As a previous blog post demonstrates, I am a huge fan of working with cardboard. It is a terrific medium for rapid prototypes and allows kids to experiment, test, make mistakes, and revise with little or no material cost. In that post I mentioned a number of tools and materials that can be used in conjunction... Continue Reading →
Halloween is the perfect time to test out the new Hummingbird Bit from Birdbrain Tech. My plan is to create a remotely controlled ghastly ghost or scary skull, something that can be triggered at a little distance to light up and move. For $6, I picked up a hanging phantom from Target. It's not mechanical... Continue Reading →
I am forever seeking for a new/better tool for 2D design in my work with students. While I use Adobe Illustrator regularly for my graphic design work, the application is often overkill for my middle school students, both in cost and feature set. They need a way to create shapes, modify those shapes, add text,... Continue Reading →
For some years, I have wanted to implement a system for badging students as they learn new skills. I always loved stickers as a kid and, although I wasn't a boy scout, I remember classmates showing their badges and accomplishments at school, and thinking that was cool, but also something they took great pride in... Continue Reading →
Tinkercad recently announced a new feature called Codeblocks. While still in beta, this feature allows 3D designers to use code blocks (powered by Scratch) to create models that they can share, export and even place into their Parts Collection. While coding in 3D design for the average user isn't new, see OpenSCAD and BeetleBlocks as examples, having access to the... Continue Reading →
A few years back, in my Creator's Studio course, I taught a unit on automata. Dictionary.com defines an automaton as "a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power." I have always been intrigued by this concept, seeing example automata in museums and magic shops as a kid. The idea... Continue Reading →
I recently wrote about some creative ways cardboard can be used in the building process, covering techniques for cutting, shaping and combining the material, along with the many tools that can be used to help in this process. But I sometimes find, particularly with smaller children, that cutting cardboard from scratch can be a barrier to... Continue Reading →
I enjoy including light into just about any project I create. There's something innately beautiful about the presence of light, possibly because without it we have no color. More specifically, I'm referring to the subtle use of light, whether that is something found in a photograph, a painting, or another work of art. And, I... Continue Reading →
In preparation for the March for Our Lives, in Los Angeles, my daughter and her friends designed signs to carry while on the march. Having gone through two Women's Marches in the past using signs with sloppy supporting posts that didn't last, we needed to develop a more effective solution to hold the signs for... Continue Reading →
"The affordability, availability, sustainability, and forgiving nature of the medium of cardboard have influenced a new genre of artists to not only experiment, but to spark their imaginations and render a utilitarian material sometimes unrecognizable." The Art of Cardboard, by Lori Zimmer Cardboard is cheap, and in most cases free. After a few purchases on... Continue Reading →
For the Love of Learning 