Design Squad Nation

Sweet Recycled Sculpture

By Design Squad Nation Feb 22, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

In our Trash to Treasure episode we saw some great examples of things you can make by recycling everyday materials. There was MaryAnn's water-saving toilet, Lilly's sibling soaker, and Daniel's weather-proof bike.

Here's another cool idea: turn those old soda cans into a kinetic sculpture! That's what these students at Stanford University did. Kinetic means the sculpture moves. Watch the video to see the sculpture in action.

Want to see how they built this engineering artwork? Check out this longer video:

Amazing! Try making your own kinetic sculptures from recycled materials and share them in our Projects section:

Recycled Chairs

By Design Squad Nation Feb 17, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

What happens when your family throws away an old refrigerator? This designer has an idea for re-using those old fridges: take the plastic from them to make chairs! A 3D printer squirts out the recycled plastic in one long, squishy string. It's like the chairs are being sculpted!

And here's an up-close view of the "sculpting" process:

How would you turn trash into treasure? Show us your fabulous recycling ideas on the Projects page, by clicking Lilly's wish below.

Continue reading Recycled Chairs.

Rooftop Garden!

By Design Squad Nation Feb 15, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

DSN hero Mariam shows us the rooftop garden she and her team at Global Generation have built. Featured on the garden is a system to collect and clean water for use in the building below, plus a wind turbine, flowers, solar panels, and a composter. Awesome!

Check out Mariam's Heroes page to see her wish, become a fan, or give her a sticker by clicking the image below!

One Small Step for LEGO...

By Design Squad Nation Feb 14, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

Two teenagers in Canada have launched a LEGO man 80,000 feet above the Earth! That's almost three times higher than a jet plane's cruising altitude. The project took the teens about four months and $400 of supplies. They even sewed their own balloon parachute!

Watch the video to see LEGO man's wild ride.

Want to try your own out-of-this-world project? Try building a spaceship that can land safely! Just click on Adam's wish below to get started.

Paper Table!

By Design Squad Nation Feb 8, 2012 1 Comment | Leave a comment

We're making every day Earth Day here at Design Squad Nation! Check out another great way to go green: paper furniture. In this video, Judy and Adam build a table out of newspapers that can hold a bunch of heavy books. How many books do you think a paper table can hold?

How would you build YOUR Paper Table? Share your ideas on the Projects page by clicking on Judy's wish below!

Rosie's Fashion Show!

By Design Squad Nation Feb 1, 2012 1 Comment | Leave a comment

My little pug dog, Rosie, has always been my sidekick. She follows me everywhere I go!

When Adam's mom heard about Rosie, she made the most beautiful pink jacket to keep her warm during the snowy winter. Adam's mom (we call her "Auntie Jeanie") and Rosie had a very special connection after that. With each Design Squad Nation episode, a new box would appear at our doorstep addressed to Rosie. Inside were beautifully handmade outfits just for her! Rosie doesn't normally wear a lot of clothes, but Auntie Jeanie's outfits made her feel special.

In this video, Rosie shares some of her outfits. She hopes you like them!

Big Flight!

By Design Squad Nation Jan 26, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

For our Build Big contest, Nick took our Blimp Jet activity and pumped it up! Watch the video to see his DIY mini-blimp take flight. Great job!

Check out our Contest page to see videos from our other finalists and the BIG winner, too.

Next Stop: Hoverboards?

By Design Squad Nation Jan 25, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

There's a bunch of different ways to get airborne: gliders, planes, balloons, rockets. And now these researchers have figured out how to make objects levitate!

So how would you turn their idea into a hoverboard? Share your creations on our Projects page!

One Giant Leap!

By Design Squad Nation Jan 25, 2012 No comments | Leave a comment

Judy and Adam invite Felipe--an accomplished 15-year-old pilot from Miami, Florida--to compete in the 2010 Red Bull Flugtag competition. Together, they team up with NASA to design and build a human-powered flying machine. With their NASA-inspired glider design, Team One Giant Leap soars off a 30-foot high deck, impressing the judges with distance and style.

Do you have an idea for your own human-powered flying machine? Share it on the Projects page by clicking on the wish below!

Rubber Band-Powered Dragster!

By Design Squad Nation Jan 18, 2012 2 Comments | Leave a comment

The goal is simple... build a car that goes really fast and really far (at least four feet, that is). Oh, by the way, your power source is a rubber band, and your car can only have two wheels. Start your engines!

Do you have your own idea for a rubber band car design? Share it on the Projects page by clicking on Judy's wish below!