I have been excited about the potential for 3D printing for quite some time.
Shortly after our local library acquired a couple 3D printers, I took the mandatory course, where we were taught the two primary rules of printing at the library:
Rule #1) Don’t touch the heating element Rule #2) Don’t print guns
Course completed, I started to think about applications. What can’t you just buy, what makes sense to print?
Shortly after breakfast on July 1st, Tegan picked up a recently discarded brown cardboard box sitting beside our recycle bin. She had a vision in mind: she wanted to build a rocket ship. She needed some assistance - the cardboard box was too thick to cut with her scissors. So she created a design.
After lunch, the girls and I hopped on the subway and headed to the Canada Day events hosted at Queen’s Park. We ended up having a great time - there were free bouncy castles, live music, hula hoops, and more.
But I thought the coolest activity was the build and test your own air rocket, hosted by Makerkids.
The children were given pipe insulation for the rocket’s body, and duck tape, scissors, cardboard, streamers, and everything else you would need to complete an air rocket.
I do. Even in an era of smartphones and data plans, every once in a while, I find myself searching for open WiFi hotspots.
Who else does? I set out to find out. I built a WiFi hotspot that served up an open-to-everyone community wall.
It’s been a long winter. I love taking the kids outdoors, even when it’s cold, but sometimes, it can be fun to play indoors too. I haven’t acquired a game machine, the kids haven’t expressed much interest in playing video games, but we DID have fun playing a Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) type game at an arcade in hotel we stayed at once. What would it take to play at home?
When I go to the library with the kids, I end up coming across books I wouldn’t ordinarily see. I recently stumbled on Robotics: DISCOVER THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE in the kids section.
Although this book is targeted at older children, and my children aren’t particularly interested in robotics, we still had fun completing a couple of the simpler projects at home.
