Tinkering Resources
These resources are aimed at helping children learn through making in home, school, and community settings. The Tool Use Onesheets are part of our official documentation for Tinkering Programs at reDiscover.
Activities
Lesson Plans
Dueling Makers
Techniques
rDC Writings
Books for Educators
Picture Books
More
- Cardboard Boat
- Cardboard Pen Holder
- Easy Wire and Tissue Paper Flowers (video)
- High Five Device
- How to Use Shrink Plastic (video)
- Inefficient Bubble Wands (video)
- Loose Parts
- Maker Connectors (video)
- Mini Stomp Rockets
- Parachute Pals
- Plastic Bottle Pencil Case (video)
- Recycled Treasure Box (video)
- Recycled Wind Sculpture (video)
- Rocketship
- Space Diorama, Inspired by Mae Among the Stars
- Ballot Box, Inspired by Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote
- Spinning Selfie, Inspired by The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
- Sensory Enhancing Gadget, Inspired by Ada Twist Scientist
- Plastic Bottle Soaker, Inspired by Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
- Transportation Vehicle/Vessel, Inspired by Rosie Revere Engineer
- Door Sign, Inspired by The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan
- National Kite, Inspired by Farmer Falgu Goes Kite Flying
- Create a Cardboard Self-Portrait (video)
- Make Stenopeic Glasses, Inspired by Patricia's Vision: The Doctor Who Saved Sight
- Make Wild Animal/Safari Finger Puppets, Inspired by Zonia's Rain Forest
- Create a Wind Turbine Tower, Inspired by The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Boxitecture Design, Inspired by Boxitects
- Make a Story Mobile, Inspired by Hidden Figures
- Make Paper Sculptures, Inspired by A Life Made By Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa
- Make Cardboard Planes with Slot Construction, Inspired by The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee
- Map out your Community in 3D, Inspired by Paletero Man
- Make Pom-Poms, Inspired by Be Amazing!
- Express the void within, Inspired by The Void
- Create "Perfect" Circles, Inspired by CLASSIFIED: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer
Every Wednesday at 4pm, two of your favorite reDiscover Facilitators race against the clock to build their own versions of the week's project!
Tiny Techniques - Super short videos for quick info
- How to Use a Canary Cardboard Cutter
- How to Use a Hot Glue Gun
- How to Make a Hole in Cardboard
- How to Tear Tape
Longer Technique Videos
- Maker Connectors
- Tinkering Hinges
- Creative Clamping
- More Creative Clamping
- Tools and Materials for Prototyping
- How to Fail Like a Pro
Our YouTube Cardboard Construction Playlist
- Tinkering and Prototyping Materials (article)(video)
- Cardboard, the Ultimate Building Material, by John Umekubo
- Praising Process
- Maker Safety - What will happen when
- The First Rule of Glue Guns
- Creative Clamping (video)
- More Creative Clamping (video)
- How to NOT Cut Your Arms Off (video)
- How to Fail Like a Pro (video)
- Create is a Verb (video)
- Maker Connectors (video)
- Tinkering Hinges (video)
- The Coffee Shop Tinkering Story (video)
- Why Kids and Power Tools Go Well Together (video)
- Ada Twist, Scientist, Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
- Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet
- The Dumpster Diver, Janet Wong and David Roberts
- How Do Bridges Not Fall Down, Jennifer Shand and Srimale Bassani
- How Do Seesaws Go Up and Down, Jennifer Shand and Srimale Bassani
- Human Computer: Mary Jackson, Engineer, Andi Diehn and Katie Mazeika
- If I Built a Car, Chris Van Dusen
- If I Built a House, Chris Van Dusen
- Iggy Peck, Architect, Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
- The Most Magnificent Thing, Ashley Spires
- Papa's Mechanical Fish, Candace Fleming
- Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, Chris Van Dusen
- Rosie Revere, Engineer, Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
- Sofia Valdez, Future Prez, Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
- The Tin Forest, Helen Ward
- Violet the Pilot, Steve Breen
Activities
Articles
- The Maker Mindset - Dale Dougherty
- What's the big idea; Toward a pedagogy of idea power - Seymour Papert
- Seeing Young Children with New Eyes, Part1
- Seeing Young Children with New Eyes, Part2
- Piaget's Constructivism, Papert's Constructionism: What's the difference? - Edith Ackermann
- What Would We Like Kids to Take Away from Tinkering School, with Respect to Fabrication?
Videos
- Gever Tulley - Life lessons through tinkering
- AnnMarie Thomas - Hands-on science with squishy circuits
- Mitch Resnick - Let's teach kids to code
- Carol Dweck - How to help every child fulfill their potential (whiteboard animation)
Other Sites