Maker Space at NYSCI

Maker Space is a learning environment where children, teens, adults and families can tinker, design, and create together. We reuse everyday materials in exciting ways and encourage experimentation, open-ended exploration, and believe that making mistakes is a great way to learn.

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Hello Internet :) Over the weekend, the Saturday Explainers created this very adorable animation of how the dinosaurs possibly came and left the Earth. The amazing part of this particular piece for me is seeing how it transitioned from a solo project to a team collaboration- all because of a single character and the endless possibilities of story telling.  The narrative animations have been a popular approach to stop motion animation, where the visitors spend time designing their own characters, dialogues through speech bubbles, backgrounds and storylines.  If you have not had a chance to stop in and create your own stop motion animation, this weekend is our last stop motion animation weekend from 1:30-3:00 pm and 3:30-5:00 pm in NYSCI’s Maker Space!!!!! Come! Join us!

-Trishna 

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Hello, Trishna here with Maker Space activity news, reflections and very cool animations!! First off, Weekend Stop Motion Animation Workshops will be happening this weekend-June 10th and 11th- and next weekend -June 17 and June 18th- from 1:30-3:00 pm and 3:30-5:00 pm in NYSCI’s Maker Space!!! 

We are exploring the concepts of abstract, doodlemation and narrative movie animation using simple materials and digital tools. The video above is an example, created by Xzaivon, of what doodlemation looks like. Doodlemation happens to be my personal favorite because it looks like the image is creating itself. 

Join us! Create a funky stop motion! Make Things Come To Life!!! 

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Hello realm of the internet, take a look at this awesome stop motion video created  by one of our visitors during last weeks Make It: Stop Motion Animation Workshop! 

If you want to try creating your own animated movie stop by the Maker Space this Saturday, June 10th and/or Sunday, June 11th, or next Saturday, June 17th and/or Sunday, June 18th!  We have two sessions a day, at 1:30-3 and 3:30-5 and each workshop is 1.5 hours long to give you plenty of time to craft your movie and explore several different styles of stop motion animation.

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DreamYard Maker Institute 2017

Hello everyone! Megan here!

Over schools out week I had the opportunity to be a part of an intensive, three-day training for maker educators at DreamYard in the Bronx. During this training we focused on the Making through an art-based social justice lens. Makers from all over NYC and as far as Philadelphia linked up in the South Bronx to deepen the understanding of their teaching and making practices, share knowledge with one another, and most importantly, to have fun! 

The first two days were spent discussing what making is, and who are makers. Would you consider figures like W.E.B. DuBois, Madam C.J. Walker, or Grandmaster Flash as makers? If you look closely enough, you can see that their biggest contributions and creative works were a result of them overlapping their community’s needs with their personal resourcefulness and creative expression. In many ways, they are all makers!  

As participants of the DreamYard Maker Institute, we learned how to rapidly develop and prototype new workshops, taught one another new skills, and learned how other local Makers/Artists (Like Salome Asega and By The Flamingos) have infused their cultures and identities into creative technologies. In our peer-to-peer skill-share I even got to teach my colleagues how to use TinkerCAD and how to do a nail art technique called water marbling.

The Maker Jam was the wrap-up to the Maker Institute. In our own small groups, we developed quick, 10-15 minute workshops in which the visitor could answer a framework question. It was really cool to see how each group used rapid prototyping to ask and answer questions like “Who am I?”, “What is my superpower?”, “Where am I from?”, and “Who do I admire?” One of my personal favorites was the “Hometown Photobooth” where my compatriot Ella showed me how to utilize greenscreen technology to combine a photo of me (or my disembodied head) with a photo of my hometown (or outer space).

What I liked the most was that the DreamYard focuses on culturally relevant teaching. I also appreciated that both NYSCI and DreamYard actively work to broaden the definition of “making” and who is seen as a “maker.”  I hope that one day I can create Science Ambassadors workshops that honor prominent local figures and their contributions to the Maker Movement.

If you liked this post, you might also want to check out these fine people:

DreamYard | Iyapo Repository | By The Flamingos 

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K(New)s from the realm of the Maker Space Residents Hello internet! My name is Trishna and I am the new Maker Space Resident here at the New York hall of Science. Basically what that means is, I am responsible for facilitating weekend workshops and projects, researching materials, tools, equipment, and investigating ways in which Making activities correlate and compliment STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related topics. I’ve been working at NYSCI since 2012.  “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” - Confucious. The Maker Spacer is an excellent place that encourages great rises from falls. We tinker, create, meddle in numerous projects and fields, and teach the best, and safest, ways to use tools and machinery.  I personally love the maker space because it is the place that I can display the importance and fun of making and DIY culture to youth, adults, and families. I am in from Friday through Sunday. Stop by! Say Hello! Learn about a new tool or concept!   

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Hi everyone, this is Megan here with a quick update on how things have been going lately in the Maker Space. We have just concluded the Science Ambassadors Kick Off Week! “Science Ambassadors” is a new initiative by The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) where the museum’s hours are extended during the school year in order to offer additional after-school programming to its neighboring communities. During the kickoff week, the Maker Space debuted a workshop called “Pixel Projects”, which is a small variety of activities where visitors can translate a pixelated drawing into a Lego® picture or a cross-stitched embroidery, or both. This activity was especially fun because the visitors could start wherever they felt most comfortable and then move onto a different, but related activity. As for me, I have been promoted from Maker Space Resident to Maker Space Instructor to support NYSCI's new initiative. My responsibilities include developing, implementing, and facilitating all of the after-school programming. This means two things: we’ll have a new Maker Space Resident very soon, and our blog will be updated more frequently! And as always, if you’re ever in the area, feel free to stop by NYSCI to check out the Maker Space or the Science Ambassadors program!

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NYSci Gala Awards

The NYSci Makerspace is a unique place. While we’re mostly programmatic (running school group and family making workshops) we also function as an ancillary shop for fabricating items for in house use. Last year, for the first time we were asked to make awards for the annual NYsci gala. The first step in the process was coming up with ideas. Thankfully the three of us, with our varied backgrounds and perspectives, were able to brainstorm pretty quickly. Oh...did I not mention we only had two weeks? We started by taking a look at the award categories: Top of the Ladder--awarded to an explainer who has gone above and beyond in their ascent of the Science Career Ladder, Creative Entrepreneurship--awarded to a leader in business who embodies NYSci’s creative goals and the Distinguished Leadership award--for an individual who stands out in their field. With only three awards to make and three of us working on it we decided to be ambitious and capitalize on our varied skills. Two of the three awards had interactive light features, and the third had a hand painted cartoon version of the recipient on the top. You can see the finished products in the GIFs below.

This year though, things were a little bit different. Instead of three awards, we increased the number of recipients to seven and naturally the awards got a little bit simpler. Instead of laser-cutting the great hall in layers, we 3D printed it out of glow in the dark PLA. The handpainted explainer figure was replaced with Lego mini-figs dressed as explainers with 3D printed heads of the actual explainers and finally, we removed all of the electronics from the rewards. The result was a simplification of process that allowed us to maintain the quality and original designs. This is what that process looked like...

Until next time...

-Annalise

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Little Buddies

Hey everyone!

This past Friday Nov. 11th, we had a little buddy workshop. It was so popular that we decided to show everyone how to make them. Without further ado:

Welcome to our little buddy tutorial! Little buddies are great way to learn the basics of hand sewing. They also make great gifts because, who doesn’t love receiving a wonderful hand-made present? Making a little buddy doesn’t take too long and uses everyday materials that you may already have at home. Here’s a list of the materials that you’ll need:

-Fabric (about 1 sq. foot)

-Fabric scissors

-Fabric markers

- Dull #6 Needles and thread

-Stuffing

-Buttons (optional)

-Pins (optional) 

Once you have gathered your materials you can get started! 

Step 1 Start by deciding what you want to make.

Step 2 Fold the fabric in half and draw an outline of your chosen buddy. 

In this example, I’m making a bunny.

Step 3 Next cut out the shape that you drew about 1/2 in outside of the line while keeping both halves of the fabric together. Pin if necessary.

 Step 4 Take the thread and measure from the tip on your right fingers to the tip of your left shoulder and cut. Thread the needle and make a knot on one end. Leave the other end of the thread about 2 in shorter than the end with the knot.

Now we’re ready to start sewing! There are different kinds of stitches but today, we’ll be using one called the whip stitch. It’s simple and it’s good for this kind of project because it will help hold the stuffing inside of the finished little buddy. Note: The side that we are working on is the inside of the little buddy. 

Step 5 Start at the bottom right of the fabric. Push the needle up from the underside and through both layers of the fabric. Then pull the thread all the way until the knot is underneath the fabric. This is one stitch. Notice that the other end of the thread is loose. If you hold the fabric and pull the needle, the thread will come off the needle so make sure you don’t pull too hard after every stitch.

Step 6 For the next stitch, place the tip of the needle about half an inch to the right of the original stitch and push the needle up. Again, pull the thread all the way until the stitch is secure. Keep an eye on the loose end of the thread to make sure it does not unravel.

Step 7 Repeat this sewing technique until you’re about halfway around the entire little buddy. Remember to always start the stitch by pushing it from the underside up. 

Now that you’re halfway there, it is a good time to add any designs or decorations you want. Adding things like buttons once it’s already stuffed is possible but more difficult. 

Step 8 If you wish to add buttons, add some thread on another needle and tie both ends into a knot. Take the fabric, separate the layers, and turn it inside out. 

Step 9 Position the buttons the way you would like for them to go. Hold one of the buttons in place with your hand . Separate the layers once again and push the needle with the new thread from the underside of the top layer all the way through one of the holes in the button. 

Step 10 Push the needle back down through a different hole in the button. Make sure it’s only the top layer of fabric. Repeat up and down motion until button is secure in place. 

Step 11 In order to tie off the thread, hold the fabric on the underside of the button. Push the needle through the fabric as shown. Pull the thread most of the way through. 

You’ll notice a loop that is formed. pull the needle through that loop, tighten, and cut the thread. 

Repeat steps 9 and 11 with each button. 

Step 12 Once all of the buttons are in place turn the fabric inside out once again. It is time to keep sewing around the fabric. Leave a hole on the bottom in order to add the stuffing before closing it up.

Step 13 Turn the fabric inside out once more. The buttons should be on the outside now. Fill the inside with the stuffing. 

Step 14 Finally, it’s time to close up the fabric. Make a knot at the end, the way we did with the buttons to avoid any unraveling. 

Step 15 Now that your little buddy is complete, we can add and decorations! And we’re done! Now you can show your little buddy off or give it away as a gift!

If you make something share it with us! Tweet us @thenewspace or tag us on Instagram @makerspace. We can’t wait to see what you’ve created.

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

Until next time

-Ana

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New Maker Space Resident

Hello everyone,

My name is Ana. I recently graduated from York College with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Science and I am the newest Maker Space Resident here at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)!!! I am really excited for this opportunity. I have been at NYSCI since 2008! I started as a volunteer and I have gradually worked my way up the Science Career Ladder (SCL). I’ve gone through a total of of six different positions!

The Maker Space is a great place where we can all make, create, and learn so many amazing things while having tons of fun. Whenever I’m in the space, time goes by really fast because I am constantly being challenged to think and to innovate. It really is an amazing feeling when you look at your finished product after thinking about what you want and then using your own two hands to create it. There’s so many tools and the possibilities are endless!!!

I encourage everyone to try it out. There’s so many things to do and the only limit is your imagination! I really look forward to meeting all of you.

Sincerely,

Ana

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World Maker Faire 2016!

As always, this year’s Maker Faire has come and gone in a whirlwind of bustle and activity. Amidst the robots and drones, soldering and sewing, our Maker Space table proudly showcased the projects of our 2016 summer Make Academy students. Throughout the two days, each student got a chance to share and discuss their project. They talked to visitors, explained their process and got to fully experience one of the best parts of being a Maker...sharing what you’ve made! Two of our students were filmed for interviews, and on the last day of the fair Steve Davee was so impressed with our kids’ projects and presentations that he awarded us the MakerEd “best in class” ribbon! We could talk (write) all day about how proud and impressed we are...but we’d rather show you! 

Luke wows Harouna, Sara Lee, and Axel Schupf with his 3D printed smart phone holder.

Chu Yi shows NYSCI CEO Margaret Honey her project journal, filled with diagrams, notes, and reflections of the design process that went into making a laser cut ferris wheel. 

Daniel dives into the 3D printing and design process that inspired him to create his interlocking, laser cut wood toys.

Jeffery drew crowds all day explaining how he created a working Squirtle Fountain with parts hacked from a bath toy, laser cut stacks of plywood, and good old fashioned woodworking.

Jason  demonstrates his process for building his flashlight. 

Chris explains how he hacked old toy parts to build his version of the Unisphere for his custom soccer stadium. 

Jackie explains the circuitry and 3D printed battery pack on her custom LED sneakers while Kathy talks to visitors about how she used the lathe to make her Harry Potter wand. 

Dechen shows a young visitor the various steps in her molding and casting process before demonstrating how her acrobat toy works. 

Daisy talks about the process for prototyping and building her dog house. 

Andrew lets a young visitor play with his custom lightsaber. He designed and modeled the lightsaber handle himself using Tinkercad and completed all of the wiring and circuitry as well!

Avi explains how he built and designed his storage box while his custom headphone stand sits proudly on display. 

Simone lets a visitor experiment with her drawing machine. The pegboard allows you to move the gears around to create different patterns and designs. 

Swarup shows Steve from MakerEd the various steps in his boat building process. From cardboard prototype to 3D print to laser-cut final design. Together they figured out the scale of his model...right before Steve awarded us the ribbon for best in class in Maker Education!

Until next time,

Reid and Annalise

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New Resident Alert! Hey tumblr, my name is Megan. I’ve been an Explainer here at NYSCI for the last 4 years, and I spent the majority of that time working with the Maker Space as both an Explainer and as a Maker Corps Mentor. Now, I’m a Maker Space Resident, which means I get to develop and present our fun programming to all kinds of people while making sure that The New York Hall of Science remains the coolest place in Queens.

Our Maker Space is full of cool tools and machines which I am hoping to learn more about, like our Raspberry Pis and 3D Printers. Some of my future projects as a Maker Space Resident include designing cool costume props, developing some new weekend workshops, and getting our sewing machines to work.

I am in the Maker Space pretty much all the time. If you want to know more about the space, our workshops, or myself, you are more than welcome to stop by!

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Make Academy 2016

We recently finished up our last week of Summer Make Academy and wanted to share the amazing things our campers made. This summer we met once a week for five weeks, before finishing up with one full week of non-stop making. The first five weeks we focused on skill building and art and making foundations. Our campers learned about 3D design by building with blocks, modeling their block creations in tinkercad, printing them out and then making molds from them. At the end of the process they’d learned about the restrictions of 3D printing, how to make a silicon mold, and how to cast in pewter, wax and thermoplastic. The end results were pretty incredible! 

Our campers also learned basic woodworking skills; measuring a storage cabinet and designing and building their own boxes to fill it with. The campers had to figure out just how big their boxes could be if all 23 of them were going to fit in the cabinet! 

The five week skill building sessions also included visits from guest Makers Dr. Drew Blankenstien and Daren Guler from Teknikio. Dr. Blankenstien showed us how to deconstruct toys and harvest their cool electronic parts, while Daren showed us the basics of circuitry and switches so we could incorporate those parts back into our final projects!

After five weeks of skill building and hacking our campers began their final week in which they could make (almost) ANYTHING they wanted. With that kind of creative freedom came a lot of choices but also a lot of wonderful and exciting projects. Rather than describe them all, we’ll just let you look at some of them in the photos below!

The Koro Ferris Wheel and display by Chu Yi.

Light Dice by Daniel.

Percy Jackson’s Sword by Nicole.

Light Saber and Blaster by Andrew.

Drawing machine by Simone.

RGB Rocket flashlight and prototype by Jason.

Desk Organizer by Chris.

Headphone stand by Avi.

The Empire State Building by Alex and Jose.

Custom Skateboard by Luke.

Dog house by Daisy.

Squirtle fountain by Jeffrey.

Light up bookcase by Alanis.

Light up shoes by Jacqueline.

These and the rest of our Make Academy campers will be at this year’s World Maker Faire in New York on October first and second here at NYSci! Come by and visit and ask them about their projects!

See you soon!

-Annalise

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Clothing Hack!

A couple of weeks ago we held a clothing hack in the Maker space. What’s a clothing hack you ask? Well...let me tell you! We collected a bunch of clean but worn clothes (think holes, paint stains etc.) and laid them out for our visitors with an invitation to re-create! Making isn’t always about making something from new materials, and often as much (if not more) value can be gained from re-use! Our visitors took various items of clothing and repurposed them into new and unique items. We set up a no-sew, hand-sew and machine table and let our visitors create whatever they wanted! A few of the results are below. If you find this inspiring and want to try it yourself, we found the book Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt By Megan Nicolay to be really useful. Check it out!

Until next time,

Annalise

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Second Instructable Now Online!

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at laser cutting but weren’t sure what to make? Well, our second Instructable was posted yesterday and it provides files and instructions for making a summer-ready set of constellation coasters! It’s now a featured post and is entered in the Space contest. Check it out here and vote! 

See you soon!

-Annalise

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Makerspace on Instructables!

Good news everybody! We here at the Makerspace have posted our first Instructable! It’s a post about how to make giant paper flowers like you may have seen popping up on our Instagram. Written by me and photographed by Reid, we think it’s something really special and you should go check it out! And while you’re there vote for it in the Wedding DIY contest (if you think it’s worthy of winning of course!). 

Until next time,

Annalise

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Alien Vs Rocket: Who will win?!

Stop by the Maker Space today to take our Stop Motion Animation workshop and learn how to create your own animated shorts like this one.  We have two sessions a day, at 1:30-3 and 3:30-5 which gives you plenty of time to explore in depth several different types of animation. Purchase a ticket online from the NYSCI Events Calendar page or register at the NYSCI admissions area.  

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Cat Vs Dragon: Who will win?!

This delightful short film was made during our Stop Motion Animation workshop.  Catch our next class to craft your masterpiece on Saturday, May 14th, and Saturday, May 21st!  We have two sessions a day, at 1:30-3 and 3:30-5. Purchase a ticket online from the NYSCI Events Calendar page or register on the day of the event at the NYSCI admissions area.