#MAKERSPACE AFICIONADO & ADVOCATE

Snowflakes

11/15/2020

Not everybody sees them, but most know what they are.
They could be a good #MakerEd #MakerCenteredLearning project because there are many things that you can talk about as you make them. The learning is in the discussions you have. Both sides of the brain are activated while making things, opening up better conversations. And there are a great variety of ways to “make” them.

There is much science and math that can be discussed (ice crystals, 6-fold symmetry). What do we use Greek names for, besides shapes? Times when snowstorms impacted history (closed mountain pass, battlefield, Blizzard of 1978…)? I am sure a good librarian could help you find a book for students to read that has snow as an important part of it. Of course there are movies to discuss, like “Frozen” or “Ground Hog Day”. It could be a great way to get to know your students discussing movies while designing/making snowflakes

Obviously there are your basic arts and crafts ways to build them, with whatever supplies you have. You could also do some upcycling, just remember multiples of 6. Got any math manipulatives lying around. Print out geometric shapes, or have students create cardboard templates using compass, protractor & ruler. Google Slides and Geogebra { https://www.geogebra.org/ } could be ways to create and print shapes.

There are virtual ways to do this also. There are probably many online math manipulatives, here is one https://www.coolmath4kids.com/manipulatives/pattern-blocks . There are “paper cutting” sites like https://dangries.com/rectangleworld/PaperSnowflake/ and https://playback.fm/paper-snowflake-maker . You could also use Geogebra {https://www.geogebra.org/ } or Tinkercad {https://www.tinkercad.com/ } to create the snowflakes.

There are many ways to use coding to create snowflakes. Some of these will be able to be 3D printed, laser cut, or cut by a vinyl cutter (even Cricut/Cameo). Tinkercad {https://www.tinkercad.com/ } has a section called “Codeblocks” . There is a browser based Turtle art { https://www.playfulinvention.com/webturtleart/ } that utilizes blocks. You could email them { http://turtleart.org/ } requesting a download if that is what you need. We can also do turtle art through the text based coding of Python. You can download this for free at https://www.python.org/downloads/ or use a browser based site (free accounts available) https://repl.it/signup {they have MANY coding languages, look for “Python with Turtle”}.

Do you have design software like Inkscape (free), Illustrator, CorelDraw, Lightburn?
You can obviously design snowflakes using these.

I have written a long Google Doc tutorial {https://bit.ly/SnowflakeTutorial } about 12 of these ways. I did not do Inkscape or Illustrator, because I do not know them well. I did a couple of videos about Python turtle art, Lightburn, and CorelDraw... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo6W7Aw8EPRDn0mS1HywhnHPtJPF3YKKY

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CricutPumpkinCarving

10/5/2020

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I think a craft cutter is one tool that every school and makerspace should have a couple of. They are a relatively inexpensive foray into digital design where measurements matter. You can cut paper, cardstock, food box cardboard and vinyl (stickers, window clings, iron ons).
I have a Cricut which came with their Design Space Software. If you have a Cameo, I assume you use Silhouette Studio, which has a basic free version, then paid upgrade versions.
The steps should be similar...maybe the tools have different names.

Silhouette Garden https://silhouettegarden.com/ and Flaticon https://www.flaticon.com/ are great sites to get free and copyright free icons to use for projects. Usually they just want attribution. Silhouette Garden gives you a zip file with svg, png, jpg, eps, and dxf formats ; Flaticon has png & svg formats.

1) Upload a pumpkin svg (or whatever shapes) to your software
2) Import it/them into your project
3) Find these tools Weld, Slice , Group.

Ring to Hang:
1) Make 2 circles, one smaller, put them on top of each other
2) Select both and click Slice
3) Grab the outer ring and move it onto the pumpkin
4) Select the ring and the pumpkin and click Weld
5) Delete the two smaller circles

Face Carving
1) Pick a shape for an eye, size it and put it into place
2) Select the eye and the pumpkin then click Slice
3) The pumpkin now has a hole in it and there are two "slices" the shape of the eye that you can delete.
Slice only works with TWO objects, so you have to do each feature one at a time.
Repeat those steps with the other features you want to cut out

Add Ons
If you want to add on to your pumpkin -- arms, wings, hats ...
Bring in another SVG
Attach it to the pumpkin
Select both
click Weld
Weld works with multiple items, so you can weld them all at once

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DigitalPumpkinCarvingPart2-Laser

10/5/2020

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If you have a laser cutter, you are a lucky person. There is so much that you can do quickly. Besides 2D objects, you can build 3D objects from slices (think MRI). But let’s stay simple and do some pumpkin carving.

The work flow differs a little based on what software you use to cut on the laser. I have Lightburn { https://lightburnsoftware.com/ $80, works with most lasers}, which is a great layout, editing, and control software. But yours might be similar.

Find an svg of a pumpkin.
Silhouette Garden https://silhouettegarden.com/ and Flaticon https://www.flaticon.com/ are great sites to get free and copyright free icons to use for projects. Usually they just want attribution. Silhouette Garden gives you a zip file with svg, png, jpg, eps, and dxf formats ; Flaticon has png & svg formats.

Import the svg into the software

Now use some shapes or the line tool to do some “carving”

I have done a couple of things,
I changed the cutting specs on black lines to make a cut (check the settings for your laser and material).
I have made one eye be a different color AND set it to be “Fill” instead of “Line”.
Then I set that color to engraving speed/power specifications.

Select All, then Group the objects as one.
Now check your dimensions. Is it the size you want? {size reference - a male adult palm is about 10 cm / 4” across}

Grab corners if you want it to stay in that proportion.
Grab sides/top/bottom if you just want to change one dimension.

Pay attention to the lock.
If it is locked, you can type one dimension and the other will change proportionally...helpful if you want one dimension to be a certain number

There is one more thing to do. Do you want to be able to hang this? If so we need to add a loop.
Make two circles. Type in measurements to make them a certain size (what will work for you?)
When I drag the smaller one into the bigger one, it jumps to a centering position.
If they don't automatically center, You will need to use your alignment tools.

Select them both and Group them.
Move them to be a part of your pumpkin

Select both the loop and the pumpkin.

Then choose the “Weld Shapes” tool.

{Another option is one of the Boolean tools)

Now there is an oops….
We just lost the blue eye. That “Weld” mashed everything together.
So I guess we will have to undo some steps,
“Undo” is your friend (command-z or control-z).
Undo enough to get the loop off the pumpkin, then select and “ungroup” the pumpkin face.

Move the loop back to the pumpkin.
Select the pumpkin (only) and the loop
Weld them.

Now select all and Group them.
Double check the dimensions.
Send to your laser.

if you wanted to add anything EXTRA to your pumpkin, say wings...
import an svg (or draw something)
stick it slightly "inside" the pumpkin)
Select the things you want to connect
Then use "Weld" from Tools
but REMEMBER the problem when I welded and there was a different color in the group
This Weld needs to be done before you group that different color object IF you have a different color object...I had one just to show "engraving"
(wings by Freepik
https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/wings_488527?term=wings&page=1&position=6 )

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