Pop-Up Perspective

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

December 2018

For this Make-HER, I asked the moms and daughters to become educators for the evening. In this workshop, they explored paper mechanics and pop-up techniques to create visual and interactive teaching tools. They started off by learning a little bit of the history of pop-ups in scientific exploration, with examples going back to the 16th Century. Then, the moms and daughters helped each other come up with ideas for their projects by participating in a group brainstorm. They thought about what they would like to learn about, wrote those ideas down on sticky notes and posted them on an idea board for everyone to draw inspiration from. Then, the moms and daughters got busy creating their own learning tools. Using visually striking techniques such as pop ups, spinning wheels and pull tabs, everyone created original and fun ways to teach something to the other moms and daughters.

Earthquake Safe Engineering

Campbell Library, Campbell, CA

June 2018

Moms and daughters got to explore seismic engineering with an earthquake design challenge. Erin and I started by introducing the shake table and discussing some of the design approaches used to build earthquake-safe structures. Then, mother/daughter teams paired up into design teams and were told that for the next two hours, they were part of Tinker Belle's Scientifically Safe Construction Co. Each design team was given a client request to design a building that would withstand an earthquake, each with their own needs and constraints. The girls and moms built prototypes, testing as they built. Then they presented their designs and gave the models a final 15 second test on the earthquake shake table.

Wearable Wunderkammer

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

June 2018

This Make-HER was inspired by cabinets of curiosity, or early pre-museum collections of scientific oddities, specimins and art meant to invoke a sense of wonderment. For this workshop, I asked the moms and daughters what about the world fills them with wonderment, and use this as inspiration to create a collection of jewelry and other adorment.

I began by introducing the group to the history of wunderkammer (cabinets of curiosity) and the main types of objects that were featured: naturalia, natural objects and evidence of creatures, including monsters, artificalia, objects modified by humans, such as antiquities and art, scientifica, scientific instruments, and exotica, exotic plant and animals. After showing some examples of how other jewelry makers are using the natural world as inspiriation, I gave them their design challenge: Each mom and daughter pair had to work together to create a matched set of wearable wunderkammer.

Several stations were set up around the room where the moms and daughters could explore different jewelry making techniques, STEM skills and methods for incorporating natural materials and imagery into their wearable wunderkammer design, including flower pressing, modpodging, creating light-up fascinators with sewn circuitry, glycerine preservation, making jewelry chains and wirewrapping. Using a mix natural materials, such as fresh flowers, colorful minerals and sea shells, and cabinet of curiosity-inspired materials, such as animal imagery and tiny apothecary bottles, the moms and daughters create original jewelry and hair pieces inspired by art and science. The workshop ended with a gallery walk, where everyone walked around the room to see each other's wearable wunderkammer and read what inspired their designs.

Lumos! Circuit Wands

Campbell Library, Campbell, CA

May 2018

Mothers and daughter explored circuitry while creating an illuminating circuit wand. They worked together to create a copper tape circuits on wooden dowels, topped off with a gumdrop LED. So they could cast lumos whenever they wish, participants were shown how to incorporate switches into their circuit. The girls and moms then used decorations to personalize their wands, creating a room full of glowing magic.

Optical Illusion Toys

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

November 2017

This Make-HER workshop was a throwback to 19th Century scientific amusements. The girls and moms were introduced to a brief history of optical and philosophical toys, or toys that explore illusions of motion and play with perspective. The group was then split in half. They were informed that each group now owned a scientific toy shop. Using their STEM skills and creative thinking, the groups had to work together to create a new line of optical toys. The moms and girls spent the next hour investigating famous examples, such as Newton's Disk and Bedlam's Disk, and building their original illusions using speed, light play, reflection and circuitry to trick the mind. The workshop ended with each group presenting their toy shop, with lots of time left over for playing with each other's optical toys.

Earthquake Safe City Design

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

June 2017

For this Make-HER, the moms and daughters explored seismic engineering with an earthquake design challenge. Erin and I started by introducing the shake table and discussing some of the design approaches used to build earthquake-safe structures. Then, mother/daughter teams paired up into design teams and were told that for the next two hours, they were part of Tinker Belle's Scientifically Safe Construction Co. Each design team was given a client request to design a building that would withstand an earthquake, each with their own needs and constraints. The girls and moms used recycled materials to build prototypes, then presented their designs and gave the models a ten-second test on the earthquake shake table.

DIY Wind Turbines

Teen Summer Program

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

June 2017

For this year's Teen Summer Program, Erin and I brought a hands-on alternative energy program to Sunnyvale Library. The teens were introduced to the basics of engineering wind power, and then were challenged to build their own wind turbine. The teens were able to explore advanced circuitry by utilizing a joule thief, demonstrating how a low energy resource, like a wind turbine, can power a light emiting diode.

Storytelling and Circuitry

Make-HER Workshop Series

Columbia Middle School Sunnyvale, CA

April - May 2017

Sunnyvale Library and Columbia Middle School have partnered to bring the Make-HER program to their students. Every Monday for five weeks, middle school girls from all grades gathered afterschool to explore storytelling through STEM learning. The girls made magical light up wands, built interactive storyboards, engineered puppets and sewed with LEDs and conductive thread.

Puppet Physics

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

January 2017

Moms and girls explored the translation of movement by building puppets in this Make-HER Tinker Belle workshop. Erin and I opened by introducing different forms of puppet mechanics, such as rod controls, pull strings and weights. Then, the moms and daughters worked together to design a puppet with personality. They explore different ways to approach their puppet. Some started with the story and designed their puppet around it, while others dug into making and let it's personality come out naturally through motion, materials and expression. The evening ended with the girls presenting their creations with quick puppet shows.

Light Up Holiday Scarves

NorCal Girl Scouts, Menlo Park, CA

December 2016

The Girls Scouts have a special place in the Tinker Belle's hearts. 6th Grade Girls Scouts is where Erin and I became best friends, the beginning of the long journey to becoming the Tinker Belles. Right before winter holidays, Erin and Lauren brought a light up holiday scarf workshops to the Girl Scouts of Menlo Park. The Girl Scouts designed their circuit pattern, then used conductive thread and LEDs to sew their pattern into a fun scarf that glows like holiday lights.

Dia de los Muertos Soft Circuit Tapestry

3-part teen and parent series

San Pablo Library, Contra Costa, California

September 2016

The San Pablo Library reached out to the Tinker Belles to design a workshop series with teen girls designed to build family relationships, strengthen communities, and inspire girls to work with technology. As part of a community-building grant, the San Pablo Library wanted the project to be something that the girls could work on with with an adult family member or mentor, as well as create something the commmunity could enjoy, but would still have components the girls could eventually take home eventually.

Using these components as our guide, Erin and I developed a 3-part workshop series on creating a soft circuit tapestry themed around Dia de los Muertos. Each teen girl worked with her family member on designing a spooky square for the tapestry, complete with sewn circuitry using conductive thread and a metal snap as a switch. On the last day, all the squares were attached to a tapestry, which hung on display at San Pablo Library through the month of October, after which everyone got to take gome their unique square.

Magical Twinkling Fairy Houses

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

January 2016

In this Make-HER workshop, the girls and their moms incorporated paper circuity into 3D structures to create light up fairy abodes. The moms and daughters started by sketching out a plan, then worked together to create tiny houses that lit up in magical ways. They were encouraged to make each fairy home their own by designing creative switches, choosing how they would like to incorporate an LED circuit and choosing from an assortment of decorations.

Moveable Monsters

Summer Reading Program Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

July 2016

When Sunnyvale Library asked me to bring a S.T.E.M. workshop as part of their Summer Reading Program, I immediately though of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Frankenstein was one of my earliest exposures to science in literature. Though the science is pure fiction, the novel sparked an interest that the classroom hadn't, an early example of how storytelling can provide an entryway to S.T.E.M. learning. For this workshop, kids took on the role of Dr. Frankenstein, assembling creepy paper parts to create monster puppets. The kids explored different methods to make their monsters move, such as wiggle walking (rod controls) and ( ) string controls.

Summer Soft Circuit Tote Bags

Teen Summer Program Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

June 2016

One of the best part about summer is staying out late. With this in mind, Erin and I brought a soft circuit tote bag workshop themed around summer nights. Using LEDs and conductive thread, the teens designed and sewed iluminating features into their bags, such as stars, lighting bugs and fireworks.

Light Up Flower Clips

Dr. Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Branch Library, San Jose, CA

February 2016

Teensreach high schoolers from Alum Rock Library spent their Saturday afternoon crafting with circuitry by making light up flower clips.

Constellation Scarves

Pearl Avenue Library, San Jose, CA

December 2015

High schoolers from Pearl Avenue Libray's Teensreach program explored astronomy, circuitry and sewing in the soft circuitry workshop. The teens picked out their favorite constellation, mapped it out as a parallel circuit design, and sewed their constellation into sparkly fleece using conductive thread and LEDs. The result were warm, glowing scarves that could brighten up any winter night.

Calavara Paper Circuit Masks

"Making Around the World" Make-HER: International Day of the Girl Celebration

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

October 2015

In celebration of International Day of the Girl, Sunnyvale library invited four Make-HER instructors to each develop a quick maker activity that honors a cultural celebration from around the world. Like all Make-HER programs, the projects also needed to included a STEM twist. For my cultural celebration activity, I decided to honor the month of October and one of my favorite holiday, Dia de los Muertos, and have the participants create calavera circuit masks with light up eyes. The girls and moms followed instructions on how to create a copper tape circuit on the back of their mask and add a switch to the handle, so they could control when to make their mask's LED eyes illumninate. These skulls aren't made of sugar, but the girls and moms recreated the effect of icing using puff paint, giving their calavera masks the sweet look of the traditional folk art.

Hack Your Childhood

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

July 2015

In the first Tinker Belle Make-HER workshop, the moms and daughters combined traditional book altering techniques with paper circuitry to bring beloved picture books to life. Girls and moms were asked to bring a favorite picture book with them to the workshop. First, Erin and I introduced the moms and girls to basic circuitry concepts, and demonstrated how to use copper tape as a conductor. For the rest of the workshop, they worked together to turn their beloved old picture books into interactive art pieces. The girls and moms cut out pop-ups, integrated circuits with switches and adding decorations for color and texture, resulting in books that light up more than just minds.

Lumos! Magical Circuits

Make-HER

Sunnyvale Library, Sunnyvale, CA

April 2015

For my first workshop in the Make-HER series, the girls and moms learned how to create an illuminating circuit wand. The mother/daughter teams worked together to create a copper tape circuit on a wooden dowel topped off with a gumdrop LED. So they could cast lumos whenever they wish, participants were shown how to incorporate switches into their circuit. The girls and moms then used decorations to personalize their wands, creating a room full of glowing magic fit for Hogwarts.