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Beginner level in-class Maker projects
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Towers of Power

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Tape
Tools:
  • Scissors
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A great starting point for a beginning Maker teacher, this “Towers of Power” activity allows students to build towers out of paper and Scotch tape. Students can build the tallest tower with an unlimited amount of materials, constrain themselves to limited materials or introduce new materials, such as straws and paper clips. You can crush the towers with textbooks. Find out which tower holds up the most weight. This group activity can help students with teamwork, leadership and planning skills. Best of all, variations on this theme are endless — and the materials can be found in any school office.

Catapults
Materials:

  • Mouse traps
  • Wood stirring sticks
  • Erasers
  • Wood blocks
  • Ping-pong balls
  • Hot glue

Tools:

  • Hot glue guns
This catapult activity is one of my favourite projects to use to introduce engineering principles, motion and fun. The catapult allows students to chase down the best launching angle and the ratio between power and arm length, as well as discuss projectile motion, gravity, physics laws and a whole host of other things.

Bridge to Nowhere


Materials:
  • Wood craft sticks
  • Hot glue
  • 5-gallon bucket with weights

Tools:
  • Hot glue guns
  • Diagonal cutters
Design a bridge to span a foot-long gap and hold as much weight as possible. An extension could be to build a cantilever — a bridge with only one footing. Use a set amount of craft sticks or materials in order to encourage creativity in solutions.

Float the Boat


Materials:
  • Tinfoil
  • Craft sticks
  • Bamboo skewers
  • Paper
  • Hot glue
  • Clay
  • Wood scraps
  • Pens and markers

Tools:
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue guns
  • Craft sticks (all optional)
Design a boat that can hold the most cargo, move through the water the fastest or has the most efficient weight to cargo ratio. Find the best shape for sails, design the fastest hull and find the balance point.

Egg Drop


Materials:
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Packing tape
  • Junk and stuff (the weirder, the better). Think packing materials, fabric scraps, string, rope, plastic bags, etc.

Tools:
  • Scissors
Throwing eggs off something high always gets kids motivated. It’s a great way to discuss momentum and illustrate why you should always wear your seat belt.

Instruments



Materials:
  • Wood scraps
  • Strings
  • Dried rice
  • Beans
  • Sandpaper
  • Cardboard
  • Hot glue
  • Tape
  • Small sections of pipe

Electromagnets


​Materials:
  • Metal bolts
  • Copper wire
  • Batteries

Tools:
  • Pliers
  • Scissors
Electromagnets illustrate the connection between electricity and magnetism. In real life, electromagnets are the cornerstone of many common electrical devices, such as door bells, burglar alarms, car doors and electric motors. Students can fiddle with them to create small toys that can pick up ferrous objects.

Squishy Circuits
Materials:
  • Flour
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Electronic components such as motors, LED, etc.

Tools:
  • Hot plate and pots, if you are making with the students, or simply small bags to hold the materials in.
Squishy circuits solve one of the biggest conundrums with younger Makers: how to build with real electronic components when the young hands have yet to develop the fine motor skills to connect relatively small parts together via grown up tools? Try using play dough! Take a piece of flour and a small collection of electronic parts (which you can find online at a low cost.)

MakeyMakey Controller Boards
Materials:
  • Anything you can get your hands on
  • Tinfoil
  • Wires

Tools:
  • Pliers
  • Scissors


Once the students have made a few electronic circuits, they might ask for something a bit more complicated. Give them a programmable micro-controller board, which they can use to play a banana piano, design a custom video game controller or create a dance floor that can play different songs with each tile. MakeyMakey can make it happen.

Da Vinci Bridge design challenge: 

Challenge students to use their ingenuity to see if they can create a bridge using 18 sticks and nothing else - no tape, no glue, no nails. Don’t show them any pictures or give them any hints. Students that are up for a challenge can try to build a bridge that bridges a gap between tables (this would require 2-3 students working collaboratively). Encourage them to play with the sticks and see if any ideas come to mind. Eventually, one or more students will get the idea of weaving some sticks together. Now show them pictures of Leonardo's bridge. Some students will be able to build their own version with no other instructions. For everyone else, a step-by-step guide is provided below.

For a complete lesson please visit the link listed below: 
https://mindtrekkers.mtu.edu/lessons/26.pdf

Other exciting and more advanced maker project ideas can be found here:  Makezine is the magazine for Makers, which was first published in 2005 and used the word “Maker” to name the community. Now in its 13th year, Make: is published bi-monthly in print and features dozens of DIY technology projects. Called the “bible” for makers, Make: and its companion website, Makezine.com, cover makers, their projects and technologies as well as the communities that grow up around them. Another resource created by an educator for educators. The goal of this website is to help other educators build a culture of creativity and discovery in education. Here you will find many lessons, activities and projects that can be take on and done in class to promote making. Blogs, resources, books and tools are also some defining features of this resource. 

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