Making science fun with paper roller coasters

Paper Roller Coaster by Andrew Gatt

My grade school days are so far behind me, I remember very little about any sort of science experiments. I vaguely recall something about adding food coloring to water to turn white carnations different colors. BOR-ING. If I had Andrew Gatt for a teacher, I think I would have some pretty epic science memories.

As the lower school science specialist as a school in Raleigh, North Carolina, Andrew started building paper roller coasters in the late 90s as an activity in his 5th grade classroom. He continued refining his designs over the years, and started making presentations of his designs at teacher conventions and eventually started selling the templates and directions.  These days, he teaches science to 7th and 8th graders and uses the templates with his 7th graders each fall. The templates are available on his website.

Homeschoolers and science aficionados rejoice! Andrew offers three lesson plans to use with the paper roller coasters, which are available for free download on his website, PaperRollerCoasters.com. “The lesson plans show how paper roller coasters can be used to teach about speed, acceleration, potential energy, and kinetic energy,” says Andrew. “It’s also a great structural engineering lesson in which students have to build a sturdy structure that will hold up the tracks.”

See videos of paper roller coasters in action on Andrew’s YouTube channel!

Up to the challenge of building your own coaster? We’d love to hear about your efforts and results – feel free to share a link to your creation in the comments below! Go forth now and SCIENCE!

Links of Interest:
Andrew’s site, PaperRollerCoasters.com
More science crafts on GeekCrafts
Science category on GeekCrafts

Return of the Geek Cat

cat toys2

There was a lot of celebrating on the farm today.  After three weeks and two days, we finally found our cat, Ari!  Apparently he was hiding out in our closest neighbor’s shed the whole time.  I was pleasantly surprised that even after a 23 day stint in the pitch-dark shed he didn’t really resemble Gollum at all.

In addition to more cuddles than he’s comfortable with, I’m making him these geek cat toys as a welcome home gift.  (Underneath that cool cat exterior, I have no doubt that Ari is a total Whovian, Final Fantasy, AND Harry Potter nerd.)  The best part?  No sewing machine is needed for these adorable toys from Allons-Y Kimberly.

Oh man, remember when we posted this?  What a charming place for a geek cat to hang his hat!

The cute is strong with this lovey

Crochet Yoda lovey by Kristen McCrory

Need a super cute gift for a youngling in your life? Look no further than this adorable crochet Yoda-inspired lovey by Kristen McCrory.

The little Yoda head gives your young padawan something to cuddle onto, while also toting around the ever-so-comforting blankie, all in Star Wars geek style. Win-win-win.

Make this Yoda blankie even more geek-tastic by watching “Star Wars” while stitching it up, so the Force is melded into every stitch. Which episode of the series would you watch while making this?

Side note: I noticed Kristen also has a mega-awesome Gir lovey in her Etsy shop – makes me think, “Aw, somebody needs a hug!”

Plushy DIY Roundup!

UniPug

This week on Spoonflower, the contest involves original designs for mythical creature plushies, and when I saw Gila’s UniPug design I knew I had to share it on Geek Crafts.  You can purchase your own DIY UniPug Plushy Pattern on a variety of fabrics (I recommend Spoonflower’s new Minky fabric for this one because it’s super soft and cuddly, like the ever elusive UniPug himself) in Cross The Lime’s Spoonflower shop.  The design fits on a fat quarter and costs about $17 with shipping.

GrumpyCat

If you’re more of a cat person, you might enjoy making your very own Grumpy Cat with this Instructable by username elewis03, complete with step-by-step instructions and pictures, as well as a rudimentary pattern you can download for free.  This little guy would make an excellent cubicle pal at the office, don’t you think?

FrogPrince

If grumpy kitties and mythical unipugs aren’t your thing, how about a Frog Prince named Ferdinand from Abby Glassenberg’s blog While She Snaps? This DIY has a free downloadable pattern along with excellent pictures and instructions.  While you’re there, you should check out the other free plushy patterns on Abby Glassenberg’s site–super cute!

I’ll Be in My Bunk with Jayne

Jayne Cobb chibi plush by Vicious Pretty

In honor of Adam Baldwin’s birthday on Friday (February 27th), I wanted to share something beyond the iconic hat he wore as Jayne Cobb in “Firefly.” We’ve shared a number of different variations of the Jayne Cobb hat over the years, such as a Doctor Who version, a scarf version, a cupcake version, and a lip balm cozy version.

Today I bring you the plushie version – as in, sitting atop a cute Jayne Cobb chibi plush, as created by Cristina, aka ViciousPretty.

Cristina shared her creation over on DeviantArt, where she also has an extensive gallery of other adorable plushie creations, such as Gandalf, Namor, and a number of Mass Effect characters.

Cristina’s Jayne plushie is so cute and cunning, I just want to take him right to my bunk and cuddle. What character have you created in plush form, or have plans to attempt?

Also, be sure to wish Adam a happy birthday on Friday via Twitter!

Links of Interest:

Lego Marvel Galactus Figure

galactus

This Lego Marvel Galactus minifig actually started out in life as the Lego Monster Fighters Mummy Clock, and it stood just over 9″ tall. The poster did some serious deconstruction to the clock to get it ready for sanding and painting. The horns on Galactus’ helmet were created from clear Plexiglas. Most of the detail pieces are 2mm craft foam; the others are dowel rod.

The poster was able to order decals online for the body details, but within the Imgur post, he/she posted the decals they designed, to scale, in case anyone wants to use them.