July Makerspace projects
July Makerspace projects
Check out these fun challenges from July!
Check out these fun challenges from July!
Embedded Files
Happy birthday, NASA!
Happy birthday, NASA!
On July 29, 1958, NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) was established by the United States to coordinate the country’s government space activities. It was founded as a response to the 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviet Union (now called Russia). NASA has led many successful space missions, including landing astronauts on the moon, operating the world’s first reusable spacecraft (space shuttles), and launching the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Looking to the future, the organization is planning missions to return to the moon and land astronauts on Mars, will conduct scientific experiments and test new technology, and continue to explore the reaches of space.
Learn more about NASA
Learn more about NASA
STEM Space Projects
STEM Space Projects
STEM activities from JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), located in nearby Pasadena:
Videos about space
Videos about space
SciShow Kids: Let’s Go to Space! – Explore our solar system with Jessi and Squeaks! (for elementary)
Crash Course Kids: Space Compilation – An overview of videos that this series has done about space. (for middle school & teens)
National Geographic – Dozens of videos about space, exploration, and interesting phenomena.
Online games and activities
Online games and activities
National Geographic Kids, Passport to Space – out-of-this-world facts, photos, books, and games about all things space
NASA Kids’ Club – games and activities to encouraging students to become the scientists, engineers, and explorers of the future
NASA STEM @ Home for K-4th graders
NASA STEM @ Home for 5th-8th graders
NASA Science Space Place – Find the answers to some of your biggest questions about space! Also try out games, crafts, activities, videos, and more.
Soapy Science
Soapy Science
Who doesn’t love to blow bubbles? A bubble is just a thin layer of soapy water filled with air. Learn about the science behind bubbles, including why bubbles are always round. Then try making your own bubble solution at home. After that, check out the links for fun activities: make bubble domes, find items to use as bubble wands, and play bubble tennis!
SciShow Kids – Fun With Bubbles!
SciShow Kids – Fun With Bubbles!
Homemade bubble recipe
Homemade bubble recipe
Ingredients:
Large container
4 cups of warm water
½ cup of dishwashing liquid (Dawn works best, but any will do)
1/2 cup of sugar OR 1/3 cup honey
Something to stir
Directions:
Pour the sugar or honey into the warm water and stir until it dissolves. Then pour the dishwashing liquid into the mix. Stir gently so that bubbles or foam don’t form. You can use it right away, but many people recommend covering and letting the bubble mix sit for a few hours or overnight.
Sailing into summer…
Sailing into summer…
Let’s try some final fun boat projects! How about making boats that can move using their own power? (Some of these activities may require an adult’s help.)
The Buoyant Boat Challenge
The Buoyant Boat Challenge
Classic version: How many pennies can your boat hold?
Materials: ruler, aluminum foil (heavy duty is best), scissors, sink/tub/container partially filled with water, pennies
Directions:
Measure and cut a 5 inch by 5 inch piece of aluminum foil.
Think of a boat design using what you know about what helps a boat float and stay balanced.
Build your boat using the piece of aluminum foil (only 1 piece!).
Place your boat in the water.
Add pennies to your boat one at a time. After each one, wait 1-2 seconds to make sure the boat stays afloat. (Sometimes it takes a couple of moments for water to enter into the boat and cause it to sink.) Keep count of the number of pennies you are putting in.
When your boat sinks, the last penny added (that sunk the boat) will not count in the total amount held.
Now that you know how many pennies your boat could hold, let’s think critically. Ask yourself a few questions:
What part of your design worked well?
What didn’t seem to work?
How can you change your design?
Now use a fresh piece of 5 inch by 5 inch aluminum foil – it must be the same size so that you can make a fair comparison – to construct a new boat. Test it out to see if it can hold more pennies than your first try. Repeat as often as you would like!
Cardboard Boat
Cardboard Boat
Ready for a bigger challenge? The James Dyson Foundation has developed a cardboard boat project to try out. Watch this video and then read the directions. You may not have a weight that’s exactly 1/2 pound, but you can try something waterproof like a large rock, a half-filled bottle of water, or a can of soda.
James Dyson Foundation
James Dyson Foundation
James Dyson Foundation - Cardboard BoatReport abuse