Using household recyclables to create a planter is a fun and simple way to make your home or classroom a  little “greener”, and does its own watering!  It’s perfect for starting seeds indoors and growing seedlings until they’re big enough to plant in your garden.

Step 1:  Gather Materials

You will need:

• A plastic drink bottle
• Potting soil
• Scissors or a box cutter
• Scoop or small cup
• Seeds (grass or wildflower seeds work well for first attempts)
• Water
• Sunlight

 Step 2:  Prepare the Bottle

Carefully cut your plastic bottle in half.   You may need help from an adult to cut a slit into the bottle to start you off.   Then cut all the way around the circumference of the bottle.

Place the bottom part of the bottle so it sits upright.  Flip the top part of the bottle over and fit it inside the bottom part.  You may need to cut off some excess plastic if the bottle seems too tall.  In the end, you should have a plastic vase with a top section for soil and seeds, and a bottom section for water.

Step 3:  Plant Your Seeds

Here’s the fun part.  Using your scoop or a small cup, scoop soil into the top section of the planter (the top part of the bottle)  to fill it about half way with soil.   A small amount of soil will fall out of the bottle neck and into the bottom section of your planter.  That’s OK!

Take a couple of seeds and carefully place them in the soil, using the seed packet instructions as a guide on how far apart to place them.  Be sure not to use too many seeds or your plants may not have enough room to grow.

Gently scoop more soil on top of the seeds.   Pat down the soil but do not pack it down tightly.

Step 4:  Water Your Seeds

Seeds need water  to grow into plants.   So just pour water in the bottom section of the planter.  The water will work its way up into the soil through the bottle neck, and the soil will remain wet as long as there is enough water in the bottom section.  When the water in the bottom section is getting low or dries out, add more.  This is called a “self-watering” planter because the soil takes as much water as it needs, and you only need to replenish it every once and a while.

Be sure to give your plant enough sunlight and water to grow.  When your plant is big enough (following the instructions from the seed packet), transplant it into the garden or a bigger pot.   If you like this type of planter, experiment with other recycled containers to create more!

-Kevin

Click here for steps to make this from Instructables.com.

Here at The MAKESHOP Show, we love creative ideas for reusing old things and we know kids do, too. So we’re sharing this project idea for transforming an old gumball machine into a real, usable fish tank! PLUS, these instructions will also teach you the basics for turning other vessels into comfy fish homes.

Click here for the how-to on Instructables.com by maker wold630.

Some important notes on this project:

We like how thoughtful wold360 was about designing this tank for its new function: a safe home for pet fish! You can learn how to create your own unconventional fish tank by noting these important design steps:

• Seal the bottom of the water vessel so it holds water without leaking (in this case, by adding a new piece of glass and sealing it with aquarium sealant)
• Score, cut and file a new piece of glass (see Safety Note below).
• Use aquarium sealant that’s nontoxic to living fish.
• Remember to allow easy access for feeding your fish and cleaning the tank.

To get you thinking, we found some other surprising examples of junk objects creatively reused into fish tanks.

What would YOU use? Share your ideas with us at info@makeshopshow.com.

*SAFETY NOTE: This project absolutely requires an adult maker to help you with scoring and cutting a circle of glass to seal the bottom of the fishbowl.  Please make sure you have an adult helper before starting.

Click here to learn how to make your own doily lamp.

We love this idea of creating a lampshade out of a balloon, doilies and lots of glue! The simple steps with awesome results make this project perfect even for young kid makers.

Doilies are decorative lace shapes that people put under collectibles and plants to make them look prettier. Lots of people have extra doilies stashed away at home or you can find them easily at thrift stores or yard sales. The design of doilies makes this project more interesting because once the glue sets and the balloon is popped, your lampshade is full of lovely holes for the light to shine through. The light casts designs on your ceiling and walls (making it a cool night light, too). This project is a creative reuse of an existing material, making the best of its design for a new function.

Click here or on the photo for the full instructions for Doily Lamp at the Dose Family blog. Interestingly, though, the instructions aren’t the only thing we love about this post …

Keep reading past the instructions and you’ll see another great aspect of maker culture – makers helping one another improve their projects by sharing ideas. Maker Isabelle responds to other makers questions and suggestions for her doily lamp, learning tricks and tips for making it better. She got comments and questions from makers around the world! You can read her thoughts about the type of glue used, how to get the balloon out of the lamp or how to get the light bulb into it. Maker friends help one another get better at what they do. Share YOUR ideas and tips with your maker friends and be a part of the great community of makers!

TIP: To make your lampshade a lamp, you’ll also need a hanging light bulb kit. You can find these cheaply online, like here for $9, or at a local hardware store. Like maker Isabelle, we recommend using a cool, low wattage light bulb for this project.

Keep calm and make on, kid makers!

These rice filled heating pads are great for colds, toothaches, muscle aches, cold winter days, glove warmers, heating pads, headaches and more. They are a simple sewing project perfect for young makers or those new to sewing technique. Plus, there’s tons of room to be creative! Don’t miss
our inventive suggestions at the end.

Materials:

• Soft fabric, NO SYNTHETIC FABRIC. Stick to cotton, wool, etc. Synthetic fabrics will melt if they are accidentally left in the microwave too long.
• Ruler and pencil
• Rice
• Needle & thread
• Scissors
• Stuffing
• Sewing machine
• An adult helper
• Cinnamon, lavender, or other nice smelling spice (optional)

Step 1:

To make a small hand warmer rice bag, cut 2 squares of fabric approximately 5”x5” each. To make a larger pillow, cut 2 squares approximately 10”x10” each.

Step 2:

Place the squares right sides together (this means with the patterned or colored side of the fabric on the inside) and pin 3 sides, leaving one side open. The pins will guide you where to sew, while the open side allows you to flip it right side out.

Step 3:

Using the sewing machine, sew the 3 sides that are pinned. You want these stitches to be nice and tight so that the rice doesn’t fall out. Make sure to do a few backstitches on the ends.

Step 4:

Turn your bag right side out. Fill with a small amount of stuffing, rice, and scent if desired. Be sure to leave about an inch of space between the filling and the edge of the opening. For a bag that will heat thoroughly, fill with equal parts stuffing and rice.

Step 5:

Fold the open edge of the bag over twice, pin shut. Sew the opening closed, running a backstitch the whole way across the seam.

Voila!

You now have your very own reusable heating bag. Microwave it for 30 seconds at a time on a medium heat setting until it’s warm.

Creative Ideas:

• Cut open a small seam on a stuffed animal, replace some of the stuffing with rice. Stitch closed. Now you have a heated friend!
• Sew a smaller rice bag to fit inside a larger stuffed animal or pillow. Sew a zipper on the larger pillow. Now you can remove the rice bag if the pillow needs to be washed.
• Sew a pair of small squares and fill with rice only. Give them as a gift of hand warms that can slip inside a pair of gloves.
• Reverse! Throw fuzzy in the freezer to use it as an ice pack!

 Theresa Baughman is an eclectic maker whose interests span from hat making to engineering! She is a member of Steel Town Etsy and lives and studies in Pittsburgh, PA. She recently visited The MAKESHOP at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh for an afternoon of warm-fuzzy-making with makers of all ages! Learn more about Theresa’s work and visit her hat shop on Etsy.com.

KEEP CALM AND MAKE ON!

Click here for full instructions by CuriousInventor on Instructables.

One of them is making a soup can microphone!

We found these instructions for making a real tin can microphone over at one of our favorite websites, Instructables.com. Maker expert CuriousInventor gives you clear explanations of the steps, plus helpful photos along the way to build a microphone that will give you a retro, lo-fi sound perfect for your new garage band or just giving yourself a bigger way to enter a room.

Look Closer: One of the key parts in this simple electronics projects is called a Piezo element. Piezoelectricity is electricity that results from applying pressure on certain materials.  The piezo element that you use for this project is a sensor that, when pushed by sound waves, creates a changing voltage to power your microphone. You can find a piezo element for about $1.50 online or for around $5 at your local RadioShack. It’s a fun example of a very affordable, easy-to-find part that you can use to make all kinds of fun sound-making projects.In fact, that’s true of each of the few parts of this project that you would need to buy at a local electronics store – they are versatile parts that, once you learn how use them, open up the world of electronic making!

*SAFETY NOTE: Grab an adult helper for electronics projects like this one, which require a soldering iron or fine hand work with the wires.

Tell us about YOUR soup can microphone by e-mailing us at info@makeshopshow.com. Or just find a really big can and maybe we’ll hear you from here!

Keep Calm and Make On!

Click here for instructions from the Organized Everyday blog.

Sweater sleeves are a great beginning to make other things (like one of our favorite projects, Sweater Sleeve Leg Warmers). By using the existing cuff and sleeve in your design, it only takes a few adaptations to make something new.

That’s what maker mom Jena did to make darling rainbow striped sweater sleeve slippers. She teaches you how to do it, too, over at her blog, Organized Everyday. Click here or on the photo for full instructions and pictures of each step.

You’ll need these materials:

• 2 old sweater sleeves
• Paper and pencil to trace your foot for the sole
• Fleece, mock suede or other scraps of heavier fabric for the sole
• Pins
• Thick sewing needle and yarn for hand sewing

This is a super easy hand sewing project perfect for kid makers or adult makers new to sewing. It also introduces you to one of the fundamental spatial thinking skills of sewing: crafting something inside-out so it looks right when reversed.

This project makes GREAT gifts for birthdays, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day! So save those outgrown sweaters, kid makers, to keep calm and make on!

You can! All you need is simple materials you have at home like cardboard duct tape and …. the formula for displacement so your canoe is bouyant. That means your canoe has to be big enough to push away (displace) the right amount of water so you float (are bouyant).

Design Challenge: We gave 2 maker teams all they needed to design and build their own cardboard canoes to float in the 53′ water table at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The results were super creative – and we learned how to build a canoe that would really work! Special thanks to our adventurous makers Kristin, Marie, Dave and Christian.

Do It Yourself: Of course, this is The MAKESHOP Show: we want YOU to make it yourself at home. Below are all the instructions you’ll need to make your very own cardboard canoe:

Cardboard Canoe Instructions

Remember to use the formula for water displacement and bouyancy on Page 3 so that your boat floats! Also remember that your canoe must be watertight, so seal all the cracks and holes with duct tape and test your design before climbing aboard.

*SAFETY NOTE: Utility knives are sharp, so ask an adult maker for help in cutting cardboard. Only test your cardboard canoe in safe, shallow water with adult supervision and always wear a life vest.

Keep calm and make on!

(Psssst! Don’t miss Matt’s notes at the very end, exploring cool similarities inside these toys that look really different on the outside AND even a tip about how “night vision” works.)

Furby 2012

© 2012 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Crayola Glow Dome

© 2012 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Spy Gear Night Sight Night Vision

© 2012 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

NOTES FROM MAKER EXPERT, MATT:

* All three toys contain very common Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) which are small, low-power sources of light. The LEDs in the spy scope are a special kind of LED, that shines “infrared” light, which is a special kind of light that our eyes can’t normally see, but the special camera sensor in the spy scope can see it. This is how the spy scope can see in the dark!

* There are little electric motors in both the Furby (for moving the eye lids and ears) and also the color dome (to rotate the dome). Motors are a very common way to make things move with electronics.

* All three toys contain switches, which let you control the electrical connections in the toy. The color dome switches let you control how the dome rotates and how the LEDs light up, the furby switches can detect if you bump the Furby or tip the Furby over on its side, and the spy scope switch lets you choose between off, day, and night settings.

©2012 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Learn more about us on our About Page and you can always tell us what you think at info@makeshopshow.com. Keep calm and make on!

A light painting by a young maker in the MAKESHOP at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

Yesterday in the MAKESHOP™, makers of all ages had a brilliant time “light painting”, a photographic technique that uses a camera with slow shutter speed to capture images of fast moving lights. With materials you probably have nearby right now, you can have hours of fun experimenting with goofy, dramatic and surprising visual effects!

Below is a slideshow of just a few of the hundreds of light paintings we made yesterday. Send us YOUR favorite at info@makeshopshow.com.

Read on for materials, instructions and inspirations for making your own light paintings!

How does it work? The aperture of a camera works like the iris of your eye. Both expand or contract to allow more or less light into the lens. Grab a flashlight and look at your eyes in a mirror. As you shine the flashlight near them, do you see how your iris expands or contracts? This is how your eye protects itself from too much light or assists you in seeing when it’s dark outside.  A camera has this, too. Unlike your eyes, you can control this on your camera with a setting. The F-stop setting controls the fraction of light stopped by the aperture. Get it?

In light painting, you let only a little bit of light in through the aperture but for a long time. And by “a long time” … we mean five seconds! Five seconds is a very long time for a camera, since regular photos are taken in only a fraction of a single second.  During those few seconds, the lens captures the light as a bright smear, tracking it as it moves.

Materials:

• Camera (digital or film)
• Lights (flashlights, holiday lights, bike headlamps, cell phones – anything that lights up!)
• Darkness
• Tripod or tabletop to keep the camera still

Settings (based on what we did):

• Shutter Speed: 5 Seconds (this is how long the shutter stayed open and captured the image)
• F-stop: F-29 (the fraction of light stopped by the aperture – remember, like an iris!)
• ISO: 100 (how sensitive the camera should be to light. We set ours as low as we could so that our little tiny moving light didn’t blow out the picture and make everything bright white.)

Once your camera is set and you have your lights, begin to experiment. Snap the shutter button and quickly move your light in front of the camera. Can you make a swirl, square or heart? Can you spell your name? Outline your sister? Draw a hat on your dog? (Note: Keep the light moving, so it doesn’t burn your lens like an iron left on a shirt!)

Get more ideas about light painting and long exposure photography at these helpful links:

• 10 Great Examples of Light Painting Photography
• Painting with Light
• How to Paint with Light in a Photograph

Stay calm and make on!
© 2012 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh