Cut the sides of the small cup into four equal parts. Remove the base to create four curved pieces that will be the blades of the wind generator. Use hot glue to attach two craft sticks together at ...

This activity invites K–5 students, in both English and Spanish, to explore the phenomena of rolling objects down a ramp and investigate the question, “What happens to a roller when you change the ...

Happy National DNA Day, which commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953. Published sixty-four years ago in the journal ...

We have been prototyping a new automata activity called “Cranky Contraptions” using simple materials such as wooden blocks, wire, and foamies. Now that it’s been about a month that we have been ...

Can you smell time? Your dog can. On a very basic level, so can you: When you crack the lid on that old quart of milk, tentatively sniff and—peeyouu!—promptly dump that foul stuff down the sink, you ...

Our social lives are filled with ritualistic touching: from hugs to high fives to pinky-swears. These acts of interpersonal contact create feelings of connection between people—both literally and ...

Fireworks may be a really fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July, but we know they are more than a little dangerous. The solution? Grab a friend and make your own liquid fireworks with this simple ...

Tinkering is all about using what you have around and messing about with everyday materials, but for some projects, you need a special little bit of something that is hard to find. For that reason, we ...

Over the past several years of doing automata, we've developed some "classic" motion examples for participants to check out as they are starting to design their creations. On the old PIE pdf for ...

Screaming headlines abound in our media-saturated world. “Killer Moths Invade Homes.” “New Drug Promises Alzheimer’s Cure.” “Experts Confirm: Sky Is Falling.” Some are obvious click bait, but others ...

-Sportscaster Joe Garagiola describing the first documented appearance of a "stadium wave" at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on October 15, 1981. Consider the stadium wave: a spontaneous group behavior ...

Like a lot of people right now, my workspace looks a little different. I prototype on the kitchen table instead of in the Tinkering Studio, and I’ve essentially stopped ever taking out the recycling ...