Engineering and Coding for Kids!
Stem Education and Maker Blog
Summer STEM Fun!
Summer has arrived, and somehow everyone’s already bored or sucked inside of a television. Panic has set in and you’re wondering how to keep little minds learning, growing and occupying themselves with constructive creativity. Well, you’re in luck - Here’s our Summer...
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Makerspace Essentials
According to John Spencer, co-author of Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student, a makerspace is “...simply a space designed and dedicated to hands-on creativity.” When we think of a makerspace, we think of an area in...
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What is a Maker?
We talk a lot about “makers” at MakeCrate, and if you’ve been wondering what a “maker” is, it’s time to learn all about Maker Culture! Definition: A maker is a person (or thing) that makes or produces something. When we talk about makers, we’re referring to kids &...
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Profiles in STEM: Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler is deemed to be a visionary among futurists, according to CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg. During a time in the latter half of the 1900s when the realm of science-fiction writers was dominated by an industry of mostly white dominated writers and she rose to...
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Fact from Fiction: Real Inventions from Science Fiction
Some of our great modern inventions were born years ago in the minds of creative writers and artists. Learn about the ways that science fiction has impacted our reality. Cell phones Cell phone technology inventor Martin Cooper credits his inspiration...
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Series and Parallel Circuits: Bonus Project
In this project, we'll explore the differences between series and parallel circuits. We'll start with some vocabulary. A series circuit is a circuit in which resistors are arranged in a chain, so the current has only one path to take. The current is the same through...
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Women in Space: Milestone Achievements
Here at MakeCrate we have a particular fondness for women in STEM. After all, our founder is a woman. We also have a fondness for space. Because SPACE! So we thought it’d be fun to put the two together and celebrate just a fraction of the records,...
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Recycling Logic Puzzle
Test your problem solving ability with this recycling logic puzzler!Four recycling trucks arrive in different days, and in different times, to collect recycling materials.What is the color of the truck that collects batteries? Use the chart and clues below to help you...
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5 Great STEM Activities for Outdoors
5 Great STEM Activities for OutdoorsSpring is here! The beautiful weather calls us outside, and creates the perfect opportunity to bring learning outdoors. Check out these ideas to encourage STEM learning while taking advantage of the great outdoors!...
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Profiles in STEM: Rachel Carson
Perhaps the finest nature writer of the Twentieth Century, Rachel Carson (1907-1964) is remembered today as the woman who challenged the notion that humans could obtain mastery over nature by chemicals, bombs and space travel than for her studies of ocean life. Her...
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Robots Every Day!
MakeCrate’s Robox, an educational robot subscription, is designed to teach kids how to build and program robots- great skills to have as robots become more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. Let’s take a look at some of the amazing ways that robots...
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Profiles in STEM: Helen Greiner
The team at MakeCrate loves automation and we are ready adopters of just about any tool to increase efficiency and eliminate chores. So today we are celebrating Helen Greiner, co-founder of iRobot, and one of the designers of the iRobot Roomba -a self-driving vacuum...
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STEM Lesson Plans: Coding and Engineering
STEM Lesson Plans: Coding and EngineeringBring engineering and coding to your classroom with our free downloadable lesson plans!STEM skills like coding, engineering, and robotics are important for all kids as they prepare for the future. Our educator written lesson...
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A Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Child Excited about Coding and Engineering
Download our free STEM, coding, and engineering parent's guide!Bring STEM skills to your child with our free parent's guide to coding and engineering! Why do you need our parent's guide to...
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Robot Logic!
Test your problem solving ability with this robot logic puzzler! You are locked in a room with only two doors. Each door is guarded by a robot. One door leads to your escape, while the other leads to certain death. In order to choose your door, you are allowed to ask...
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Bonus Project: Color Changer
See how colors mix with this project using an RGB LED. What You'll Learn When you are finished with this project, you'll be able to: Build a circuit using an RGB LED Understand how colors are created by mixing red, blue, and green What You'll Need To complete this...
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Bonus Project: Optical Theremin
A theremin is an electronic instrument in which two high-frequency oscillators control tone while the musicians hand movements control the pitch. In this bonus project, we'll build a similar instrument, in which hand movements control the amount of light that the...
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Visualizing Resistance
Looking to understand exactly what resistors do? In this bonus project, you'll use various resistance levels and see the impact they have on LED brightness and voltage levels. What You'll Learn When you are finished with this project, you'll be able to: Build a...
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Bonus Project: LED Message Scrolling
Use an LED matrix to create scrolling messages! What You'll Learn When you are finished with this project, you'll be able to: Build a circuit using an 8x8 LED matrix Code messages for your LED matrix to display What You'll Need To complete this project, you'll need...
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Bonus Project: Morse Code Interpreter
Learn Morse code while you build and code a circuit that sends and interprets Morse code signals. What You'll Learn When you are finished with this project, you'll be able to: Send messages using morse code Right code to interpret button signals into morse code...
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Profiles in STEM: Katherine Johnson
This week, we're celebrating the life and work of one of the most important women in modern science. Before she helped send the first astronauts to the moon, won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and became the subject of an award-winning film, Katherine Johnson was...
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5 Ways to Celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day is Thursday, March 14! Check out our History of Pi article, and celebrate the day with these great activities: Make a Pi bracelet! Buy small beads in 10 colors, and some string. Let each color represent the digits from 0 to 9. String your beads in the order of...
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A Brief History of Pi
While there's a "food holiday" for just about everything you love to eat, it turns out there are actually two separate days every year when people come together to celebrate pie: National Pie Day on January 23 and Pi Day on March 14. As you can imagine, it's easy to...
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Get Kids Coding for Free
Learning to code teaches kids valuable skills. Kids who learn to code will be prepared with the tools they need for the jobs of the future, while they hone their creative thinking skills and learn persistence, systematic reasoning, and collaboration. While most...
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