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The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20221207231240/https://www.invention.si.edu/try/do-try-home
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  • DO Try This at Home!

DO Try This at Home!

Want to be inventive at home or in the classroom? Try your hand at these fun activities!

 

 

 

  • Try All
  • DO Try This at Home!
  • Spark!Lab
  • Spark!Lab Network
  • Encouraging Innovative Thinking
Computer illustration with a sign in the background that says “terrain” and stairs, a bumpy surface, different wheels and other wheelchair parts in the foreground
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Wheelchair for Difficult Terrain and Unexpected Environments

Design a wheelchair that will help the user navigate challenging terrain or environments or participate in sporting activities.

Image
DO Try This at Home!

Tinker Ball

Tinker Ball is back! Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution.

Computer-generated sketch of tree picker machine
DO Try This at Home!

Design a 21st Century Farming Device

What types of farming will your device be used for? Who will use your invention?

Start screen for Cloud Dreamer game
DO Try This at Home!

Farewell to Cloud Dreamer and Puzzle Blocks

Originally created in 2002, it’s time to retire these well-loved games.

Computer-generated drawing of solar panels in the shape of a houseplant charging a cell phone
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Solar-Powered Invention

Create a solar-powered invention with virtual materials—or design your own parts and pieces.

U-Sketch pick your color green orange blue lavender purple black

Story Tags

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Asian Pacific American inventors (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Assistive technology (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • DIY/Maker Movement (Relevance: 15.384615384615%)
  • Immigrant inventors (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Invention at Play (Relevance: 7.6923076923077%)
  • Invention process (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Kid inventors (Relevance: 15.384615384615%)
  • Kid-friendly (Relevance: 100%)
  • Materials science (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Music (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Nature and outdoors (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Personal care (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Robotics (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Sound recording and reproduction (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 84.615384615385%)
  • Toys and games (Relevance: 3.8461538461538%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 7.6923076923077%)
Rocket launcher made from wood and other materials
DO Try This at Home!

Design a Spacecraft

Design a spacecraft with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated image of a shopping cart
DO Try This at Home!

Reinvent the Shopping Cart

Reinvent a shopping cart with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated image of people in a mass transit vehicle
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Mass Transit Vehicle

Create a mass transit vehicle (bus, plane, boat, train, spacecraft or something totally new) with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

A scooter made by a child
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Toy

Invent a new toy with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated parts to invent something to help clean up the ocean
DO Try This at Home!

Help Clean Up the Ocean

Use virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces—to build a 3D model of your invention that could help clean up the ocean.

Computer-generated object moving through a pipe
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Device That Can Move Through a Pipe

Invent a device that can move through a pipe with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

3 Sparky stick figures tumbling around a drawing of a light bulb.
DO Try This at Home!

Design a Stadium

Design a stadium with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Musical Instrument

You can invent an instrument using common items found around your house. What type of instrument will you create?

Cover of Let’s Go Shopping with Peter and Penny children’s book
DO Try This at Home!

Let’s Tell a Story!

Stories tell us how inventions came to be and what inspired the inventors.

Computer-generated design work surface
DO Try This at Home!

Design an Innovative Voting Poster

Design a poster that will encourage people to vote in every election.

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Calling Young Inventors!

Spark!Lab’s 2020 Dr. InBae and Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge needs you!

An array of craft materials
DO Try This at Home!

At-Home Inventors

Lots of inventors worked from home – what will you invent?

Now What? game graphic
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab's Now What? Invention Game

Unexpected problems often call for inventive solutions.

A young girl works on the Invent a Skate Park activity
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab Activities

You can explore the history and process of invention through Draper Spark!Lab activities at home, too!

A toy mouse in a yellow, wedge-shaped car
DO Try This at Home!

The Power of a Challenge

Some famous inventions have come about because of a competition. What will you invent if challenged?

See More Stories

VIEW 2725 Matching Results

Found 2725 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.2110091743119%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7522935779817%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.4036697247706%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0825688073394%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.302752293578%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5229357798165%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5871559633028%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3394495412844%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4128440366972%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.376146788991%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8532110091743%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4495412844037%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5229357798165%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3761467889908%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9816513761468%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.2660550458716%)
❯
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