Design Squad Nation Heroes Nate and Deysi find a giant rubber band car so big that Deysi could actually ride on it! The car is made out of cardboard and uses giant coiled rubber bands to transform potential energy into kinetic energy in order to power the car -- just like the ones that Adam and Judy made.
Going green with style! These finalists in our Build Big contest took our paper table activity and made it super big AND super stylish! Kalin and Jennifer got their inspiration from this activity and our Cardboard Furniture episode. They both like art, so they thought giant paper furniture would be a great way to show their creativity!
First, the team designed their furniture, figuring out how it would look and work, and measuring out all the pieces. For materials, they used cardboard from grocery shipping boxes and duct tape, plus newspaper to make pillows! Very creative.
Click on the video to see the team's cardboard sofa, table, and sculpture.
We can't wait to sit on a cardboard sofa and watch some Design Squad Nation!
Try making your own paper furniture -- big or small! Then share it with us on the Projects page by clicking on the wish below.
You can see more of the winning contest entries on our Contest page.
For our BUILD BIG Contest, we challenged you to take one of our activities and build the biggest, most awesome version of it you could.
Meet three of our contest finalists: they took our confetti launcher activity and made it colossal! Because a BIG cloud of confetti is totally fun!!
The team wanted a challenge, so they decided to build a trebuchet launcher. A trebuchet is a kind of catapult that uses a counterweight to help launch things (like confetti). Trebuchets have been used in battles for hundreds of years.
Click on the video to see how the team brainstormed, built, tested, and perfected their Colossal Confetti Launcher.
Wow! That confetti launcher is totally party ready.
If you haven't made a confetti launcher yet, head over the Projects section to give it a try. Just click on the wish below.
And be sure to check out the Contest page to see videos from our other finalists and the BIG winner, too.
Design Squad Nation challenged YOU to choose an activity from the DSN Web site, form a team, and build your own super-big version. The entries sent in were amazing!! Our judges looked at every entry carefully before choosing our finalists, runners up, and grand prize winner.
A BIG congratulations to all the teams! Check out the grand prize winner and runners-up:
Grand Prize Winner: String Thing
Paul, Kalin and Robert
took our online game String Thing to the next level! They built wooden sound boxes and attached rubber band strings to them (like on a guitar). The team tuned each rubber band to a different note, and then it was ready to play!
Rock on!
Runner-Up: Brilliant Bamboo Boat
Katie, Sonia and Connor chose the Watercraft activity because they love being in the water!
Instead of using straws to make a small boat, the team used tall bamboo to build a BIG boat! Zip ties hold it all together, plus there's a sail made from a tarp to catch the wind. Nice!
Runner-Up: Electromagnetic Crane
Lilly and MaryAnn super-sized the Heavy Lifting activity! They used their favorite building material, PVC pipe, to create a big crane.
The team was inspired by real-life cranes to use an electromagnet in their build. An electromagnet is a special kind of magnet that works with an electric current. See the electromagnet in action in their video!
Be sure to check out the Contest page to see videos from our nine finalists, too.
Hey DSN fans, last call to enter our contest! All entries must be received by today, August 1st, 12PM EST.
Design Squad Nation wants you to BUILD BIG. Choose an activity from the DSN Web site, form a team, and build your own super-big version. Then take a video of your working design and upload it to YouTube.
