8th graders in ELA at Linton Stockton JH were practicing to be technical writers. Their task was to build a gingerbread house from given materials (5″x7″ cardboard & craft stuff), then create the instructions on how to replicate what they made. They had to include a BOM (Bill of Materials) as well as measurements. Instructions… Read more »

6th grade ELA students were tasked with thinking of/designing an artefact that symbolized a person that was central to their life, someone very important to them. They had the option of 3D design in Tinkercad or creating with craft materials (cardboard, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, buttons, pompoms, cotton balls, straws, yarn…) After making, they will… Read more »

I have spent several days at Linton Stockton working with Elementary and JH & HS. Sometimes one teacher, sometimes one or 2 students, sometimes a classroom of kids on a variety of skills/tools. We did some laser testing and prototyping of engraving a stock cutting board. Then we showed 2 kids how to design and… Read more »

I went to Owen Valley High School to work with a group of makers during their “Patriot Time”. Mrs. L & I chose “DIY ceramic coasters”.  Which is putting a vinyl sticker on a square/round ceramic tiles, then sealing it. I took my 2 Cricut Joy and they have their large Cricut. I showed then… Read more »

I spent 2 afternoons with a few students at Shoals HS getting started with the micro:bit. We started with basics of getting emojis to show and using buttons A & B to make different ones and different timings. We then went to connecting an LED and coding it to do various blinks. The final thing… Read more »

Recently I have been down at the Orleans Public Library. We have been talking for a while about a makerspace in the library. I wanted to get them started with 3D printing and using a Cricut, get them some hands on experience and training, so I loaned them each of those and did an afternoon… Read more »

I spent Patriot Hour with 11 students in the library making some winter themed paper circuits. I like using the templates from makerspaces.com because there is a template on the back of the coloring page. They all did great. We even talked a little Chemistry with conductors and Periodic Table.

I was helping out at a couple of FabLabs and Makerspaces in the region.  The big thing we did at one was design and laser cut a wooden ornament for each PreK student. They will sign their name to the ornament. We also were doing some order checking because a materials order got all messed… Read more »

I have a school with some First Graders that would like to build a small cardboard community. I am thinking something like a  Christmas village at this time of year, but not necessarily. I created some laser templates to cut out. I did a 4″x4″x4″ with a peak roof, a 4″x4″x8″ with a peak roof,… Read more »

Yes, you can laser cut a rubber stamp. Here is a nice video about using an XTool laser and XTool Creative Space to create the stamp. They do the same image as a positive and a negative. For a positive stamp, you engrave away the material around your image, leaving the image raised. For the… Read more »