I wasn't able to attend the World Maker Faire in New York City, but at I did get to try one of the hot products that debuted there, Marbleocity. The folks at Tinkineer reached out the me to review their Mini Coaster (currently selling for $30 on Kickstarter). They had me at DIY marble roller coaster. My boys are teens now, but they when they were young, my little engineers loved making marble roller coasters and watching them in ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Simple Stretchy Slime
I’m delighted to be back with yet another activity on behalf of GOJO Industries, the makers of PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer. And just in time for Halloween, we will be making slime, which is also sometimes called gak or flubber. Making this borax-free slime requires just two basic supplies that you may already have on hand. It’s easy to mix up and you’ll definitely want to smoosh and squish it to experience a full range of oozy tactile ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Electroactive Slime
Are you planning a Halloween party? Electroactive slime, sometime called electric slime, provides the perfect opportunity to show off your spooky scientific powers. You can fool partygoers into thinking that you’re controlling the electroactive goop with your telekinetic powers. That is, until you explain the science behind the trick. How to Make Electroactive Slime Supplies Vegetable oil Cornstarch A balloon or 3x3 piece of Styrofoam ... [ Read More ]
Eye on the Prize: A DIY Learn-to-Code Game with Post-it Products
Last week I mentioned that I had a STEM project in the works with the Post-it® Brand. Today I get to introduce it to you! Behold Eye on the Prize, an analog computer programming game. In addition to introducing kids to programming logic, it’s a good introduction to pair programming because you need two people to play. In pair programming, two programmers work together at a single computer. One writes the code while the other reviews each line ... [ Read More ]
Teknikio’s E-Textile Kit
I'd been itching to dabble in e-textiles, or electronic textiles, when I was offered a review kit from Teknikio early this year. They've since rebranded ans switched things up a bit so this is sort of two reviews in one. Teknikio is a new small business helping kids (of all ages) expand their ability to design and engineer amazing things. I think kits are great for exploring new hobbies and the $15 Fabtronic Sewing Set is no ... [ Read More ]
Last Stop Before the Recycling Bin
I recently did some summer cleaning in my office, largely because tackling the basement maker space is way too daunting. My drive to organize goes in fits and starts, with more of the former than the latter. I sifted though close to seven years of cards that I'd organized in a binder. Let's just say over ten years of blogging events, national conferences, and trade shows I've met a lot of people! I kept close to 300 cards, people whose names ... [ Read More ]
Candy Construction Challenge
The Candy Construction Challenge is what one of my friends refers to as a snacktivity. Snacktivities combine the best of all worlds: playing, learning, and eating. The Candy Construction Challenge is super easy and provides many ways to learn and play. And it's a fun way to prevent the summer slide. The idea is to have kids explore math and engineering concepts with toothpicks and candy. I'll share a few of my favorite ways to play. ... [ Read More ]