DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
The Elements of Science Kit from the Maker Shed is a great way to get your kids interested in Chemistry, Biology and Physics. The kit includes a full-color, 112-page, book and the supplies that you need to perform the 100 different experiments. Check out the link for a lot more information about what is included […]
I like this “Beginning Engineer’s Checklist,” from the PIClist site. Here are the first six items on the list: 1. NEVER loan out your copies of: The Art of Electronics (Horowitz & Hill, Cambridge University Press) (you do HAVE a copy don’t you?) Illustrated Sourcebook of Mechanical Components or Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors […]
Liz writes in with information about an innovative new project to convert surplus shipping containers into medical clinics for people in the developing world. As it turns out, shipping containers are a pretty useful even if they aren’t shipping stuff around. A shipping container, once retrofitted for use as a health clinic, is a durable, […]
Here is a variation on the Menocino Motor project. The Mendo Motor is a solar-powered magnetically levitating motor invented by super maker Larry Spring, of Mendocino California. This is a great project to do with high school kids. The Motor incorporates woodworking, electricity, magnestism, troubleshooting, and can also be used as a way of teaching […]
Happy Birthday Al! On this day, in the year 1879, a person was born whose name would become synonymous with our popular concept of genius. When we take a closer look at Albert Einstein’s contributions to science, it’s plain to see why. Within a single year, working at a Swiss patent office, Einstein wrote a […]
Well Happy Pi Day to you! This little video came to me a few years ago via two alumni of my high school technology and engineering program. Math geekery made fun! The Math Forum at Drexel has some good Pi Day activities. if you are looking for some classroom resources for Pi Day, you might […]
Today is the birthday of Joseph Priestley, the 18th century scientist, teacher, and political wonk who had a tremendous impact on the worlds of science and politics. He is credited with the discovery of oxygen (isolating it in its gaseous state). Priestley has been the subject of two “recent” books, The Lunar Men (actually five […]
