Tinker Nest

Origami: an Art Form for All Subjects What do pizza boxes, car airbags, and fancy napkins have in common? Well, you might have guessed it -- Origami. Composed of the Japanese words O R U (to fold) and K A M I (paper), this ancient paper-folding art origami can make an impact in today's education too. This art form engages students and sneakily enhances their skills -- including improved spatial perception and logical and sequential thinking. Science:  Origami is a fun way to explain physics concepts. A thin piece of paper is not very strong, but if you fold it like an accordion it will be. Bridges are based on this concept. Also, origami is a fun way to explain molecules. Many molecules have the shape of tetrahedrons and other polyhedra. Technology:  What if you could swallow a robot that could move about inside your body to perform simple surgical procedures? Researchers at MIT have created an origami-inspired bot that folds small enough to fit in a pill; once inside the body...

Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements such as cams, levers, and linkages, while creating a mechanical sculpture. Working with simple materials, this activity is easy to get started, and may become as complex as your mechanical sculpture ideas. So far I have worked only with Automata having gears inside a cardboard box and the main figure or say sculpture outside the box, so for this project I decided to try making Automata with gear and figure/sculpture inside a 3d printed box. Things We Need Design program - I'm using Tinkercad Slicing Software - I'm using FlashPrint 3D Printer Filament - I'm using PLA 3D Printer The Bot Head: Create a Box for the face. Then use 2 Hole Box and play around with the rotation angle. This to give the bot's face a sideways look/appearance. Next drag two Half Sphere to the Workplane for the bots ears. Two cylinders rotated at 90 degrees angle for bot's antennas. Create one more Box for the neck. Next Gro...

  No doubt students learn more when they are mentally and physically engaged in the learning process, regardless of the subject they are studying, and when it comes to STEM education, hands-on experiential learning is an indispensable part of the learning process. In this hands-on activity, we will make a water sprayer using two straws, and experience Bernoulli’s Theorem. Category:  Physics Sub Topic:  Fluid Pressure Time Required : 20-30 min Difficulty:  Easy Things We Need 2 Straws (4 inches each) Insulation Tape Eraser Scissors A glass of water Assembly Pic 1:   Cut two insulation tape pieces and attach them to either end of both the straws. Pic 2:   While attaching the tape, make sure to leave some space from the end(4-5mm approx). Pic 3 : Tape the 1st straw(I used Green straw as 1st) to the eraser so that the straw is exactly aligned with the edge of the eraser. Pic 4:   Next, tape the second straw(I used Orange straw as 2nd) to the edge of the er...

  Everybody loves bubbles, regardless of age. But why all the bubble wands needs to be flat and bubble always spherical. In today’s project, we will break these stereotypes and build some 3-dimensional bubble wands and learn structural engineering. We'll also make an inverted bubble cube that mimics a tensile structure. These simple demonstrations will introduce basic geometric shapes and complex engineering concepts to kids, visually. Things We Need Plastic straws Pipe cleaners A pair of Scissors Bubble Solution, Homemade  or store-bought. Bigmouth bowl or container (not in the picture above) Pyramid Bubble Wand To built this Tetrahedron (Pyramid) Bubble Wand: Cut six straws of 2 inches each. Thread a pipe cleaner through one straw and bend the end of the pipe cleaner to secure it at the end. Then thread two more straws onto the pipe cleaner. Bend the long end of the pipe cleaner back to meet the starting point and twist the two ends around each other. Add two more straw sect...

  Microsoft MakeCode is a framework for creating interactive and engaging programming experiences for those new to the world of programming. The platform provides the foundation for a tailored coding experience to create and run user programs on actual hardware or in a simulated target. MakeCode uses the blocks programming model to let the user learn coding concepts in a more tangible fashion. The blocks map directly to actual lines of code in a programming language. So, once a user has a sense of confidence and familiarity with how the blocks work, they can transition to coding more complex programs in the programming language itself. In this Instructable,  we'll develop  a simplified version of the classic 'Space Invaders' game using Microsoft MakeCode. As opposed to the real game of Space Invaders game, our Invader(enemy) will be firing and moving horizontally across the top of the screen. The player will control a laser cannon by moving it horizontally across the bott...