Science

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!

Bee boxes explained

I remember, the first time I saw a bee box (or bee lining box), I was fascinated by all of its chambers (this one has two, others have three), lifts, sliding doors, windows, etc. It’s like something a magician might flourish onstage. But it’s not. It’s used for hunting and capturing wild bees and using […]

Magnetic levitation with Arduino

Magnetic levitation with Arduino

Mekonik used an Arduino board, solenoid coil, hall effect sensor, and some clever coding to hold a permanent magnet in mid-air – The device uses a small Hall effect sensor (SS19 from Honeywell, available for $0.50 from AllElectronics) to sense the field of the permanent magnet and uses that information to modulate the magnetic field […]

No-cost soil moisture sensor

No-cost soil moisture sensor

The Cheap Vegetable Gardner created this soil moisture sensor using nothing more than picture wall hanging hooks, a soda straw, hot glue, and some Plaster of Paris. After a little research there was the classic science class method of creating a homemade sensor by simply putting two galvanized nails in the soil and measuring the […]

Flashback: Umbrella Recycling

Mending tips are key to ecofriendliness. Prolonging the life of your belongings is certainly good for the planet. But what do you do with the item at hand if it’s simply beyond repair? Enter the ubiquitous umbrella. Everyone, at some point, has had a broken umbrella. In CRAFT Volume 07, Diane Baker wrote a Recycle […]