Category Archives: Classroom Project

Bedframe Bench in Sycamore, Ipe and Cherry

This past December I completed this bench for a close friend. He has served as a mentor and cheerleader for my professional education, woodworking and cooking endeavors for the last five years, so when he asked me to build him a special piece from his grandmother’s solid cherry bed frame, I couldn’t say no. IContinue reading “Bedframe Bench in Sycamore, Ipe and Cherry”

This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)

This Week in the Classroom I’m going to explore a variety of design challenges that I use in my classroom. I designed each of these projects to prompt students to explore the engineering design process, learn basic scientific concepts, such as forces and loads on structures, learn executive functioning and soft skills, and develop presentationContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Top Ten Middle School #MakerEd Challenges (Plus Two!)”

This Week in the Shop: The Library Book Nook

This Week in the Shop, I build a library book nook for my school. My school librarian came to me with her coffee bar theme for a renovated library and she wanted a circular book nook to take advantage of a certain space in the library. This book nook had to incorporate a column andContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: The Library Book Nook”

This Week in the Shop: The Fossil Cabinet

This Week in the Shop we build small cabinet. Cabinet making epitomizes fine woodworking, as it rewards accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail. Cabinets can be found in the workshop, in the kitchen, as furniture, as built-ins. This cabinet build relies on the table saw and the router and showcases the versatility of shellac as a finish.

This Week in the Classroom: The FunKey Super #MakerED #STEM Review

This fall I have introduced a new tech platform into my practice.  The FunKey  unlocks tons of potential in a classroom. Do you want a board that reads keystrokes and plays like a MakeyMakey but with at a size and price point for a real classroom? FunKey does that. Do you now need a boardContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: The FunKey Super #MakerED #STEM Review”

This Week in the Classroom: Top Maker Tools in the Middle School Classroom

My semi-regular column This Week in the Classroom is back!  I have accepted a position in a small, mostly rural school district just outside of Northern Virginia.  It’s great to be in the classroom again, bringing project-based learning to new audiences. I am teaching middle schoolers, all levels.  Middle school is a great age toContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Top Maker Tools in the Middle School Classroom”

Home #Makerspace: DIY Air Hockey Table for Under $40

This is a scaled down, fun-filled air hockey table is a perfect summer project. Two employees of Brunswick Billiards Co invented Air Hockey in the 1960s.  The game field consists of a low-friction (usually by means of an air blower creating an air cushion under the puck) playing field with two goals.  Each player hasContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: DIY Air Hockey Table for Under $40”

Home #Makerspace: Paper Airplane Launcher

Here’s a quick project to cut out on the scroll saw.  Scroll saws are small, cheap, versatile tools that can cut through all sorts of thin materials, such as plastics, wood, plywood and cardboard.  They have a very, very low risk factor for younger makers too.  If you don’t have access to a scroll saw,Continue reading “Home #Makerspace: Paper Airplane Launcher”

Home #Makerspace: A DIY Carrom or Marbles Game Board!

This week, we built a game board which you can customize to play marbles, skittles, carrom, billiards, pool, shuffleboard, crokinole and more! My game board features two games, marbles and carrom.  Marbles has been played for thousands of years in various forms.  Carrom is a “strike and pocket” game that evolved in East India.  BothContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: A DIY Carrom or Marbles Game Board!”