The Hillwood Herald is the news blog of Hillwood Academic Day School. Written and published by the school’s upper grades (fifth through eighth), this blog tracks student, staff, and family happenings at the school.
Showing posts with label The Design Squad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Design Squad. Show all posts
Anya, Angela, and I are going to make a miniature city out of cardboard, plastic, bottles, yogurt cartons, and water. We are hoping to make a small windmill that can spin by making a fan to blow air and houses out of yogurt cartoons. We will also make little trees, bushes and other figures like humans out of cardboard. We also hope to make a stream with real water. We will add pizza tables as picnic tables in the cardboard made park.
We are doing this project because we have been doing the Design Squad Challenges for the past year and this is one of the challenges. This challenge is where you take one of the challenges from the before and make it over sized.
Our class got connected to the Design Squad by meeting Adam and Judy who work for the Design Squad. The have designed real cars and built electric dresses. Adam and Judy came to our school so we could interview them.
Anya is going to build the windmill, Angela will make the trees, bushes, and picnic tables, and I will create the houses.
Jay and Erion are making a giant pop fly. We got the mini pop-fly directions from the Design Squad website. We will put a paint can, put the wooden board through the handle of the paint can, at the end there is a ball, and when somebody jumps on the other end the ball flies.
Today, Faryn and I made a kinetic sculpture, which is one of the DESIGNSQUAD challenges. It took a lot of brain power, but we somehow managed to make a sculpture that only somewhat failed.
We started out not knowing how in the world we could make something that could spin by just blowing on it. At first, we had an idea with pipe cleaners until Faryn had one of her famous ideas and we decided to use paper cups. It didn't look so pretty, but it worked. Also, it took a lot of time and effort. Typically, challenges that look easy to make are not so easy!
At first I thought maybe we should cut out a swirly type pattern out of colored paper, but Faryn had an idea that we could maybe use the metal washers to hold up something that could spin with the power of wind. We tried to connect the paper cups to the metal washers, but it just wouldn't stick. Then we tried colored beads around two centimeters long to attach the washers to and, well let's just say they worked and our sculpture includes colorful beads.
Design Squad is made up of two engineers named Judy and Adam (see photo to the right) who help kids create their dreams through engineering. On their website at PBS Kids, Judy and Adam have lots of different challenges that you can try and plenty of videos for you to watch. You can read about The Hillwood Herald interview with Judy and Adam here.
You can watch the latest episode of DESIGN SQUAD on the website. Also, don't missing seeing Judy and Adam in person at the nearby Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of Berkeley.
WHAT: Meet Design Squad Nation hosts Judy and Adam, watch sneak peeks of new episodes, and try engineering challenges inspired by the show!
WHEN: Saturday, February 26th from 11:00 am-4:00 pm
Today we made another sculpture, as part of the DESIGN SQUAD challenges that engineers Judy and Adam put together. The kinetic sculpture is a challenge where we try to make a sculpture move when we blow. But mine didn't work that way! To make mine work, you need to grab it and spin it with your hands.
To help us today, Lindsey (a friend of Mrs. Moorhead's) came in with her parents from Kansas and gave us a speech about what she does and how she is now part of San Francisco's Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy. She works for a IDEO, which is where Judy and Adam work when they are not filming DESIGN SQUAD for PBS Kids.
The company is where people are employed to help other companies design products and services. Lindsey even knows about how the company, with its designers and engineers, helped create the mouse with a rolling ball inside it. Lindsey also talked about this society where you pass on an 100 dollar bill to people in need. Her friend gave the 100 dollar bill to her and told her to pass it on. This seem to be like the movie "Pay It Forward." The society most likely didn't even start here in San Francisco, and it has groups of people donating 100 bills in Greece and New York.
As kids, we could do something similar, but with much less money. Right now, we are doing a Hillwood bake sale to raise money. We also collect change for the Pennies for Patients program, which is also about making a little bit of money do more than you might think possible at first. Lindsey is giving her one hundred dollars to Ms. Woods for the Hillwood upper-grade class.
At first I tried to put a small Dixie cup on top of a stick but it was to heavy so it didn't spin.
Then I tried aluminum foil. I shaped the aluminum foil like a clam shell and stuck a stick through the back so it weaved in and out the "Rockin' Clamshell" was moving side to side so I tied red string in bows next to it to stop it from moving. Then I duct taped two other sticks to the side as a skeleton for the..."Rockin' Clam shell". It moved, but it was very unstable so Hank, Lindsey's dad, had the idea to put plaster in the cup and duct tape on the stick really close to the cup. It was still leaning, so Hank had the idea to make a brace out of a stick and tape it to the cup. His idea worked! I now have an amazing "Rockin' Clam Shell" — with the great and very helpful ideas of Hank!
Now to decorate! First I tied pink pipe cleaners to the base sticks on both sides then I tied gold pipe cleaners to the top. Then I put stickers on he bottom.
Today, Alysen and I made a Kinetic sculpture from the Design Squad challenges. The challenge was to make something that spins and stays up on a stick.
It was super tough to figure out how to make it stay up. We had to try at least four different ways to keep the "sails" up.
To make the "sails", we cut up a small paper cup into three parts and taped them onto about two centimeter beads with large holes in the middle.
To make the base we stuck three small scewers in to the bottom of a paper cut in different places.
The hardest thing was to was keep the the "sails" up so the LAST thing we tried was to get metal washers and put poster putty around the scewers. We put the washers onto the poster putty so the washers stuck then put the "sails" on.
It didn't work too well for us, but you can do whatever you want to make it work! Good luck!
Today, February 18th, Faryn and I made a dance pad for the DESIGN SQUAD Challenge. This challenge is one of many that The Hillwood Herald has done as part of the PBS Kids television show. As reporters, we interviewedJudy and Adam at Hillwood, the engineers and starts who lead the show and design all the different challenges. (Click here to read our coverage about the show and Judy and Adam.)
Our dance pad consisted of only a battery and a lightbulb, as some buzzers were missing and the rest were being used. Even though our challenge creation does not sound and look like a lot, it took a while to figure out how exactly we were going to connect the wires with the lightbulb and how we were going to trigger it to work.
As we were trying to figure out how we were going to trigger our devices, I thought back to how Judy and Adam triggered their initial challenge through cardboard. I also recalled how last week, Jake, Erion, and I used duct tape and cardboard. Faryn and I had trouble making a cardboard trigger at first, but we finally got the wire to stop moving out of place. From there, we were able to press the cardboard and trigger the lightbulb, so that it would glow. If you would like to try this challenge yourself, start by reading the directions on the DESIGN SQUAD website. All the needed materials are easily found, either at your home or Radio Shack or your neighborhood hardware store. While a lower-grade student might need help with this project, an upper-grader can do it on his or her own.
Other classmates made Rubber Band Cars, which is also a DESIGN SQUAD challenge from Judy and Adam. (At the end of Judy and Adam's "Apache Skateboard" show, you can watch them build a rubber band car -- it's actually more difficult than it looks!)
DESIGN SQUAD's purpose is to help regular kids make their dreams come true through engineering. On the DESIGN SQUAD Website there are plenty of videos that anyone can watch showing Judy and Adam helping kids and doing challenges together.
The latest DESIGN SQUAD show is a two-part series about Adam and Judy designing clothing in New York. When they spoke to The Hillwood Herald, both explained how this was one of the more stressful challenges. Of course, if you are more into learning all about worm juice and engineering a bike to transport fresh produce in London, watch the previous episode, titled "Garden to Go."
Also, don't missing seeing Judy and Adam at the nearby Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of Berkeley.
WHAT: Meet Design Squad Nation hosts Judy and Adam, watch sneak peeks of new episodes, and try engineering challenges inspired by the show!
WHEN: Saturday, February 26th from 11:00 am-4:00 pm
WHERE: Lawrence Hall of Science
Judy and Adam will be launching their giant catapult! Watch the stage shows at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm for some super-sized fun! There will also be an Ingenuity in Action exhibit and the Ingenuity Lab, where you can build and test rockets, ping pong ball launchers, bridges, and your own flying things.
You will have to pay to get into the museum, which costs $12 for adults and either $9 or $6 for children. But once inside, all the activities are free. For more information, visit www.lawrencehallofscience.org.
Today Alysen and I made a Dance Pad Mania from the Design Squad Challenges. Last week Alysen made a Dance Pad Mania, and I made a Rubber Band Car. But this week, since I had no idea how to do the Dance Pad, she decided to make another one to show me how to do it.
First you need the "ingredients":
wire
wire strippers
duct tape
light bulb
light bulb holder
batteries
and cardboard
the black wire goes on the positive side of the battery
the red wire on the negative.
put the little light bulb into the light bulb older
duct tape the wires onto the battery
Connect the wires to the silver screws on the light bulb holder. The light bulb will barely light up, but it most likely will. Make sure everything is good and taped down, then get a little piece of cardboard. Put the cardboard over a wire connected to the light and press it down so the light goes on.
In the new design squad video a British girl named Mariam and Bert talks about her new idea of where to plant flowers and vegetables.
This new idea is to plant the food and flowers in skips. Skips are basically "big rubbish cans".
This idea is really cool because its recycling and it saves money that people would use to buy pots.
Instead of using feralizer they use worm tea, a mixture made by worms.
Then she and Bert got a bicycle. They used the bicycle to take her fruits and veggies to restaurants. The restaurants then made there food out of the organic home grown veggies.
Since its really hard to bicycle heavy produce to restaurants Mariam and Bert wishes she could find a better way to bring the fruits and vegetables to restaurants.
This is where Judy and Adam come in -- they help to make a dream come true.
First the four them brainstorm and come up with a trailer idea with two bikes attached and protection from smog and pollution.(as shown below).
Then to build the trailer they go...DUMPSTER DIVING!
They find big peices of wood, giant tubes of rubber and much, much more.
They use bakery trays to hold the fruit in the trailer.
Today I made a Rubber Band car that was supposed to go really fast.
I couldn't make it go fast at all but it still goes a little bit. It's kind of lop-sided so it goes to one side. When I was making this, I cut my pinkie finger with scissors, I think, I wasn't sure what I cut it with but I got a band aid.
I did a rubber band car because it is one of the Design Squad Challenges. Here's how you can make your own:
Get a piece of cardboard, (5"6") then you get the thinnest wooden scewer, two compact discs (CDs), rubber bands, tape (Duct or masking tape), scissors, and 4 faucet washers. It calls for two faucet washers on the design squad website, but I used four because the discs were too wobbly and the faucet washers helped as a support for the discs. You can also use tape to help as a support.
First, make a 1" 1" square in the middle of the shorter side.
Then, stick the thinnest scewer through the short side where the square is. Picture the square as a trench and the scewer is a bridge to cross it.
Then, put a faucet washer onto each end of the scewer on each side of the "body"
Then put the discs on top of the faucet washers then put the other two faucet washers over the discs. Then put tape to hold them.
Tape the rubber band to the part of the scewer over the trench in the middle.
Make two slits about half an inch apart at the bottom of the piece of cardboard on the short side.
Pull the rubber band down and put the rubber band into the slits.
To make the car move, twist the rubber band around the "bridge" and let it go and the rubber band causes the scewer to turn therefore turning the discs.
Today, Erion, Jake, and I created a prototype for "Dance Pad Mania" from DESIGN SQUAD.
The prototype turned out pretty good, although it looks like it was made for ants... Because we only had one light bulb and one buzzer we made it smaller than we had intended, turning it into a prototype. The next question is if we can take our dance pad for ants into a dance pad a that's more than a teeny bit bigger.
For me, I think the challenge was kind of easy, although I don't really do challenges with electrical thingy-ma-bobbers. The light bulb only made a dim light, and when we tried a super battery it didn't work any better than a 1.5 volt. The buzzer didn't work on some occasion, and Jake drew a button on it...
The process of the project was very fun.
DESIGN SQUAD makes plenty of other different projects like Dance Pad Mania on their website on PBSkids. DESIGN SQUAD is made up of two engineers named Judy and Adam.
Judy and Adam do plenty of different projects that are sometimes challenging but always fun to do.
Today, I went on PBS Kidsand had a chance to sketch a cake. On the website, you can log on and pick a wish that says, "I wish I could make a cake that moves." You can then sketch a cake that you think might be able to move. You can be as creative as you desire. Like I did, my cake was a cake that an alien had crash-landed in from mars. Other people took a more literal approach -- and like Judy and Adam of DESIGN SQUAD -- actually used some engineering know-how to make theirs.
DESIGN SQUAD is made up of Judy and Adam.
Judy and Adam were the two who helped engineer a cake that could move. Judy and Adam also have lots of other videos where they construct other things that are loads of fun.
Judy and Adam's main purpose is to help regular kids construct their dreams through engineering.
Here at The Hillwood Herald, we had the awesome opportunity of meeting Judy and Adam. We also got to talk to them about how they got the ideas to make all of their amazing creations. You can read my post about their in-classroom visit and the Herald interview here.
Today Jake and I went to Design Squad and made a sketch of a walking cake.
Our cake, as you can see, has wheels and layers.
This cake sketch is one of many ideas that you can sketch. On Design Squad, there are a bunch of questions such as "I wish I could build a cake that moves." Then you pick one of the many questions and you can either draw a sketch or make a prototype.
On Design Squad you can make a username and password and play games and get points and stickers.
Judy and Adam are engineers for Design Squad. They use engineering and recycled materials to make playgrounds and skate parks for kids who don't have them and so on.
You can watch videos on design squad also. Design Squad is also a television show that airs nationally. You can watch the shows first three episodes in full on the website.
On the Design Squad Website you can register and make up a nickname and create a password. Then, you can make a sketch, make a wish, and make a prototype!
You can play games, such as "Figdit" and "String Thing," and when you're tired of those fun games, you can build things!
The Design Squad Website has a great application that teaches you fun crafts and building challenges, such as a "Rubber Band Car" and a "Hidden Buzzer." Keep a eye on The Hillwood Herald, and you will be able to watch and read about our efforts to do these challenges.
The Design Squad Website is safe and fun to play! Below is a screen grab, or image, from the latest episode about a girl in London growing and driving her own food around her Camden Town neighborhood.
Angela and I, Rubina, made two sketches on PBS Kids. We drew waking cakes!
Rubin drew a cake walking on horse hooves, and I, Angela, drew a cake on a skateboard.
The process is quite simple. What you do is make an account on PBS Kids and click on Sketches, which let you draw a sketch. You can post your sketch and give stickers to other sketches by other people. You can also get stickers if other people give you stickers. The more stickers, the more popular your design is.
Today, October 15th, Clara and I did the Hidden Buzzer Challenge (designed by Judy and Adam for PBS Kids' DESIGN SQUAD). We decided to "hide" our buzzer in a magazine so when someone touched the magazine the buzzer would go off.
Of course we needed a little help with the circuits, and our buzzer had a mind of its own. But on the other hand, it was pretty fun creating our buzzer.
As some people know Judy and Adam are coming to talk with The Hillwood Herald next Friday, and of course we have questions for them!
When Judy and Adam come, the first five questions that I will ask them are going to be well thought out. Since I want to make sure I get them down, I'll write them here:
How long does it take for you guys to actually make the experiments?
What made you want to become engineers?
Do you two have fun making the experiments or is it really hard?
Do you two usually get it right the first time, or do you have to keep trying at it?
Do you sometimes want to give up on the experiments you're making?
I bet it's going to be a great time when Judy and Adam come to talk to us about all the experiments they have made and how they get the ideas and things like that. But until then everyone can go to their site on PBSkids and try all the expirements we've been doing the past few weeks.
DESIGN SQUAD is made up of Judy and Adam who create challenges and see how they work out. They have challenges like the Kick Stick Challenge and the Roving the Moon Challenge.
They show more challenges on the website PBS Kids.org that are fun, but challenging. Judy and Adam are going to actually take some time out of their day to come to Hillwood, so we can interview them! We're going to be able to show them all the projects we have made with their neat ideas.
Today, Clara and I did something called a "Pop Fly Challenge." We created a device to launch ping-pong balls into the air, using: cups, duct tape, and paint stirrers. When we launched our ping-pong into the air we caught it usually every time.
For our project, we had to make a cage out of a part of one of the cups to keeps the ball in place.
Our project resembles a see-saw because when we hit one end, the ball flies up on the other. We also were able to catch our ball in a cup, much like basketball.
On PBS Kids Go there are plenty of challenges, including the Pop Fly Challenge, which we were doing this week.
Adam and Judy are two people who helped make episodes and challenges for PBS Kids' "Design Squad." Their work will appear on both TV and the web. They also made a video .
The video is about Adam and Judy making a table from newspapers, a piece of chip board, and masking tape. They make the legs of the table from rolling up the news paper and taping it and using it as legs, then puts the chip board on the top as the table top and then putting heaver objects on top to see if it will work.
The "Design Squad" is a T.V show and a website that tries "to give kids a stronger understanding of the connection between engineering and the things we all use in everyday life." The "Design Squad" helps them with math and science skills as well.
a, made two sketches on 
