Idea Gallery

Projects from K-12 Makerspaces around the world, adaptable for many subjects and grade levels.

Browse the gallery for inspiration, or filter by object (what students will make) or tool (what students will use).
The ideas here are short writeups to inspire projects. For detailed guides see the Tutorials section.

Looking for more projects?
Tutorials
Instructables
STEM Projects

Tilt-Buzz

Combine creativity with simple electronic components to make fun gizmos that blink or buzz when you tilt them. No soldering required!
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Copper Pipe Glockenspiel

Learn the physics of sound and musical pipes while building your own musical instrument!
Shop Tools
Technical Models
Toys and Games

Arduino Particle Meter

Introduce students to real world data collection by measuring particulates in the air with a handheld device that they make themselves.
Electronics Tools
Coding and Physical Computing
Technical Models

Microbit Robot Car

Code a rover to avoid obstacles with block-based coding or Python in micro:bit
Electronics Tools
Coding and Physical Computing
Coding and Apps
Mechanical Devices

Amplifier with a Piezo Contact Pickup

Combine a mono amplifier board kit, a piezo electric disk, and a potentiometer to make a custom amplifier with a contact pickup. Use amplifier to amplify sounds.
Electronics Tools
Audio and Video

DIY Pinball

Build your own tabletop pinball machine.
3D Modeling and Printer
Electronics Tools
Coding and Physical Computing
Laser Cutter
Shop Tools
Toys and Games
Mechanical Devices
Coding and Apps

Automata 3D Printed

Student will use Tinkercad for fabrication on a 3D printer or laser cutter to create automata machinery.
3D Modeling and Printer
Technical Models
Expressive Models
Toys and Games

Organizers

Students will create a storage organizer for a set of items.
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Technical Models

Weather-Proof Hats

Students will design a hat to bear the elements.
Craft Tools
Clothing and Wearables

Festive Flashlights

Students will make an LED flashlight, a reflector, and a symbol out of easy-to-find materials. Your symbol will come to life as the reflected light washes over it.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models
Graphics

Tetris Tiles

To demonstrate understanding of the movement behind the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution, students created a set of custom laser cut Tetris pieces.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Collections and Collages

Custom Molded Rubber Stamps

Use Tinkercad to design and 3D print a mold with unique shapes to create rubber stamps out of reusable casting material
3D Modeling and Printer
Collections and Collages
Expressive Models

Virtual Tours

Students will create a virtual tour of any spaces they have researched. They can also make it interactive by adding a quiz element.
Coding and Physical Computing
Coding and Apps

Paper Lanterns

Students will create light up decorations using tealights (or electronics for added difficulty) and a paper bag that will be cut using a vinyl cutter.
2D Design Software
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Fused Glass Art

Students will design art by fusing glass in a kiln.
Shop Tools
Expressive Models

Literary Mapping With Ozobots

Students will trace a journey of a literary character through an Ozobot and a map.
Coding and Physical Computing
Expressive Models

Polygram String Art

Students model polygrams with pushpins and string, compare rules and algorithms, analyze symmetry properties, and look at the relevance of their polygram in art and architecture.
Craft Tools
Technical Models
Expressive Models

Air Column Flyers

Construct a contraption with plastic cups & lids, ping pong balls, feathers, paper, pipe cleaners, and more, and observe if and how it flies in the air column.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Technical Models

Pop-Up Books

Students will make a pop up book relating to the content that they are learning.
Craft Tools
2D Design Software
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Key Kozies

Students will create decorations for their keys in Tinkercad and print them out.
3D Modeling and Printer
Clothing and Wearables

Probability Dodecahedron

Students make a polyhedron using laser-cut faces and a paper net to support the shape. In math, nets are 2D shapes that can be folded up to make a 3D solid shape.
Craft Tools
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Technical Models

Shadow Casters

Cast unique and interesting shadows using a hand-fabricated LED projector and custom shadow caster shapes.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Attribute Accessories

Students will make accessories reflecting a particular time in history, novel, or literature that they enjoy.
Craft Tools
Clothing and Wearables

3D Models from 2D Materials

Learn low-tech prototyping techniques that work on their own or support learning digital design and fabrication.
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models
Technical Models

Light-up Flowers for Día de Muertos

This activity is used in Spanish classes when students are learning about the Latin American holiday, El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Weaving Patterns and Computational Thinking

Students are introduced to computational thinking and coding concepts through hands-on weaving and pattern design – no computers needed!
Craft Tools
Sewing and Textiles
Technical Models
Expressive Models

Personalized Rulers

Use Tinkercad to design bespoke rulers with custom units and features. The rulers can be designed for fabrication on a 3D printer, or with a laser cutter or vinyl/craft cutter.
3D Modeling and Printer
Technical Models
Expressive Models

Shadow Scenes

Using silhouettes, cut-outs, and 3D nets, students created vector designs of festive shapes that cast interesting shadows when lit with a tealight.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models
Graphics

Snappy Rings

Get started with Tinkercad and 3D printing by designing a custom interchangeable snap-on ring.
3D Modeling and Printer
Clothing and Wearables

Paper Canoes

Using an assortment of craft materials, students constructed paper canoes with personalized stickers to tell a story about themselves.
Craft Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Moiré Animations

The Moiré technique uses a mask that only reveals slivers of an image.
Craft Tools
2D Design Software
Expressive Models

Magnetic Tiles

Students work individually or in teams to make one piece of a content-themed collective work.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models
Collections and Collages

Bill of Rights

Students work in groups on projects about the Bill of Rights and the controversies that surround them.
3D Modeling and Printer
Electronics Tools
Laser Cutter
Coding and Apps
Expressive Models

Felt Funsters

Use conductive thread to light up some crafty creations!
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Laser Cut Frames

Students use 2D graphics tools to design a custom picture frame. The example shown above celebrates the winter holiday season.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

Identity Squares

Students design and create images around identity, to show belonging, showcase what they have learned, or advocate for a topic.
Craft Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Collections and Collages
Expressive Models

Papel Picado

Create eye-catching designs using a technique called Papel Picado (“cut paper”), a form of Mexican folk art in which an elaborate design is cut out of colored paper.
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models
Collections and Collages

Tealight 3D Scenes

Students will use Tinkercad to make a tealight, and can make the project more challenging by wiring their own electronics.
3D Modeling and Printer
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Video Game Controllers

Students create new human interfaces to existing game controllers.
3D Modeling and Printer
Electronics Tools
Technical Models

Molded Acrylic Bracelets

Students will engrave a design onto acrylic and then mold the acrylic into a bracelet
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Clothing and Wearables

Balloon Cars

Students will work to make a balloon powered car that uses materials complementing the students' age by teacher discretion.
3D Modeling and Printer
Craft Tools
Toys and Games
Technical Models

Ornament Generator

Students learn to use Tinkercad Codeblocks to create an ornament.
3D Modeling and Printer
Coding and Physical Computing
Technical Models

Scratch for Maker Projects

Code your own creative animation or story with Scratch!
Coding and Physical Computing
Toys and Games
Coding and Apps

3D Hacks Spanish Idioms

Design 3D printed models that express local language quirks and idioms (expressions whose meaning cannot be derived literally from its elements or atypical grammar).
3D Modeling and Printer
Expressive Models

Shadow Boxes

Students will create a design box that will showcase a 3D object in layers (shadow box).
2D Design Software
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Fearbots

During a unit on Shelley’s Frankenstein, students were given this prompt: “Explore your own fears and create autonomous robots that demonstrate or represent those fears.”
Electronics Tools
Toys and Games
Expressive Models

Automata Linkable

Students design a character that can move by cam action and are linked together.
3D Modeling and Printer
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Mechanical Devices
Expressive Models

Clothespin Characters

Students build a character/object with motion and/or an electrical circuit.
3D Modeling and Printer
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models
Toys and Games

MiniGolf

Student will design a golf green that share a common content standard theme.
Craft Tools
Shop Tools
Technical Models

Earthquake-Resistant Structures

Students will learn about earthquakes, and then design a structure to survive an earthquake.
Craft Tools
Technical Models

Quiz Boards

Students will design a quiz board to test each other's knowledge.
Electronics Tools
Technical Models

Visual Poetry

Students will create a scene depicting a visual representation of a poem.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

LED Quiz Boards

Light up understanding with interactive quiz boards!
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Toys and Games
Technical Models

Light-Up Backpack Tag

Students will create their own light up backpack tags.
Craft Tools
Sewing and Textiles
Clothing and Wearables

Arduino Electronic Drumkit

Students build a simple electronic drum kit. Students work in groups of two or three to make the drum pads, build the circuit, and write the Arduino program for their project.
Electronics Tools
Audio and Video

Shape Stepping Stones

Students will identify and draw shapes on a tree cookie. Then students will bang nails until the area of their shape is filled, and older students can compile data into graphs.
Shop Tools
Technical Models

Videos - Words from the Myths

Students will work together to research and create a video over any subject matter
Photo and Video Tools
Graphics
Audio and Video

Craft Foam "Rubber" Stamps

Students create a foam stamp by carving into foam and attaching it to a back wooden plate.
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models
Molds, Stamps, and Stencils

Tile Puzzles

Students will craft a tile puzzle using laser cut pieces.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

Constellation Box with Lights

Students chose a constellation and designed a display box that lights up to reveal its star pattern.
Electronics Tools
Laser Cutter
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Technical Models

Light-Up Acrylic Displays

This inexpensive and easy project is a great starter project and will help new makers get familiar with simple electronics, image processing, and using the laser cutter.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

Custom Currency

Students work in groups to design systems of currency, with each student working to design a different denomination.
3D Modeling and Printer
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models
Graphics

Collaborative Mirror Display

Students create an expressive mirrored tile as part of a collaborative display. Designs are laser cut into the back of a pre-cut mirrored acrylic tile.
Laser Cutter
Collections and Collages
Expressive Models

2D Art on a 3D Printer

Draw (by hand or computer) a 2D piece of art and 3D print it with a few simple steps.
3D Modeling and Printer
2D Design Software
Expressive Models

Coding Weaving Patterns in Scratch

Students practice computational thinking and coding concepts through weaving and pattern design.
Coding and Physical Computing
Sewing and Textiles
Coding and Apps

3D Art: War and Humanity

Students in an 11th grade social studies class created a 3D art object affirming their capstone thesis on the effects of war on an individual’s humanity.
Craft Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Pop Up Cards

Students will work together to figure out the mechanism of a pop up card and design and make one themselves.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

Mini Compost Bins

Students will design and 3D print an efficient composting bin in a cool design.
3D Modeling and Printer
Technical Models

Mouse Trap Cars

Students design and build a mouse trap car that meets design criteria.
Shop Tools
Mechanical Devices

Monster Genetics

In this Monster Genetics project, students demonstrate their understanding of inherited traits, engage in creative design, and strengthen their crafting skills.
Craft Tools
Sewing and Textiles
Expressive Models
Technical Models

Glowing Figurines

Students create decorative/meaningful figures and make them light up with embedded LEDs.
Craft Tools
Toys and Games

Math Mobiles

Students create mobiles to practice math skills associated with geometry, number sense, and even an intro to algebra.
Craft Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Technical Models

Light Sensitive Rover

Students investigate robotics that don’t use a computer to process logic. In this project, simple analog components to create a motor driver circuit that responds to light.
Electronics Tools
Toys and Games
Technical Models

Chain Reaction Machine

Student will make a chain reaction machine, that shows the cause and effects of inputs and outputs in the machine.
Craft Tools
Shop Tools
Toys and Games
Mechanical Devices

Automata with Cardboard Box

Students represent dynamic situation by constructing machines that utilized automata cam motion.
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Technical Models
Expressive Models

Fan Powered Vehicles

Students will make a fan-powered vehicle that can be used to test a wide variety of boat characteristics
Craft Tools
Toys and Games
Technical Models

Cause and Effect Board

Students will make a light up puzzle game centered around cause and effects. They will design the puzzle using touch sensing circuits.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Technical Models

Biome Dioramas with Micro:Bit

Students will create a diorama of different biomes, with organisms being able to react to their environment.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Coding and Physical Computing
Expressive Models

Data Visualization Models

Use tools and materials to make a data model with a variety of questions about each participant.
Shop Tools
Technical Models

Felt Skulls for Día de Muertos

This activity is used in Spanish classes to learn about the Latin American holiday Dia de Muerto (Day of the Dead).
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Custom Laser-Cut Mirrors

Learn beginner and advanced graphics techniques for laser cutters while designing and making custom mirrors.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models
Graphics

Custom Cork

Students studying Spanish idioms created two-sided laser cut cork coasters to demonstrate their grasp of the concept and language through a creative and expressive medium.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Expressive Models

Etched Glass with Vinyl Stencils

By creating custom etched glasses, students explore graphic design while building hands-on maker skills.
Craft Tools
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Create a Creature

Students synthesize their knowledge about ecology to extrapolate the life histories, ecological niches, and physical adaptations of theoretical animals.
3D Modeling and Printer
Expressive Models

Infinity Mirrors

Students consider the infinite, explore electronics, and construct custom designs in this infinity mirror project.
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Black Out Poetry with Lights

Students take a more advanced approach to blackout poetry - a style of poetry in which you piece together different words from a body of text to create a new poem.
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

3D Printed Cookie Cutters

Design and 3D print cookie cutters of meaningful characters or objects, or in pie-slices to understand fractions better.
3D Modeling and Printer
Molds, Stamps, and Stencils
Expressive Models

3D from 2D: Folding Net Models

Students will craft their own net models in order to observe how 2D shapes can form 3D models.
Craft Tools
Expressive Models
Technical Models
Collections and Collages

Laser Cut Tree Medallions

Students laser engrave meaningful symbols and text into slices of tree branches.
2D Design Software
Laser Cutter
Shop Tools
Collections and Collages
Expressive Models

Candy Casts

Design and create molds for pourable candies, crayons, and figurines. The molds are typically quick to print, minimizing 3D printer time.
3D Modeling and Printer
Expressive Models
Molds, Stamps, and Stencils

Emotion Emojis

Students will use a vinyl cutter to cut out color emojis.
2D Design Software
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Graphics

LED Constellation displays

Students use simple electronics and everyday materials to create light-up constellations.
Craft Tools
Electronics Tools
Expressive Models

Chess Sets

Students design and make chess pieces to create their own unique set with a common theme.
3D Modeling and Printer
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Toys and Games
Expressive Models

Ancient Village Models

Students will make accurate models built to represent research done in middle school history.
3D Modeling and Printer
Craft Tools
Technical Models
Expressive Models

Passport Stamps

Students create passport stamps using graphic design software and a vinyl cutter.
2D Design Software
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Molds, Stamps, and Stencils

Data Globes of the World

Custom globes showing geographic, political or demographic information.
Craft Tools
Technical Models

3D from 2D: Simple Interlocking Shapes

Simplify an object down to the most important details to create a recognizable model.
Craft Tools
Laser Cutter
Vinyl/Craft Cutters
Expressive Models

Automata with PVC Pipe Base

Students design and create machines with moving objects/characters that symbolize abstract concepts and represent dynamic situations.
Craft Tools
Shop Tools
Mechanical Devices
Expressive Models

3D Map Puzzle

Students create a 3D model of countries with features that show the history of a country.
3D Modeling and Printer
Expressive Models
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