Adults in MAKESHOP!
We held our very first MAKEnight a couple of days ago. We essentially let a bunch of adults play and explore in MAKESHOP after the Museum closed. The theme of our first night was electricity. We had our 3D Printer on display creating some models. We also had our circuit blocks out, the EggBot, conductive play-dough and copper tape tinkering….
Masks!
Our theme for the month of October is identity. We’ve decided to explore this theme by creating masks and costumes. A mask is a great way to change your persona. We’ve spent the past couple of days experimenting with different materials and designs. As usual, we invite our visitors to share in this prototyping process. You can learn a lot…
DIY Activity – Paint Chip Pixelization Tutorial
One of my favorite displays at last weekend’s Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire was the Paint Chip Pixelization. This project will show you how to take a traditional piece of art, like Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers… … into a modernized, pixelized version like this! Interested in making your own? Follow these easy instructions! 1) Download and Install GIMP! (Image editing software…
Playing with Gears
I was asked by a fellow teacher to create something that facilitates the exploration of gears. Gears can be tricky for children to understand, so I thought it was a great challenge! After an extremely informal brainstorming session with Christian, I came up with this activity. I have to thank Christian for passing by during the day and suggesting that…
Prototyping New Programs
The MAKESHOP staff likes to prototype our programming. Sometimes this step can be the most fun part of developing new activities for our visitors. Our theme for the month of September is “Books and Bags.” We set out at the end of August to figure the best ways for visitors to create these two things. Along with the best ways…
Instructions Included
Sam had visited the Museum two days in row. On his second visit, he brought with him his very own set of instructions for our tangible programming block table, which was developed by the Digital Dream Lab student team at the Entertainment Technology Center. The instructions were great and very detailed. Sam approached me in the MAKESHOP and ask what…
ACM InterActivity 2013
Every year, there is a conference for the Association of Children’s Museums. The location of these conferences is different each year and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has the privilege to host the 2013 conference! We promoted our conference at the 2012 conference by creating a short promotional video. One of our Teaching Artists, Christina Zaris, is a talented stop-motion…