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K-12 Maker Sessions at FAB26 on MIT Campus, July 27-31, 2026

Project spotlight: Shadow casters

New Maker projects

Probability Dodecahedron

Create a Creature

Illustration of a magnifying glass.
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Tutorials

Step-by-step tutorials for starter projects that can center on a theme or academic content.

Starter projects are great ways for teachers to develop project workflows while students are introduced to new technologies. The projects highlighted here are good for beginners and most can be done in less than an hour. They are well-suited for family nights, open houses, faculty meetings, PD days, and community events.

Explore the Idea Gallery for more examples of projects from K-12 Makerspaces.

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Tilt-Buzz

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

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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.

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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.

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Felt Funsters

Use conductive thread to light up some crafty creations!

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3D Models from 2D Materials

Learn low-tech prototyping techniques that work on their own or support learning digital design and fabrication.

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Arduino Particle Meter

Introduce students to real world data collection by measuring particulates in the air with a handheld device that they make themselves.

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3D from 2D: Folding Net Models

Students will craft their own net models in order to observe how 2D shapes can form 3D models.

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Engraved Jewelry on Cricut

Engrave custom designs into jewelry blanks and more using a Cricut cutter.

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3D Print Hacks in Tinkercad

Design expressive 3D creations quickly using existing online models and shapes. Little to no experience with Tinkercad is needed!

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Automata with 3D Printing

Student will use Tinkercad for fabrication on a 3D printer or laser cutter to create automata machinery.

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Custom Currency

Students work in groups to design systems of currency, with each student working to design a different denomination.

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3D Printed Cookie Cutters

Design and 3D print cookie cutters of meaningful characters or objects, or in pie-slices to understand fractions better.

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Automata with Craft Tools

Students represent dynamic situation by constructing machines that utilized automata cam motion.

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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.

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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.

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LED Quiz Boards

Light up understanding with interactive quiz boards!

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Quiz Boards

Students will design a quiz board to test each other's knowledge.

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Tealight 3D Scenes

Use Tinkercad to put a 3D scene on a cover for a battery-powered tea light.

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Balloon Cars

Students will work to make a balloon powered car that uses materials complementing the students' age by teacher discretion.

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Candy Casts

Design and create molds for pourable candies, crayons, and figurines. The molds are typically quick to print, minimizing 3D printer time.

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Light-Up magnetic Tiles

Create an individualized tile that lights up when added to a magnetic whiteboard with a clever electrified trick.

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Shadow Casters

Cast unique and interesting shadows using a hand-fabricated LED projector and custom shadow caster shapes.

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Etched Glass with Vinyl Stencils

By creating custom etched glasses, students explore graphic design while building hands-on maker skills.

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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

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Snappy Rings

Get started with Tinkercad and 3D printing by designing a custom interchangeable snap-on ring.k

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Craft Foam "Rubber" Stamps

Students create a foam stamp by carving into foam and attaching it to a back wooden plate.

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Clothespin Characters

Students build a character/object with motion and/or an electrical circuit.

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Scratch for Maker Projects

Code your own creative animation or story with Scratch!

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Custom Laser-Cut Mirrors

Learn beginner and advanced graphics techniques for laser cutters while designing and making custom mirrors.

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Copper Pipe Glockenspiel

Learn the physics of sound and musical pipes while building your own musical instrument!

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Rover Design Challenge

Build electric toy Rovers that run on monorail tracks.

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DIY Pinball

Laser cut, 3D print, make by hand, and even code to create a custom pinball game for one or two players.

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Fraction Action with Coding

Explore fractions with Codeblocks in Tinkercad.

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Math Battleship

Design a Battleship-inspired two player game with math.

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Earbud Holder

Expressive, custom-designed earbud "buddies" (holders) to help keep wired buds safe and untangled. Made with Tinkercad.

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Code Wiggly Snake

Use Tinkercad Codeblocks to make an articulated snake.

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Arduino DFPlayer

Add sound to physical computing projects with this inexpensive MP3 player board.

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Apollo 11 Arduino Clock

Create a moon-mission themed arduino-powered clock.

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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.

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Code Charm Bracelet

Create an articulated charm bracelet using Codeblocks in Tinkercad.

For more step-by-step guides, visit the STEM projects page or follow us on Instructables.
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