June Makerspace projects
June Makerspace projects
Check out these fun challenges from June!
Check out these fun challenges from June!
Embedded Files
Boats
Boats
Summer is here! What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? Many people love to cool off in the hot weather by doing water activities. Some enjoy floating in a pool, while others head to an ocean or river to try their hand at kayaking or canoeing. Your project for the week is to build boats that can float.
This week is your chance to play around with materials to learn about floating, buoyancy, and what is needed to create vessels that do not sink, leak, get soaked and fall apart, or tip over. And even though the most important thing is if the boats actually work, that doesn’t mean it can’t look good too! A vehicle’s appearance is also something that all designers also think about.
Next week, we’ll give you some specific challenges to try!
What materials can you use to make a boat that floats?
Here’s a list to get you started: popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, egg cartons, plastic containers or bottles, cardboard, corks, straws, foam or plastic trays, playdough, plastic wrap, glue/hot glue, tape.
What floats your boat? Buoyancy!
Animation explaining the basic concepts of buoyancy (floating and sinking), density, and Archimedes' Principle.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared June 14 to be Flag Day. This date was chosen to commemorate the day in 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, when a proclamation was made that established an official flag for our new nation.
Flag pole & flag project
Flag pole & flag project
This week, your task is to create a working flag pole and a flag of your own design. There are a few rules you have to follow:
1) The flag pole must be at least 8 inches tall.
2) The flag pole must have a base and stand on its own.
3) You must be able to raise and lower the flag. You may want to go back to the pulley project from May to help you with this project.
4) You must design your own flag. Check out flags from around the world here for inspiration.
So look around for materials like straws, pencils, popsicle sticks, string, ribbon, paper clips, paper towel tubes, index cards, and markers. And have fun!
Learn about the history and meaning of the features of the United States flag.
How much do you know about the United States flag?
Last year, June was officially named Great Outdoors Month by the U.S. Senate as a way to celebrate the incredible benefits of the great outdoors. After months of sheltering in our homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have gained even more appreciation of America’s natural treasures, including parks, beaches, forests, mountains, canyons, and rivers. If you are lucky enough to get out in nature this month, just take care by following the social distancing and face covering guidelines!
Resources about the National Parks
National Parks Services, Kids in Parks – Junior Ranger Online activities, virtual tours, and webcams
National Geographic Kids – photos, videos, games, and articles about the National Parks
Find Your Park – find a national park, historic site, memorial, trail, or seashore that will leave you feeling amazed and inspired
Build a Bird Feeder
Build a Bird Feeder
For this week’s project, let’s celebrate the great outdoors by making something for our feathered friends – a bird feeder! There are many types of bird feeders, with different species of birds attracted to different designs.
Learn about some of them and get inspiration at Project Feeder Watch, where you can also find out about the variety of food that birds eat. But if you don’t have seeds, there are other options you can try, including popcorn, fresh fruit, peanut butter, and melon seeds.
Now look around your home for materials to make a bird feeder. Can you find plastic containers or bottles, small cardboard boxes, popsicle sticks, paper towel rolls, regular sticks, old flower pots, or egg cartons? Don’t forget that many birds may need a perch for sitting on while they feed. And, of course, find some string or yarn so you can hang your bird feeder!
If you’re lucky enough to get some visitors to your bird feeder, you may want to identify the birds. Discover more about birds and bird watching at the great websites to the right:
Pictures, information, and audio recordings of birds from the Audubon Society
Comprehensive website to learn more about birds and get you started with bird watching
Hot Air Balloons
Hot Air Balloons
Floating on Air!
Floating on Air!
June 5 is National Hot Air Balloon Day. Unlike the helium balloons you get from a store for birthdays and other celebrations, hot air balloons work differently. Helium is a gas that is lighter than air, so balloons filled with it float in the surrounding air because they are lighter. But how do hot air balloons work? Since the first time a hot air balloon successfully carried passengers (a sheep, a duck, and a rooster!) high into the skies of Paris in 1783, hot air balloons have largely worked the same way. Learn more about these high-flying aircraft as we celebrate National Hot Air Balloon Day!
SciShow Kids – How Do Hot Air Balloons Work?
Up, Up, and Away! – Read about how hot air balloons float.
Unique and Fun Hot Air Balloons slideshow
Time-lapse video of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Now you try!
Now you try!
So how can you make a hot air balloon at home? Without using actual fire, of course! It depends on what kind of materials you have at home.
If you have large sheets of tissue paper, follow the directions you’ll find at the Oakland Discovery Center blog.
If not, NASA has instructions for how to make a hot air balloon using a large plastic bag.
After trying out these ideas, maybe you can experiment with other materials you have at home to design and build a different hot air balloon. Can you make a bigger one? Attach a basket to hold passengers? Create one that floats longer?
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