I forgot about this blog’s actual birthday– I think it was February 12, 2008. Here at the Creator Hub we had some students come it to build cigar box guitars. They all got to take their creations home. Looks like we will have another class this summer!
Banjo talk to the little farmers
A presentation at the Laughing Buck Farm
Here I am showing a tack-head banjo made from a wooden bucket and a broom stick. The strings are not gut strings (but maybe next time I’ll make some) but are weed whacker string.
Hey, it’s Temple Grandin!
Dr. Grandin loves the maker movement!
Temple Grandin was in this weekend to sign copies of her new book “Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor”. And so was the Fort Collins Creator Hub!
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It’s a violin shaped planter table:
Top and bottom cut on a band saw (sure, could have used the laser cutter but…)
Clamped together. Some varnish and some legs and it will be done
This is an item I’m making for our book fair featuring Temple Grandin on June 23.
More musical stuff at this year’s Rice Elementary Science Night!
Introducing the Carrot-Turnip Piano
Constructed from an Arduino Micro, voltage divider circuit, a very old laptop and a few vegetables this ‘instrument’ could make all kinds of musical sounds as well as various embarrassing noises, which of course the kids loved.
Home built instrument trio
From left to right we have a cuíca, a Rebab and a cigar box guitar.
Homemade straw flute table
I did this last year, it seems to be popular so here it is again.
Big Bass Banjo in the corner
The banjo is so big and weird, why not include it with the rest of the music makers!
Who out there can play a theremin?
Many have tried. Here is my old model Termin-Vox with the sculls mounted on top why not? Also, there is an old TV on the right that operates like a poor man’s oscilloscope.
Something about physics
This was something I cooked up at the last minute. It’s a spinning Helmholtz Resonator experiment and it actually WORKS!
At least it seemed that way:
On the door of the Prius anyhow
Thanks to the Fort Collins Creator Hub and their nifty little vinyl cutter, I now have this professional looking ‘Official Rocket Scientist’ decal that I can show off whenever I’m at the FCMOD.
Paper Rockets shot indoors
Not as bad as the Comic Con and lots more fun. Actually I’m not sure many rockets were built at Comic Con; I knew a few of them exploded. We’ve since fixed that problem and I’m sure the museum was glad we did.
Parents helping kids make the rocket tubes
This seemed to work out well. I had five test rocket forms for the kids to roll paper onto, and there really was no huge wait times to get there rockets launched. It was fun, and I didn’t have to search for lost rockets inside the museum (the regular employees got to do that).
An easy kids activity
Once you have a rocket launcher, the rest is easy!
I reminded myself to load these posters from the library:
Yet Another TAD
Was some work getting this all together but I had some volunteer help at the library (high school students’ community service can cash in at the local library).
…and printing in Three Dee ! Hee Hee
There were some adults in the audience so I related my take on 3D printers from November 2013 (Look Here) where I told them what I thought George Carlin might say about these ‘toys that make toys’. Go ahead, take a look!
OK, so I haven’t checked in for a while…
Stuff is still going on
Duncan is still hungry, Jeannie is conducting, 3D printers are printing and I don’t what the hell he’s doing.
Or just another chance to hang the FCCH banner in a public place:
Going toward an analog/digital Education Initiative
The future of a global community of makers, tinkerers, creators, designers and inventors will depend on a group of visionary educators who will dismantle the current education paradigm and rebuild from its parts a new and dynamic view of learning for the sake of learning. I don’t know… I just made that up. It’s got the words ‘education’ and ‘learning’ mentioned twice. Make stuff, don’t buy stuff. Recycle. Preserve nature naturally. Sigh!
At the Colorado Odyssey of the Mind?
One of the local high schools hosted the OOTM
I would usually be judging a 4th grade science fair right about now but somehow I got into judging this event which I never heard of before.
More of a show of creativity, I guess…
But unlike a science fair, there are predefined problems that students have to solve. It’s important that 1) No adult does any of the work; 2) Some kind of skit will gain you extra points; and 3) There is another part to the competition called the ‘Spontaneous competition’ where nothing is ever predefined.
NO Odyssey may pass!
What’s with the AP chemistry teacher at this school? Anyway, the Ranatra fusca is the scientific name for a type of “water scorpion” insect and it happens to also be the name of the grand prize for the OotM competition. OK?