Hands-on and project-based learning is making waves in the traditional education system for students and educators alike. Consider yourself a lifelong learner? Explore below for newย ideas and information to discover!
The littleBits Starter Kit is a set of unique, space sensitive modules provide a simple, intuitive avenue into electronics. Each bit has a function (light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors, etc), and modules snap together to make larger circuits. The kit includes 10 color coded modules (power, input, output, and wire) that snap together magnetically.
The Build Your Own Light Bulb Kit, from the Maker Shed, is a fun science kit designed to excite and engage experimenters of all ages. Recreate Edison’s experiments that lead to the development of the first real light bulb. The kit contains everything (except batteries) you need to build your own working light bulb using the included vacuum chamber and a number of different filament materials including carbon and tungsten.
This great-looking Stirling Engine Kit, from the Maker Shed, is as majestic as a piece of art and it’ll help you understand the basics of thermodynamics. Unlike internal combustion engines, Stirling engines run on an external heat source, which can be anything from combustible fuels to geothermal or solar energy! You can try 3 different experiments: the generator, the fan, and the car.
Need a fun, kid safe summer project? The Getting Started with Compressed Air Rockets kit from the Maker Shed is perfect for young makers! Just a few pumps of a bicycle pump (not included) will send homemade rockets blasting 200-300 feet into the air! Perfect for families, summer camps, neighborhoods, or just for fun. High quality parts are built to last for years and thousands of launches.
Steve Davee is a curious person who helps cultivate more curiosity in the students he works with. He’s a Science & Math Teacher and Technology/ Documentation Specialist for Opal School and The Center for Childrenโs Learning of the Portland Childrenโs Museum. He is the founder of CoLab, which provides tinkering camps and workshops in Portland, Oregon.
Tucked away in a back room on the 3rd floor of a nondescript church in NYC’s NoLita neighborhood is Trade School. An initiative of Our Goods, Trade School encourages students to “barter for instruction.” Basically you take a free class, and in exchange, you teach the teacher something they want to learn about! Classes range […]
Friday afternoon, I was vising my friend Amon Millner at Olin College. After finishing up, he invited me to go with him to the nearby Wellesley College and the Engineering Studio. Not knowing quite what to expect, but always interested in seeing hands-on learning spaces, I went along for the ride. What I saw took my breath away and left me speechless. It is still a bit mind boggling to consider what this lab has, and the amazing ideas that have come from it.
