Idea Gallery

Idea Gallery

Adaptable, inspirational Maker project ideas that have been shared by K-12 Teachers and Maker-Educators

These adaptable project ideas are tagged by Object OR Tool, NOT by core subject area or grade level. Objects are the kinds of things that students will create while Tools are the specialized Maker tools and materials that students will use.

Check out our collection of Maker starter projects to get your education community Making. No curriculum tie-in required.

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Small, hand-powered mechanical device depicting a scene from Macbeth, with three witches and a boiling cauldron.

Automata with PVC Pipe Base

Paper models of a cactus, a succulent plant, and a flat-roofed home

3D from 2D: Nets and Interlocking Shapes

Screenshot of interactive Scratch program game featuring a crab on a boardwalk.

Intro to Block Based Coding

short tumbler glass with etched design depicting "2023" in the shape of a rabbit

Etched Glass with Vinyl Stencils

still image from an animation depicting the digestive system

Create Animations and Videos from Slides

the vinyl outline of a bicycle shaped sticker

Light Sensitive Rover

Constellation Boxes

Linkable Automata

Bill of Rights - MakeyMakey + Scratch

Passport Stamps

Black Out Poetry with Lights

LED Quiz Boards

Moiré Animations

Identity Squares

Clothespin Characters

laser cut chess pieces depicting civil war northern states and figures

hand-sewn plush skulls in a variety of colors

Felt Skulls for Dia de Muertos

paper marigold illuminated by yellow LED, decorated with cartoon skulls

Light Up Flowers for Dia De Los Muertos

3 woven yarn squares, each with distinctive 2-color patterns

Weaving and Computational Thinking

Scratch-generated graphic showing a yarn-weaving pattern

Coding Weave Patterns in Scratch

$mobile made of foam shapes tied to wooden balance rod$

felt flags of 5 countries wired with LEDs - the electronics of a 6th flag are revealed

a seven pointed star created with string and pins

Polygram String Art

a black fabric shoulder bag decorated with a red letter A, displayed with an open copy of the Scarlet Letter

Attribute Accessories

a model of a webbed foot made from drinking straws and duct tape

Mechanical Models of Bird Feet

$3 digitally cut paper sheets, showing illustrations of a golden mean spiral, fractals in plant anatomy, and radial symmetry$

screenshot of a student costumed in a robe against a greenscreened backdrop of Greek-style columns

Words from the Myths Videos

an office-supply organizing caddy made from corrugated plastic, holding sheets of craft material and markers

3 laser-cut wooden boxes, each displaying a different constellation constructed with LEDs

Constellation Boxes

a metal key decorated with a plastic cap

a paper globe marked with a sign reading "wheat production" and maps marked to show major wheat producing regions

Maps of the World

6 hands, each holding up a tiny paper lantern that casts a colored silhouette on a dark wall

Festive Flashlights

a map of Mexico with a route drawn on, and a small robot glowing at one end of the route line

Literary Mapping with Ozobots

two hands holding a cardboard ring, illuminated from the inside with changeable color LEDs

Infinity Mirrors

a plastic lump made of hot glue, glowing from the inside with embedded LEDs

Glowing Figurines

a screenshot of a 3-D model of a cat-face-shaped cookie cutter

the mold, cast, and replicas of a heart-shaped chocolate lollipop

Chocolate Molds

Light-up Backpack Tags

a pop-up card showing a cut-paper biplane and clouds made of crumpled tissue paper

cardstock cutout of a crested bird, displayed as a shadowbox style pop up

3-D printed sailboat shapes

2D Art on a 3D Printer

3D printed and laser-cut earbud holders in a variety of animal shapes

Edge-lit Acrylic

a puma's head, and 2 other animals, made of interlocking cardstock pieces

3D by the Slice

a humanoid kinetic sculpture that the user controls with hydraulic syringes

Hydraulic Pets and Friends

a mini-golf course

Mini Golf Course

propeller-driven vehicles

Fan-Powered Vehicles

the pads and Arduino controller that comprise a 4-piece electronic drum kit

Arduino Drum Pads

a laser-cut bird puppet with brass brads forming moveable joints

the feet of a student standing on a video game control pad

Video Game Controllers

a laser-cut puzzle showing thematic relationships between 4 major American novels

a student wears a weather-proof hat while a teacher sprays water on her to test it

Weather-proof Hats

a 3-D printed ring with interchangeable, pop-out 3-D printed gem

Snap-in Custom Rings

balloon-powered cars built on a chassis of 3-D printed parts

portion of a Rube Goldberg machine, showing a vehicle triggered by something that drops through a funnel

Chain-reaction Machines

a custom-built wind-up toy topped with a bee-like, googly-eyed creature

Custom Currencies

collection of plastic tiles decorated with LEDs, each designed and built by a student

7 hexagonal tiles laser-engraved with personalized team names and student-created slogans

decorate pinwheel sculptures and oblong pendant made of glass

Fused Glass Art

a screenshot of a Scratch program leading the user on a virtual tour of a traditional Wampanoag home

model constellation made of LEDs on a plastic backing - example shows the Big Dipper

LED Constellations

a 1st grader hammers nails into a decorative wooden stepping stone

Shape Stepping Stones

a pop up book illustrating the the phases of mitosis

a sculpture depicting a skeleton in military dress lying on a battlefield, with an explanatory poster behind it

War and Humanity

a 3-D printed winged creature

Create a Creature

Ancient Village Models

a 3-D printed container in use as a mini compost bin

Miniature Compost Bins

a custom-made board game show with vocabulary playings cards

a Simba plush toy modified with electronics