Family Maker Workshop: Indigenous Ingenuity
Often, STEM teachings and projects focus on Western inventors – but Indigenous peoples have been inventing problem-solving tools since time immemorial. For example, did you know that even hundreds of years ago, Aztec peoples used hollow bird bones to deliver medicines into the human body – just like syringes created years later by Western inventors? What a creative use of resources. In this program, use syringes to make a toy.
Full Program Description
Put your heads and hands together to construct a unique family project and some special memories to boot. Indigenous Peoples have lived on the continent of North America for at least 13,000 years. They use Traditional Knowledge ― shared learnings about the natural world gleaned over thousands of years ― to invent many kinds of technology.
We will use plastic syringes, similar to the pieces created out of hollow bird bones by Aztec peoples hundreds of years ago, to make a toy that moves using pneumatic pressure. You’ll also get a chance to learn about other Indigenous inventions featured in the 2023 children’s book Indigenous Ingenuity by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay.
Supplies and setup
- 12 cc/ml plastic syringes (no irrigation tips or needles; one per project)
- plastic tubing with inner diameter of 4 mm (to fit over the syringe tip, so depending on your syringe you may need a different size tubing), cut into 5 cm lengths (one per project)
- jumbo craft stick
- masking tape or sticky foam adhesive strips
- cardstock
- transparent tape
- markers or crayons
Instructions
STEP 1. Pull the plunger on one syringe all the way to the end (but still attached). Then attach the plastic tubing to the open end.
STEP 2. Attach the other syringe to the other side of the plastic tubing. Keep this syringe closed (do not pull open the plunger). Test the setup – when you push up on the bottom plunger, the top plunger should move.
STEP 3. Attach the craft stick to the syringe setup as shown.
STEP 4. Think of an object you’d like to draw that can be separated and put back together. We drew a skink that can lose its tail and a great white shark that opens its mouth, but there are many other things you could draw. People coming together for a hug. A treasure chest opening and closing. Carefully cut the drawing into two pieces at the point where you want the two pieces to separate. You’ve got this!
STEP 5. Attach each piece to the craft stick/syringe setup. The top part will go on the closed syringe, and the bottom part will be attached to the syringe that has the plunger opened.
STEP 6. Test your toy and adjust as necessary.
This project was based on materials purchased from FutureMakers https://kidsmakethingsbetter.com/
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