Overnight Painting Machine: Pico Cricket Activity

This activity requires a Pico Cricket (tiny computer). In this activity, learners will build a painting machine out of house hold materials, like a cereal box and some thread, use Lego parts to build a pulley, and program a microcontroller called a Pico Cricket to make paintings while you sleep. The machine dips a piece of paper in the paint so that the pigment soaks in slowly and raises it out in the morning. This activity is great for teaching how to build and design a painting machine, how to use Lego parts and motors, and how to program a Pico Cricket.