Overnight Painting Machine: Pico Cricket Activity
Source Institutions
-
Science Museum of Minnesota
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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.
- 10 to 30 minutes
- 4 to 24 hours
- Over $20 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 18
- Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- Pico Cricket Kit
- Lego motor and parts to make a pulley
- Empty cereal box
- Cardboard
- String
- Binder clips
- Hot melt glue gun and glue sticks
- Watercolors or food coloring
- Watercolor paper
- Shallow container for water
- Water
- Computer
Subjects
- Engineering and Technology
- Computing
- Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Technology
- Physical Sciences
- States of Matter
- Liquids
- States of Matter
Informal Categories
- Arts and Crafts
- Computers
- Electronics
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- see color
- read
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Links STEM to other topics of interest such as arts and humanities
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Rights:
- Public Domain
Funding Source:
- National Science Foundation, 0087813
