Dalton News

Makers' Projects by 5th and 6th Graders

Our afterschool Makers' class brings together people who believe that if you can imagine it, you can make it. Makers like to create well-designed objects, works of art, awesome gadgets, interesting machines and wearable devices; all of which could be made to light up or move. We design, tinker, build, get crafty and solve problems. Maker students learn to work with a range of materials and tools, combining arts, crafts, science, programming and electronics to make useful, fun and creative objects. Most projects typically span 1-2 weeks. Read more for descriptions of two of our more popular projects.
  • Melted crayon art - after instruction on the techniques used in making melted crayon art, students created a design, considered possible outcomes and implemented problem-solving skills while iterating their design. Once they felt ready to enter the final stages of their artistic expression, they melted their crayon design using a super hot air gun (a tool which looks like a hair dryer), allowed it to cool and then applied more heat if they desired change in the visual effects of how the wax melted. The unique and beautiful outcomes of each students' vision were inspiring.

  • Creating an LED flashlight from an old dry erase board marker - 6th grade robotics students were interested in developing a new purpose for the used dry erase markers that tend to litter our classrooms. They decided to make a small electric circuit with a switch for an LED light that would fit inside of two different types of empty markers (Expo and Quartet). A few of them created a successful prototype and students Ellis Campbell, and Ben Gottlieb introduced their repurposing trash project to our Makers.

    Over the course of three sequential classes, Dalton teachers guided Makers students through their creation of the LED flashlight. They practiced their soldering skills, honed their understanding of electronic circuits with an LED component and switch, and applied design thinking skills in how they wanted their product to look and function.
Story and photos submitted by Middle School Science Teacher Kate Fenner
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(Grades K-3) 53 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
General: (212) 423-5200 | Admissions: (212) 423-5463
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(Gr. 4 Dalton East & PE Center) 200 East 87th Street
New York, NY 10128
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(Grade 5-12) 108 East 89th Street
New York, NY 10128
General: (212) 423-5200 | Admissions: (212) 423-5262
General: info@dalton.org | Admissions: admissionsmshs@dalton.org