Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

First, we used a computer program to design how Marvin should look. Of course he had to be on his skateboard. We chose a color and loaded the spool of filament into the 3D printer. We thought Marvin would look good in light blue. The computer sent the file to the printer. After the printer warmed up for a few minutes, it was ready to go. The printer pulled the filament inside and melted it. It sent the melted plastic into this piece, called an extruder. It has a nozzle on the bottom that squeezes out the plastic in layers. This first layer didn’t look much like Marvin. If you’d like to 3D print your own Marvin, visit cricketmedia.com/3dmarvin for a copy of the computer file. The nozzle moved back…

What you’ll need 2 or 3 chopsticks or sticksStringScissorsGluePaper and things to color withSome paper clips What to do Make your fish. 1. Fold a piece of paper in half and draw an outline of a fish (or other creature) so that its mouth is at one edge (not the fold). Make lots! 2. Put a paper clip inside the folded paper so that one end of it is coming out of the fish’s mouth. Holding it in place, tape it to the paper. Do this for all the fish. 3. Unfold the paper and cover the inside of the paper with glue. Fold the paper back together with the paper clip inside. Rub it down and let the glue dry. 4. When the glue is dry, decorate each fish.…

Did you always want to be an author/illustrator? I did, along with dozens of other professions, such as becoming an FBI agent and an Olympian. But my dad wanted to be a professional artist, so he was always painting and drawing, and I loved copying what he was doing. If he did a self-portrait, then I made one. If he drew his hand, then I’d draw a hand. He showed me the works of famous artists and explained what kinds of mediums they used. I was also fascinated by my dad’s large art book collection. How did you learn how to draw? Art education in my elementary school was mainly creating turkey hands and cutting out snowflakes for decoration. So my parents paid my neighbor to give me art lessons…

What you’ll need Old pair of tights that it’s OK to cut upClean plastic garbage bagDried beansStringCotton stuffingGoogly eyesScissors, glue What to do 1. Loosely fill one long side of a clean garbage bag with dried beans. Place cotton stuffing on top of the beans. Roll up the bag lengthwise, and tie it loosely into sections so the beans and stuffing don’t move around too much. 2. Cut a leg off the tights. The foot will be the head of your snake. Slide the filled garbage bag into the leg, with the bean side down. Tie the opening closed, and decorate your snake. 3. Place your draft snake along the bottom of a drafty door and stay warm!…

What you’ll need 2 cups (one 12-oz. bag) white chocolate chips½ cup peppermint candies or broken candy canes.Hammer, plastic bag, spoonGlass bowl or mixing cupMicrowaveWax paper or parchment paper What to do 1. Put peppermints into a plastic bag. Hit them with a hammer to break up into little pieces. 2. Put the white chocolate chips into a glass bowl and melt them in the microwave. (This should take a few minutes at high heat. Check after each minute—don’t let it burn!) OR: Ask a grown-up to help you melt the chocolate on the stove in a double boiler. When it’s ready, the melted chocolate should feel about like thick frosting. 3. Mix the crushed peppermint into the melted chocolate. 4. Spread the melted mixture thinly on a piece of…

What’s nicer than a little winter world you can hold in your hand? What you’ll need Small, clean glass jar with tight lidSmall plastic figurines that you don’t want backWaterproof glue (hot glue gun or superglue—ask an adult to help with this)1 or 2 teaspoons silver or other metal glitter (white plastic glitter floats)About half a cup of glycerin (you can buy this at drugstores)WaterAdult helper for gluing What to do 1. Take the lid off the jar and compose a nice scene with your plastic figures on the inside of the lid. Make sure your scene fits inside the jar. Ask your adult helper to help you glue your scene in place. Waterproof glue is tricky, so use care! 2. Add the glycerin and glitter to the jar, and…

The coldest natural thing on Earth is a spot in Antarctica where temperatures have dipped to -144°F (-98°C). But scientists have created things even colder than Antarctica by chilling them to near absolute zero. What’s absolute zero? It’s the coldest temperature possible. Atoms and molecules—the tiny particles that make up matter—jiggle around all the time. That jiggling is heat. The colder something is, the less energy its particles have, and… The slower we move! Absolute zero is the temperature at which everything stops moving. It’s impossible to get any colder than that. So how cold is absolute zero? -460°F! -273°C! In special laboratories, scientists use lasers to steal energy from atoms until they’re almost not moving—close to absolute zero. When they get this cold, the atoms collapse into a big…

Marvin Likes: Pranks, inventions, whoopee cushions Quote: It wasn't me! Most likely to: throw water balloons. Elvis Likes: Poetry, dictionaries, mirrors Quote: Brains AND beauty—I have both. Most likely to: go over your head. Plush Pottom Likes: Rule books, binoculars, writing computer code Quote: I know what’s best for you. Most likely to: be the boss. Whatson Likes: Long chapters, the first page Quote: I just read that somewhere. Most likely to: be reading. Bot Likes: Data, batteries Quote: Your wish is my command. Most likely to: rust. Avery Likes: Acorns, hollow trees Quote: Waste not, want not. Most likely to: make it through the winter. Puck and Sisyphus Likes: Best friends, pearls Quote: Two heads are better than one. Most likely to: never come out of their shells. Zia…