It finally arrived! After months of work, our 31 middle school students finally celebrated…
With Caine’s Arcade and Makey Makeys as our inspiration, we transformed the empty classrooms in the basement of the middle school into a carnival made out of cardboard and electronics for everyone to enjoy.
The projects:
Four-player air hockey
Don’t miss: the holes poked on top; a box fan inside; an obstacle in the middle of the board for an added challenge.
Midnight Air Hockey
Check it out: pool noodles and twinkle lights around the edges; a box fan inside; contact paper for a smooth surface on top.
Skee-ball
Not pictured: ball return chute underneath the ramp for non-stop action.
Interactive drum pad
How does it work? Tap on (or dance on!) the cardboard flaps to trigger drum sound effects. Grab a friend and play a beat.
Angry Birds
Shoot the gummy candies into the target (it’s harder than it looks!) and maybe you’ll get to eat one as a prize! Can your iPhone do that?
Game-a-tron
Play the arcade games programmed by students in the cardboard arcade!
Driving simulator
Drive the RC car by steering the cardboard wheel. A FaceTime call over two iPod Touches simulates a first-person view when you strap in to the simulator!
Interactive map
Use this light-up map to find your way around the carnival! Each station has its own icon and LED.
The event:
What a blast! It was great to have so many middle schoolers come down to the basement and play with us. At its peak, there were probably 75+ students milling about and playing games at once, filling two different game rooms and the hall in between.
Thank you.
What a journey it has been! Before we had an empty room we had a storage closet…
but we also had ideas…
and some great Upper Schoolers to inspire us.
And from there, the math is pretty compelling:
10 club meetings x 30 minutes per meeting x 31 students x 2 teachers = a wild, fun time!
Thank you, makers, for your joyful creativity, your willingness to try new things, and for sharing your talents with the community.