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Projects, materials & tools

Find things to try, understand what materials can do, and explore different ways to make an idea work.

A view from the handle side, with the box wall left out to show the wheel lifting a platformSeen from the handle side, with that wall left out. The turning rod points into the picture at the dark centre dot. It turns the wheel, whose top edge lifts the platform and upright rod. Their weight brings them back down. The straw stays fixed to the box; the platform rests loosely on the wheel.Fixed strawPlatformTurning rod seen end-onHandle
Project · An afternoon

A hand-cranked creature

Turn a crank and make a character rise and fall. Build the movement in plain sight, then give it a world of its own.

Open the project

Materials and tools in this project

Cardboardstructure · wheel
Drinking strawbearing · spacer
Pencilmarking · recording
Rulermeasuring · straight edge

More things to try

All projects
Bookbinding
An open folded notebook showing the three-hole pamphlet stitchPunch through the nested pages and cover at three places along the fold. The long inside stitch connects the end holes. Return through the centre hole and tie the two ends around that long stitch.Three holes along the foldTie inside
ProjectAbout an hourScrap paper, card & thread

A hand-bound scrap notebook

Turn leftover paper and cereal-box card into a stitched notebook for sketches, lists, recipes, or a gift.

bindingrecordinggift making
Woodworking
An open wooden tote with tall ends, lower side boards, and a dowel handleThe end boards stand on the base; the long side boards fit outside its edges. The handle passes through both ends. Dry-fit and clamp the pieces before drilling and fastening.Handle through both endsSides outside the base
ProjectAn afternoon, plus glue curingSound scrap boards and a few fittings

A wooden carry tote

Make a carrier for paints, seed packets, drawing supplies, or your repair kit. Shape the ends and arrange the inside around what you carry.

storagecarryingwoodworking
Sound & garden
Four spoons hanging separately from a wooden crossbar, with their bowls at the same heightHang each spoon bowl-down from its own cord. Tape grip bands help the cords stay on the handles. Leave about a centimetre between neighbouring bowls so they can meet when they swing.Separate cords · room to swing
ProjectAbout an hourSpare cutlery, a stick & cord

A wind chime from old spoons

Give mismatched spoons a second life on a porch or by a window. Choose the sounds you like and arrange them into your own hanging instrument.

hanging instrumentstrikingsuspension
Game making
A shallow cardboard tray with upright maze walls and a clear route for a ballArrange the walls in a shallow box lid before fixing them down. Leave passages wider than the ball and test the whole route by tilting the tray.Keep a clear routeWalls fixed upright
ProjectA couple of hours, plus glue dryingA box lid, card & a rolling ball

A tilt maze you design

Build a tray game with a route of your own, then steer a ball through it by tipping the board.

game makingrollingconstruction
Growing & useful making
A cutaway bottle planter with an upper growing pot, a lower reservoir, and a cloth wickSeat the inverted upper bottle in the lower reservoir, with its cap clear of the base. A cloth wick reaches from the growing mix into the water. Keep the overflow level at least 2 cm below the cap, and shade the reservoir with an opaque sleeve.Growing mixWickHoleWater below the cap
ProjectAbout an hour, then daily careA clean bottle, cloth & a small plant

A bottle planter with a cloth wick

Make a small home for a young plant. A strip of cloth carries water from the bottom of the bottle into the pot above.

seedling containerwickingwater reservoir
Sewing
A cloth tool roll laid open with individual pockets and a top flapKeep each tool in its own pocket. Fold the top flap down over the exposed ends, then roll from one side across the row of tools. Leave enough slack to roll without straining the seams.Fold flap over the tool endsRoll across the row
ProjectA few hours by handHeavy cloth scraps, thread, and ties

Sew a canvas tool roll

Give brushes, pencils, or small hand tools their own pockets. Unroll it on a bench, find what you need, and tie it up when you leave.

storagesewingcarrying

What else could it be?

Materials

Cardboard

A box can become a structure, a wheel, a shadow, or a question about strength.

Drinking straw

Look beyond drinking: a hollow tube suggests sleeves, spacers, air passages, and small structures.

Rubber band

A stretchy loop can hold things together or make movement and vibration visible.

Ways to work with it

Tools

Pencil

Record an observation, mark a cut, or trace a changing shadow.

Ruler

Compare lengths, draw straight lines, or help a fold find its edge.

Scissors

Cut paper and thin card, then explore how a change of shape changes behavior.