Kick Stick Challenge with Judy and Adam

Judy and Adam, engineers working with PBS Kids DESIGN SQUAD, made a new challenge, called the kick stick. The items that make the kick stick possible are paint sticks, duct tape, a battery holder, a battery, aluminum foil, a washer,wire, a ping-pong ball, and popsicle stick.

The kick stick is like an automatic ping pong ball hitter. First, you stick the washer on the motor. Then put the battery in the battery holder, and connect the wires so the motor will work. Check to see if your washer spins. Tape some paint sticks together to make that the handle on your automatic ping-pong ball hitter. Then attach your motor to the sticks. Make a blade with duct tape or your popsicle stick, by attaching them to the washer connected to the motor. Now see if your blade(s) spin. Now test it out with a ping-pong ball.

You can see Judy and Adams video at the Design Squad website. Also, you can read older Hillwood Herald posts — both Adam and Judy were nice enough to come to Hillwood, so we could interview them for this blog.

On January 26,2011, Judy and Adam will have a new show coming out on PBS Kids T.V. The show will inspire kids to "Dream it,Build it, and Live it." The show is expected to attract families, tweens, and teenagers to watch the show. Over 10 episodes will be premiered with the help of the co-hosts Judy and Adam.

Also, The Hillwood Herald has been reporting on Judy and Adam for the last month. You can read our posts and watch how our challenges went here.

Design Squad Pop Fly, Another PBS Kids Challenge

Today, Angela and I made a pop flier. The pop fliers materials include:

• Duck Tape

• 1 wooden block/spool

• 3-oz paper cups

• Ping pong ball(s)

• 3-5 paint stirrers

Assemble your Pop Flier and try to fly the ping pong ball so that it flies high enough for one to catch it. Now ask yourself:

Did it fly high enough for you to catch it? Was it worth building it?

Now go find your tallest friend and have them try to catch it!

Step by step, our pop flier was a success. First, we got two paint stirrers and taped them together. Then we taped quarter of a cup to the paint stirrers. From there, we taped two full cups below the quarter cups. We added another cup below the paint stirrers about an inch from the other cups. Then we placed two ping ball balls in the quarter cups and at the end of the paint stirrers, we hit it and our ping ball balls shot off.

We tried to catch them but it's hard because there is two of the ping pong balls. Now you try to catch your ping pong balls.

By Camryn and Angela