We have a new exhibit area at Explora! that has lots of stuff and moveable tables to make Chain Reactions. One way to connect tables without physically connecting them, we used a Pico cricket with a light sensor hooked up to a motor. When the wheel rolled down, it covered the flashlight (which was pointed at the light sensor) and activated the motor which pulled down the block on the next table.

I had done “traditional” light painting with a 35 mm camera and film, but was completely hooked when I learned the digital version from Mike, Karen, Walter and Nicole at a workshop. Even though the compositions are sometimes a group creation, I needed to figure out an activity for people to do while they were waiting for their turn in front of the camera, so I had them make their own tools. Which is basically altering or combining things to a variety of light sources.

The idea for making bugs was inspired by making scribble machines and seeing how creative kids are with just a battery and a motor. This was a day long camp with 7 & 8 yr. olds. The first half of the day, observations of bugs using microscopes and creating scientific illustrations led to choosing your favorite bug attributes and inventing your own bug.