Little Creators: Tinker, Design, Build

This week we started the after school enrichment class for 3rd through 6th grade. It's called "Tinker, Design, Build". I think of these students as my little creators, hence the title of this page. While this younger group will not dive as deeply into project development as Creator's Studio students, they will get exposure to a number of different maker activities and concepts. Here is the current list of activities:

• Simple Circuits - Students are introduced to the concept of circuits through exploration of simple circuit blocks. 
• ScribbleBots - Students will design their own scribblebots using dry erase markers, old K-cups, DC motors, and anything else they can find in PIRL Terrace.
• BristleBots - Students will make and test out bristle bots using toothbrushes, vibration motors and coin cell batteries.
• Hovercrafts - Students will build tiny hover crafts from old CDs and balloons.
• Spin Art - Using old computer fans, students will create small spin art machines.
• Automata - Using cardboard, foam and wood dowels, students will build an automata.
• 2D Design and Laser Cut - Students will design a simple vector image to print out on the laser cutter.
• 3D Design and Print - Students will design a simple object and print out on the 3D printers.

I'm looking forward to this different approach to making. Although the activities in this class aren't as open-ended as Creator's Studio personal projects, they still allow for a great deal of tinkering, iteration, creativity and collaboration. More details to follow in the coming weeks.