Thinking About Typeface Design for Kids
Are you feeling inspired by our typeface design project? Do you want to work on your design skills at home? Here are some ideas for what to look for, what to notice and how to begin considering typography and typeface design in your everyday life.
Bombs away!
These days in Pittsburgh, I find myself sitting around waiting for signs of spring. Until last weekend. I found the perfect remedy to beat the wintertime blues… BATH BOMBS! What better way to treat yourself than soaking up warmth in a bath tub or hot tub, knowing you made your very own bath fizzy. The ingredients and directions are quite…
A family’s prototype
Here is a quick story about an amazing pair of makers that spent an entire Saturday working on a single idea, which was “What can you do with a mousetrap?” When I joined this father and son team, they were already under production with their creation: a mousetrap car. Apparently the dad saw that we had a couple of mousetraps…
MAKESHOP Show
Did you know that there is a MAKESHOP Show? The MAKESHOP Show is an online resource hub for kid makers ages 6-10 years old. They help YOU to get into maker culture through originally-produced project ideas and videos from the MAKESHOP™, links to exciting content elsewhere and downloadable resources for kids, parents, and teachers. All projects are voted on by…
Activated Origami
This was really cool workshop taught by one of our favorite guest makers, Sibel Deren Guler. Visitors were able to explore and learn how to create several origami projects. They were then encouraged by Deren and me to add lights and motors to their creations. This was the first time I witnessed activated origami and I loved it. These special…
Identity Fun: Superhero Costume Tutorials
With Halloween right around the corner, costumes are popping up in many stores, offering people of all ages the opportunity to take on a new identity, even if it’s just for one night. Rather than dress up for just one night, why not create an easy, DIY superhero costume that will allow you or your little ones to take on…
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…
Making MAKESHOP
A couple of days ago, we hosted a “Making MAKESHOP” workshop. Participants of the workshop visited from Museums and other institutions from around the country. All of them were interested in developing a maker space of their own. We decided to share some of our secrets with them. Over the course of two days, we played, talked, asked and answered…
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…
How do you make a doorbell?
Harrison comes to the Museum frequently and he absolutely loves tinkering in the MAKESHOP. He tells us about the projects he’s worked on at home. He also shares his ideas for projects that could happen at the Museum. This particular day, Harrison decided he was going to try and make a doorbell for his sister’s room. This was a pretty…