In spring ’24, I TA’d an Art & Design class at a local community college, where students designed sculptures from cardboard and paper tape. Planning, material selection, and tools are critical. Source wisely to avoid construction issues. Sharp blades, proper adhesives, and precise paint techniques enhance the final product.
Category Archives: Maker Eduation
Learn #Woodworking this weekend! Two Spots Left!
What are you making this weekend? Here at Woodshop Cowboy, we are making cutting boards and slab tables at Nova Labs, of Reston, Virginia. Nova Labs is offering two premier woodworking classes at the premier makerspace in the DMV area. If you have ever wanted to learn woodworking from tree-to-furniture, this is the time toContinue reading “Learn #Woodworking this weekend! Two Spots Left!”
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!)”
Learn to Make Slab Tables & Cutting Boards
What are you making this summer? Here at Woodshop Cowboy, we are making cutting boards and slab tables at Nova Labs, of Reston, Virginia. Nova Labs is offering two premier woodworking classes at the premier makerspace in the DMV area. If you have ever wanted to learn woodworking from tree-to-furniture, this is the time toContinue reading “Learn to Make Slab Tables & Cutting Boards”
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”
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”
#MakerEd in the Classroom: Exploring #3DPrinting FAQs & Resources
This week I will answer some of the most common questions about 3D printing I get asked as a Maker Educator by administrators and classroom teachers. Last summer, I published a similar guide for the Home #Makerspace!
Home #Makerspace: Build a Pinewood Derby Car With #YoungMakers
Every winter, millions of families prepare for serious bonding time at kitchen tables, in garages and in workshops across the country. We enter with dreams of speed, beauty and glory. With a little luck and skill, we leave with pride, joy and a completed Pinewood Derby Car.
This guide will show you how to support and help your young maker design, make and race their derby car.
#Makered Book Review: Tinkerlab by Rachelle Doorley @TinkerLabKids
TinkerLab: A Hands on Guide for Little Inventors by Rachelle Doorley is a beautifully photographed and curated set of experiments for the toddler to 2nd grade set. While her main focus is art prompts and experiments, she has sections on construction, Maker explorations, take apart sessions, chemistry, and more. Rachelle’s book has given me tons of inspiration and insight into the playful mind of very young children. She walks through the process for setting up an art space, with tool & material recommendations. She also spends a lot of time and space discussing the teaching philosophy behind arts education and why its important. Her habits of mind and interviews with experts are fantastic distillations of the Maker ethos.
This Week in the Shop: The Split-Top Bench with Plans
This week in my home shop I finished up a new bench project I developed for class at Nova Labs in Reston, VA. While simple in design and execution, it does involve a full suite of woodworking tools and a a custom jig to complete. This great intermediate project uses the Fab Five of a powered woodshop: table saw, band saw, miter saw, jointer and planer.
WSC Designs 