Duct Tape

Place a roll of duct tape on the table. The challenge: make something 3 dimensional that represents innovation. Good Luck.

Recycled Art

Take 6 items from your trash bin (not recycling bin) and wash them off. Then, use paint and glue to design something that the world did not know it was missing!

Simple Machines

How many simple machines can you make from 10 paper clips and 2 pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper? Show us!

Rope Bridges

Using yarn, rope, or string, construct a bridge that spans 12 inches and holds as much weight as possible. You may attach your bridge with tape or nails. Send in pictures that show the construction details and the weights on the bridge.

Post It Towers

Can you build a tower from a pad of post-it notes? How high? Good luck.

Pencil Puppets

The materials: pencils, paperclips, nails, saw or knife (be careful!), one other item

Create a puppet that moves. Send in your pics. We're eager to see them.

Bricks and blankets

Zee has some awesome answers for you:

Throw the blanket over someone and whack them with the brick.
Tie blanket around brick to make a parachute.
Tie blanket around the brick and use as a hard pillow.
Hollow out brick and cut piece of blanket to use as sailboat.
Tie blanket into a knot and juggle it with the brick.
Dig a hole and cover with the blanket. Put the brick in front of it and make pit fall trap.
Break a shard of brick and use as a pin to wear the blanket.

See his pictures here as well.

Collaborative Drawing Solutions

Check out these phenomenal drawings from Boo and Zee:

Old movies etc.

Find some old CDs, DVDs, tapes, etc and make a person with articulated parts. Good luck!

Glue and flour

The challenge: build something with glue and flour and one other object -- be creative. Think outside of the box! Good luck. Send in your pictures.

Junk Drawer Robots

These are some awesome creations!! Check them out by clicking on the word these.

And, so are these!




Thank you all for your patience with my delay in posting.

Paper and Pencil

The only things that you need for this challenge are a stop watch, paper, and pencil. In 60 seconds, write down all of the things that you can do with a brick and a blanket. If your list is less than 10 items long, give yourself another 60 seconds and add some more. Good luck! Share your lists -- we'll make one big list.

Airplanes

Everyone has made an airplane out of paper, but can you make one out of fabric and one other item? Will it fly?

Good luck.

Junk Drawer

Do not tell children why, just direct them to choose 15 items from your junk drawer. If you don't have a junk drawer, have them choose 15 random items that will fit in a shoe box.

The challenge: to build a robot. Only one adhesive item may be used in construction -- glue, paperclips, tape, string, etc.

Super challenge: build a robot with articulated parts.

Good luck. Don't forget to send pictures.

Rubberbands

I am always trying to figure out what to do with the bags of rubberbands that we have -- not sure where we got them or why --

So the challenge is to make a rubberband puppet -- you may use two items: paper and rubberbands. You may use scissors and markers in construction but not the solution.

Send videos if possible.

Collaborative Drawing

Ok -- you must have at least two people to complete this challenge:

The challenge is to draw a picture using only perpendicular lines. The rules: you may not speak to each other before or during the challenge about the challenge and you may only draw one line at a time. The next person can only draw a connecting perpedicular line. You have 24 hours to complete this challenge.

Good luck!

Food Creation Solutions

Sayer and her brother Duncan did a fantabulous job with this challenge. They used a small can of olives, a pack of gum, a chocolate coin, and marshmallows from the pantry, 2 carrots from the fridge, and 2 sticks from the yard, plus LOTS of tape to construct a helicopter.

I misplaced these pictures so if someone can resend them -- please do and I'll post. Thanks for your patience.

Cups and Coins

Here's the challenge: build the tallest tower possible100 cups/coins -- the number must add up to 100 but you can allocate any way you wish. One more rule: cups may only touch coins, they may not touch each other. Since there is a good chance of collapse, we recommend that you use paper cups and quarters.

Good luck!

Plant Solutions

Magnificent solutions from Sayer:




Sensational solutions from Em:

Food Creations

Choose 4 items from your pantry, 2 from your refrigerator and and 2 from your yard. You may use either tape, paperclips, or pencils as well. You may use other tools for construction but not in the solution.

Your challenge: make a vehicle.