Five weekend projects that turn a tablet-lover into a tinkerer.
Words by
Tomás Reyes
Lead Maker
Field notes
written by a WONDERKID educator ↘
Screens aren't the enemy — passive screens are. The goal is to move kids from consuming to creating.
1. The cardboard arcade
A shoebox, a marble and a ruler make a pinball machine. Add a scoreboard and you have an afternoon.
2. Paper circuits
Copper tape, a coin battery and an LED turn a greeting card into something that glows.
3. Stop-motion studio
The same tablet, used to animate clay figures frame by frame, becomes a filmmaking tool.
4. Take-apart Saturday
An old keyboard and a screwdriver: a museum of tiny engineering.
5. Build a bot
Start with a block-coding kit and a single motor. Everything else follows.
About the author
Lead Maker
Built his first robot from a VCR at nine. Now teaches others to take things apart — and put them back better.
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