lot of time and a lot of paper carefully cutting them out each winter. To be honest, was always disappointed with the results.
This year I was very excited to be invited to participate in Aaron Maurer’s 25 Days of Making on his fantastic Coffee for the Brain site. The idea was to feature at least twenty-five different STEM, STEAM and maker projects by different educators from all over the globe so that teachers could use the projects with their students.
This is the story of a bird feeder. In a public library Makerspace just before Christmas, I never really know if I’ll have a gaggle of kids show up to make use of Legos or empty classes as folks rush to get ready for the holidays. You learn to be ready for anything.
Transform an inexpensive foam pumpkin into a light-up monster for Halloween! This fun spin on a jack-o-lantern has lots of space for individuality as kids (and adults) create their own crazy pumpkin. And the best part? It lights up to make a spooky decoration for the season. Supplies: A small foam pumpkin (solid or hollow)…
Make a simple light-up ghost using a ping pong ball, an LED, and craft supplies. It’s a great, inexpensive Halloween craft for classrooms, clubs, and makerspaces. In addition to being a fun and creative project, it teaches the basics of how a circuit work as well. Supplies: 5mm LED, any color 3v coin cell battery…
Last weekend, my family and I attended the 2nd Philadelphia Min Maker Faire at the Pennovation Center on Sunday, October 6. This was our second maker event of the fall, as we spread our wings and explore a wider variety of faires in the absence of World Maker Faire NYC this year. (You may enjoy…
On Saturday, September 28 my family and I traveled out to the 6th Annual Buffalo Mini Maker Faire (BMMF) at The Park School of Buffalo. After many years of attending Maker Faire NYC, we decided it was time to get out and see other Faires and broaden our horizons. So we hit the road from…
A simple, fun bristlebot for Halloween! Great for an introductory project in classrooms or makerspaces.
Since so many of my patrons love astronomy, astronauts and space in general, I love to customize my programs for World Space Week. This year I drafted a list of computer programming challenges for my Coding Club. Featuring space themes, these activities are all self-led tutorials. I’ve included projects for all ages and experience levels.
Note: Detailed instructions for this project were published on Make on November 15, 2015. Please see “Cut and Fold a Pop-Up Snowflake Greeting Card.” They are now updated on Make: Projects. Like most self-respecting nerds, I love fractals. So what better way to celebrate winter than creating a fun card based on the famous Koch…
