Design Squad Nation tag:pbskids.org,2010-10-21:/designsquad/blog//3 2012-05-16T Movable Type Pro 4.34-en London's Newest Welder! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.82 May 16, 2012 9:40 AM May 16, 2012 4:54 PM Adam http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=9 I got to do something really neat for the Design Squad Nation episode Garden to Go -- teach Mariam how to TIG weld! She'd never touched a welding torch before, but she was really interested to learn.  
 
Welding is a fun process. Turning cold, hard metal into a liquid is a pretty wild, powerful feeling. Best of all, knowing how to weld enables you to build some REALLY cool stuff.  
 
In this video, I give Mariam her first welding lesson. She's a quick learner! 


I hope she continues to practice, because I think it would be awesome for Global Generation to have a welder-in-residence.

]]> Play (Music!) with Your Food tag:pbskids.org,2012:/designsquad/blog//3.189 May 15, 2012 7:53 PM May 15, 2012 8:24 PM Noisy Jelly is a game, a musical instrument, and a design project all in one! Students in France built this game that uses jelly to make sounds. Players shape colorful jelly into molds that are placed on a game board.... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4


What kind of music maker would YOU like to build? Share your ideas on our Projects page, by clicking on the picture below.

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]]> Adam and Judy Engineer Chocolate! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.70 May 9, 2012 9:51 AM May 9, 2012 7:20 PM In preparation for the Design Squad Nation It's Alive! episode, Adam and Judy headed into the kitchen with expert pastry chef Jorg Amsler to get a VIP lesson on how to make some cool edible designs.In the first video Judy... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 In preparation for the Design Squad Nation It's Alive! episode, Adam and Judy headed into the kitchen with expert pastry chef Jorg Amsler to get a VIP lesson on how to make some cool edible designs.

In the first video Judy learns how to make flowers out of fondant to use as decoration on cupcakes. Fondant is a material pastry chefs use for sculpting decorations -- it is made out of a sugary syrup, making it easy to stick together.


In the next video, Adam takes his turn in the kitchen, learning how to turn fondant into a baseball bat! Adam and Jorg are able to recreate the look of a wooden bat by combining and folding three colors of fondant. So cool!

]]> How to Build Your Own Skateboard! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.62 May 3, 2012 7:40 AM May 2, 2012 5:03 PM Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 Design Squad Nation hosts Adam and Judy got ready for the Apache Skateboarders episode by building and testing their own skateboard! Check out the video to see how it's done. 


What kind of skatepark would you ride with your new board? Submit your designs on the Project page by clicking the wish below!

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]]> Amazingly Elaborate LEGO Machine! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.137 April 26, 2012 9:32 AM April 26, 2012 7:25 PM Check out this cool LEGO machine, inspired by the work of Rube Goldberg, an engineer, inventor and cartoonist who in the early 1900's created elaborate inventions for the characters in his cartoons. The systems were very complicated, involving many steps,... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 Check out this cool LEGO machine, inspired by the work of Rube Goldberg, an engineer, inventor and cartoonist who in the early 1900's created elaborate inventions for the characters in his cartoons. The systems were very complicated, involving many steps, but served a simple goal like the "Self-Operating Napkin" below.

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]]> DSN Ep10: Trash to Treasure! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.125 April 18, 2012 4:09 PM April 18, 2012 8:14 PM For the season finale, Design Squad Nation asked kids across the country to recycle, re-use, and re-engineer everyday materials into the next big invention in the 2010 Trash to Treasure contest. Three grand-prize winners visit Boston to work with... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 For the season finale, Design Squad Nation asked kids across the country to recycle, re-use, and re-engineer everyday materials into the next big invention in the 2010 Trash to Treasure contest. Three grand-prize winners visit Boston to work with professional engineers at Continuum, a global innovation and design consultancy, to see their original ideas become real products.


Do you have an idea for how to turn recycled materials into something new? Share your ideas on the Projects page by clicking on the wish below!

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]]> Paper Table! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.145 April 12, 2012 8:22 AM April 11, 2012 3:05 PM 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... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4


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

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]]> Sustainable South Bronx tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.140 April 4, 2012 2:51 PM April 4, 2012 8:53 PM Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 In this special episode of Design Squad Nation, Adam and Judy build an air pollution monitoring device for a resident in the highly polluted neighborhood of Hunts Point in the South Bronx. 



Do you have your own ideas of how you could measure pollution in Justin's neighborhood? Share them on the Projects page by clicking on the wish below!

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]]> Rubber Band-Powered Dragster! tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.164 March 29, 2012 7:52 AM March 28, 2012 6:29 PM 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... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 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!

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]]> Snow Way tag:pbskids.org,2012:/designsquad/blog//3.188 March 22, 2012 9:50 AM March 22, 2012 7:08 PM This snowboarder stands out on the slopes, thanks to some LED lights and creative engineering! LEDs are a special kind of lights often used to brighten signs and traffic signals. The snowboarder in this video is wearing a suit covered... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4
LEDs are a special kind of lights often used to brighten signs and traffic signals. The snowboarder in this video is wearing a suit covered with about 5,000 LEDs! It took an engineer over 300 hours to build the suit, which is powered by two wearable batteries.



We saw another fashionable use for LEDs in the Design Squad Nation episode A Cut Above. Adam and Juan used the lights to create a beautiful evening gown.



How would you turn what YOU wear into something more exciting? Share your ideas on the Projects page by clicking on Juan's wish below.

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]]> DSN Ep6: Musical Bike tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.93 March 21, 2012 10:09 AM March 21, 2012 6:44 PM Judy and Adam meet Beatriz in her hometown of Emeryville, California to help her combine her passion for music and bike building. Working at The Crucible--a non-profit educational foundry and metal fabrication shop--they design and build a pedal-powered bike organ... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4
Judy and Adam meet Beatriz in her hometown of Emeryville, California to help her combine her passion for music and bike building. Working at The Crucible--a non-profit educational foundry and metal fabrication shop--they design and build a pedal-powered bike organ for Beatriz to unveil at her high school block party. 


Do you have an idea for your own musical bike? Send your ideas to the Projects page by clicking on the wish below.

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]]> Monster-Catching Machine! tag:pbskids.org,2012:/designsquad/blog//3.187 March 15, 2012 2:39 PM March 15, 2012 7:44 PM How many steps does it take to catch a monster? A whole lot, if you're using a Rube Goldberg machine! Seven-year-old Audri built this complicated contraption using stuff from around the house. He was inspired by Rube Goldberg, an engineer... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4
Seven-year-old Audri built this complicated contraption using stuff from around the house. He was inspired by Rube Goldberg, an engineer and artist who created elaborate inventions for the characters in his cartoons.

Click on the video below to see Audri's awesome machine.

]]> DSN Ep7: DIY Playground tag:pbskids.org,2011:/designsquad/blog//3.101 March 14, 2012 7:48 AM March 14, 2012 3:38 PM Judy and Adam journey to the northern mountains of Nicaragua to work with the kids of Cusmapa to build the playground of their dreams. With the help of the Fabretto Children's Foundation, a non profit organization that helps local... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 Judy and Adam journey to the northern mountains of Nicaragua to work with the kids of Cusmapa to build the playground of their dreams. With the help of the Fabretto Children's Foundation, a non profit organization that helps local children reach their full potential, the entire community pitches in, working from the ground up to build Cusmapa a playground.


Do you have an idea for how you would build your own playground? Send it over to the Projects page by clicking on the wish below!

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]]> Digital Shadow Puppets tag:pbskids.org,2012:/designsquad/blog//3.186 March 8, 2012 2:18 PM March 8, 2012 9:25 PM There are lots of ways that engineers build things. Sometimes they make something totally new that no one has seen before. Other times they take something that's already been built, like a bicycle, and turn it into something new and... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 Daniel did with his weather-proof MiBike!

In this video, engineers take the Kinect video game console and turn it into a digital puppet show! The Kinect's motion sensors let players control giant puppet creatures with the movement of their bodies. Check out the video to see the puppets in action!

]]> Designing Video Games! tag:soup.pbskids.org,2010:/designsquad/blog//3.23 March 8, 2012 8:00 AM March 7, 2012 9:24 PM Engineers work on many different types of projects -- some even design video games. The coolest part about being an engineer is that they look at normal everyday objects in new and innovative ways. The engineers behind the Multitouch Space... Design Squad Nation http://pbskids.org/designsquad/mt4/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=3&id=4 Engineers work on many different types of projects -- some even design video games. The coolest part about being an engineer is that they look at normal everyday objects in new and innovative ways. The engineers behind the Multitouch Space Invaders game decided that they wanted to try to design a video game that didn't use a controller! Instead of holding a remote control, these engineers thought it would be fun to throw balls at the alien invaders in the game to blast them. Check out this video of the engineers playing!


Now it's your turn Design Squad Nation! Design your own new kind of video game! Share your ideas by clicking on Judy's wish:


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Go for it!
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