Morse Code __ ___ ._. ... . _._. ___ _.. .

Morse Code was invented by Samuel Morse for use over telegraph lines in 1835. The code uses a series of dashes and dots to represent letters of the alphabet. However, morse code can be sent using flash lights, whistles, horns, the tapping of stone on stone, a laser light reflected on an object or even by flag. When sending Morse Code by flag, a flag swung to the right represents a dot, to the left a dash. This is a really cool way to send secret messages and to communicate over distance without a phone or walkie talkie. Below is the alphabetic and numeric key for Morse Code.

In addition to the above codes there are procedural conventions for use by the sender and receiver of messages.

Used by Sender

AAAA = Attention; I have message are you ready?

EEEEEEEE= Error; Mistake made, I will begin with the last word sent correctly.

Pause= Period; End of word.

AR= End of Message; Did you get it?

Used by Receiver

K= Go Ahead; Start sending.

IMI= Repeat signal; Send again, I missed it.

T= Word received; to be used upon receipt of each word.

R= Message received; ok.

All of the signals using multiple letters are sent as if one letter. That is there is no pause between letters during transmission of these procedural signals. So the code for "Attention" which is 4 A's, would be dot dash dot dash dot dash dot dash, then a pause.

This can take time to learn, but may one day prove invaluable. Practice with a friend and get good, you'll have a blast!

Grass Whistle

A Grass whistle is a great way to make some noise. If you aren't lucky enough to be able to blow a schrill whistle you now can with a simple tool; a blade of grass. pick a sturdy piece of grass, as flat as possible and long enough to easily span the distance from the first thumb joint to the second. The blade is held tightly between opposing thumbs first and second joints, and then blown through. It is important to get the positioning just right. A little movement will change the pitch of the whistle. The blade of grass works on the same principle as a kazoo. The grass vibrates between the two thumbs. Set your blade of grass up as in the picture below.


The grass must remain stretched tight. Make your lips thin, press them lightly against your thumbs between the top and bottom joints. Now blow lightly and consistantly. Make the gap between your thumbs bigger and smaller until you find the right spot. This noise will carry for a good distance.

The same trick can be accomplished by blowing through a small "Sun Made" raison box. Tear off the lid flaps, wrap your mouth around the end and blow. The result is a Very loud whistle. Have Fun making noise!

The lolliflower

Just in case someone says I don’t give equal time to the boys and girls, here is a great project for Valentine’s day, Birthday favors etc. The lolliflower. Good looking, fun, and easy to do at any skill level. Any excuse to eat lollipops is a good one right?

Supplies you’ll need:

Red and Green construction paper

A third patterned paper for the center of the flower

Lollipops (small)

Tape

Scissors

Small hole punch (or something to push a hole for the “stem”)

1. Cut 3 similar hearts from the red paper

2. Cut  1 leaf ( for the note)

3. Cut a 4 pedaled pattern for the center top

4. Punch a hole for the stem of the lolli in all the pedals and leaf

5. Arrange pedals and leaf with the leaf on the bottom, then the 3 hearts equally fanned out and finally the 4 pedaled pattern on top

6. Push the lolli through the center

7. Tape the lolli in place from the bottom

8. Write your note on the green leaf now or before assembly

Now you’ve done it. Pretty, fun and sweet. Just like you!

Amazing Corks; Magic Trick

Here is a great party trick. I have seen it done many times in my life but only recently learned the trick. We show it here using two corks, but you can easily substitute rolled dollars, marking pen caps, or any two similarly sized and shaped objects.
The way it appears to onlookers is that the magician shows the two corks. She then places them in the crook of the thumbs of each hand. Then, grabbing the ends of the corks with the thumbs and second fingers of each hand, she amazingly separates her two hands passing the corks right through each other. Spectators are then unable to repeat the magic.

The Trick:

1. Hold the corks in the crooks of the thumbs.

2. Twist your hands in opposite directions so you can take the left hand cork with the right thumb at A and right second finger at B, while taking the right hand cork with the left thumb at C and left second finger at D.

3. Done correctly your hands will give the spectators the illusion that your fingers are linked.

4. Twist your hands in opposite directions and pull your hands apart.

5. The corks have magically passed through each other.





It’s a great quick trick. It can be performed once and set aside, or, presented repeatedly to a group until someone catches on and can have fun with you sharing in the trick.

Cork Catapult

The cork catapult can be made in minutes, and be fun for hours. Use it in mini battles or make a game and see who can get the coin (or whatever else you want to launch) into a cup more times. I like this one because everyone has the stuff right now to make it. No corks; go ask a neighbor.

Supplies:
Cork
Plastic spoon
Quarter
Plastic cup
Rubber band or hair tie

Secure the cork and spoon together as shown.

Start launching.

Careful, this will launch much farther than you might suspect so maybe stay away from the windows. You might just as well launch small rubber animals or erasers onto concentric circles for different scores or though hoops!

Aluminum Can Frisbee

You can make an aluminum can frisbee out of any aluminum can. They fly quite far indoors or out with little practice.
Supplies you'll need:
1 Aluminum can
Can opener
Heavy duty scissors or tin snips
pliers

First empty the aluminum can, meaning drink it, or find a used one even better. Then cut off the top using the can opener.
Next using tin snips or heavy scissors poke a hole about 1 inch from the bottom rim of the can and cut the base of the can off. Careful, this edges are now sharp and will cut your fingers easily.

Now using pliers fold the sharp edge over and into the can, then go over it once more and really flatten the fold.

You are done. To throw it hold it with the top of the can facing away from you and throw it like a football; that is, straight and letting it roll off the fingers as you release it. Have contests and see how far you can make it fly!

Potty Mouth Playground

Here lies some of what I can remember of the word play from the playground as a youth. Some of it is probably inappropriate for kids who just learned to read. Sorry, I'm naughty. Some of them are accompanied by my comments, some are left to stand alone. Kids and adults please feel free to add new sayings or offer changes to what is posted here in the comments section at the bottom of this blog.


Remember, No one likes a bully, so only in good fun.

Your mama, your daddy
Your greasy granny
 got a hole in her panty


Got a big behind like Frankenstein


Going beep-beep-beep down Sesame Street


Toot-toot-toot wearing army boots


In your ear with a can of beer
 & Up your butt with a coconut.

I’m rubber you’re glue whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks onto you.

Black Jack no backs. (Said immediately after an insult is delivered to make it permanent)


I know you are but what am I? (can be used again and again for infinity)

Liar Liar pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire. (Also remembered as “…hanging from a telephone wire”)


Up your nose with a rubber hose.

See my thumb?

Gee you’re dumb. (what else is there to say about that)

Guess what…

Chicken Butt.

Guess why…

Bird crap pie.

Milk-Milk-Lemonade

Round the corner fudge is made
Stick your finger up the hole
out comes a chocolate Tootsie Roll.

(said while you point first at one nipple then the other, then your groin and finally your butt)

What time is it?

Half Past the monkey’s ass

Quarter to his balls.

What were you eating under there?

Under where?

Ew… You were eating underwear!

How’d you get that updog on your shoe?

What’s updog?

Not much, what’s up with you dawg. (a classic and favorite)

How's Joe or you know Joe?

Joe who?

Joe Mama...then laugh




From England-


Georgie Porgey pudding and pie
kissed the girls and made them cry
when the boys come out to play
Georgie Porgey runs away.

Now you go out and play, but, play nice!

How to make a Blowgun or Blowpipe

Blowguns are tubes for shooting darts by the power of breath. Used all through Southeast Asia with poison tipped darts, they were also employed by the North American Seminole Indians, though, without poison.     
The Seminole and Cherokee used lengths of cane or bamboo. The darts were made from splinters (10 inches by 1/8 inch) of bamboo, or straight grained hard woods like oak, maple, or birch. The fletching was  often done using thistle down. The thistle would be harvested in late fall when the blossoms have turned to seed pods, but before the down and seeds have emerged, and saved for use all year round. An alternate for the fletching might have been animal fur.


Our project today are designs using more modern supplies. We will also discuss a few options for dart making. For aesthetic reasons we will use bamboo for the pipe, though you can easily use a straw or Bic pen.
SUPPLIES:
shoe laces
push pins
length of bamboo




Supplies for variations:
paper
krazy glue
straw or Bic pen
cotton balls




Making the pipe.
Bamboo
If you are lucky and have bamboo near your home cut down a length with a few sections. You want a piece with a hole about 1/4" down its center. Cut the ends off leaving the knot on at least one end. Now drill through the knot down the center of the bamboo. Lastly, file down the inside of the tube. This can be done with a long drill bit, or sand paper glued or taped onto the end of a slender rod. The smoother the inside the easier the dart will travel through. Smooth the ends, and use the larger end to blow from.
Bic Pen
Pull the cap off the pen, pull the ball point and ink reservoir out using pliers, and pull the end cap off. you now have a smooth tube to blow from.
Or use a straw.

Making the Darts-


Shoelace Dart
Cut the hard plastic wrapped end of a shoelace off, leaving about 3/8" of cord (or lace) behind the tip to act as fletching for the dart. Now press a straight pin through the end and down the center of the tip until the pin comes out the tip. You have a finished dart.

Paper cone dart
Roll a 1" tall cone out of paper, Krazy glue it closed (just a little glue), press a straight pin through the open end of the cone. You have a finished dart. These are not as sturdy as the shoelace dart. But work as well


Push pin and Cotton ball dart
Wet the blunt end of a push pin with a small amount of Krazy glue. Tear small amounts of cotton off the ball and twist it lightly around the rear of the pin so that the cotton builds up. You have a finished dart. These work a treat for as long as they last.


Place the dart in the mouth end of the pipe and blow! These darts will stick into cardboard easily and even wood and drywall.


And as always, this is a guide. Make variations to suit the supplies and time you have. That's what the natives did.


RULES AND PRECAUTIONS:


TAKE A BREATH BEFORE YOU PLACE THE PIPE IN YOUR MOUTH.
DO NOT BREATH IN WITH THE PIPE IN YOUR MOUTH, YOU COULD SWALLOW THE DART.


DO NOT SHOOT THE DARTS STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR. DARTS CAN COME DOWN ON YOUR EYE AND BLIND YOU! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE DART FALLING BACK TOWARD YOUR EYE. SO DON'T DO IT.


DO NOT SHOOT AT (OR NEAR) OTHER LIVING BEINGS. THEY WON'T LIKE IT OR THINK IT FUNNY.


BE SAFE. HAVE FUN!

Assemblage; Glue Gun Fun

as·sem·blage 

Pronunciation: \ə-ˈsem-blij, for 3 also ˌa-ˌsäm-ˈbläzh\

Function: noun

Date: 1690

1 : a collection of persons or things : gathering

2 : the act of assembling : the state of being assembled

3 a : an artistic composition made from scraps, junk, and odds and ends (as of paper, cloth, wood, stone, or metal) b : the art of making assemblages

Glue guns are a great way to begin as a sculpturist. You can put together just about any combination of objects of any texture provided they are clean and dry. Make a trophey, a rock igloo, a tank or fly thingy. If you go to Flikr.com search result for assemblage there are some great pictures and ideas for your own creations; lots of robots there. Also, the International Museum of collage, Assemblage and Construction website is a great springboard for research and ideas around the topic of glue gun fun. Projects like these are a perfect reason to start your own collection of little  shiny objects for the day you decide to create your glue gun assemblage.

SET UP:

When using a glue gun have plenty of glue sticks on hand. Plug it in and wait or it to heat up. It is always wise to put down a thick cover over your work area to protect it while you create, and to additionally place the glue gun on a flat, level non-flamable surface while it is not in use.

CAUTION:

Glue guns are hot! They will burn you. The glue is Hot! It will burn you and keep burning if it gets on your skin, cause it's hot and sticky. Follow all safety instructions included with the gun.

TIPS:

Less is more when it comes to glue safety.

Pieces should be clean and dry.

Have all your pieces ready and know each pieces placement before you put the glue on.

Put your pieces together immediately while the glue is very hot for the best results.

Fabrics work well as long as the glue penetrates.

On slick solid surfaces the glue will hold well, but also pull apart if you need to try again.

When gluing thin edges, make a puddle of glue and run the edge through the glue then stick it to the desired surface, to avoid squirting glue near your finger tips.

Now do some research and get to work making your Assemblage!

Uncommon Knots

The "Loop knot" or "Overhand loop" is the most common knot for a loop both at the end or in the middle of a line. You can go anywhere on the web to find the classic "boy scout" knots. Here are two uncommon and easily untied loop knots.

The first loop is to be tied in the end of a line only. There are many variations on a loop in the end of a line.  The one I'm offering has the advantage of being secure and easy to untie. It has no name that I know of. The Ashley Book of Knots simply gives it number 1044.

The second loop is to be tied in the middle or slack part of the rope between the two ends, also known as the  bite or bight of a line. It is known as the "Harness Loop." It can be tied in any size rope as small as a fishing line for dropper flies, in a climbing rope as stirrups, or in a large tow line for pulling heavy items uphill or through rough terrain.

Have fun!

Draw a circle passing through three points; Geometry of Technical Drawing

This is one of those magic tricks done with a compass and straight edge that has always tickled my senses and amazed the people I've shared it with.
And actually; it's geometry, not magic.

That is: To find the Center of a Circle Passing through Three Points Not in a Straight Line and to Draw the Circle.

That's a mouthful. So read and reread it until you understand it. Then try it. Use the picture below to help you lay it out. The three points cannot be on a straight line. Once you get comfortable it will only take a minute to do!

You'll need: Paper, pencil, straight edge, and a drafting compass. And, If these instructions turn your head inside out this link will sort you out.

Let A, B and C be the three points. Draw the lines AB and BC. Now Draw the lines EO and DO; these lines are perpendicular to AB and BC.
Draw line DO by setting your compass to a length just over half the distance of line BC. Now strike arcs from either end of the line (at points B and C) so that they intersect on either side of the line (at points D and O). Use your straight edge to draw the line thru the two arcs points on intersection. Line DO will be perpendicular to line BC. Do the same for the line AB, and create EO.

The intersection O (of lines DO and EO) is the center of the circle. OA, OB and OC are the radius required to draw the circle using a compass. A circle drawn this way will pass through ANY three points not on a line!

Mazes; How to make mazes, Downloadable mazes

Creating mazes and solving them is great fun for one or more. Design your own mazes and challenge others to solve them.

The easiest way for a beginner maze maker is to first draw (in pencil) the perimeter of the maze, then fill the space with multiple tangent chambers. Now make an opening at the start of the maze by erasing the pencil line, and continue to erase a path through the chambers until you have reached the desired end point. Drawing a short line on each side of each doorway as in the picture can make it easier to see the doorways. For a more difficult maze draw more chambers and change direction a few times before finishing. Now go back and erase false paths. Practice will make this method of maze making quick, and produce a good maze.

The next method is using graph paper. Draw your perimeter as before, make a point of entry by erasing one square of the border line, and now draw your path to the finish of the maze by drawing a hallway from the start point to the finish, leaving openings as you go for false paths. Again, make changes in direction, however, be careful not to cross your own path. Now go back and fill in the remainder of space with the false hallways.

The Maze generator at this link will create a new maze simply by tapping on it. The same site has a great set of Maze links and sample mazes.

Here are a  few downloadable and printable PDFs of mazes. These mazes are over and under style. Have fun, now get lost!

Hard Maze
Intermediate maze
Easy Maze

Tic Tac Toe Magic Trick/ Prediction

Magic tricks are always fun. Here is a great self working trick you can do almost anywhere.

How it will look:
You offer to play a game of tic tac toe, where, you will predict the exact placement of each X and O. Your participant will have complete freedom of choice in their moves, and yet, in the end when you reveal your prediction it is exactly the same as the game you just played!

How its done:
Draw up your prediction as shown at the top of this article in private and fold it or seal it in an envelope. Upon suggesting the game offer it up and set it aside where all can see it. As you prepare your player and audience tell them that like any game of tic tac toe to win you must get three in a row. So the player must play to win and prevent you from winning. Then draw the first X in the center square.

The player then marks an O in any square. And here is the secret! There are only really two possibilities. The player will either mark a corner



 or an inner square.

 If they mark their first O in a corner, you must mark your next X to the next open clockwise square.

If the player marks an O in an inner square,  all of your Xs will be placed in the first open square in the counter-clockwise direction.

The player will always have freedom of choice, and the finished game will always match your prediction. Some extra effect can be gained by turning your prediction so that it is oriented the same as the game you just played as you present it to your audience.
Try it out a few times to convince yourself. And then try it out on an audience!

Cardboard Toy: Make a Rubberband Gun Out of Cardboard

For today's Cardboard Project I'll show you how to make a Rubberband gun in short time with simple materials. When I was playing with them, we always had to get our hands on wood, get permission and help with tools etc. No Longer!

Supplies You'll need

1. Cardboard- this rifle used a piece about 30 inches x 10 inches. You'll want twice as much on hand.
2. One clothes pin (or a small binderclip like the one to the right will suffice).
3. Tape of any sort. Tan masking tape, blue painters tape, gaffers tape whatever.
4. Sharpie marker or other pen/ pencil.
5. X-Acto knife
6. Safe surface to cut on. Ideally a mat made for this purpose. The X-Acto will cut through to your floor or table without sufficient protection!
7. Double sided mounting tape to mount the clothes pin. 

First, draw a template of your rubberband gun on the cardboard and cut it out (conserve cardboard).

Now use your template to trace the image on the remaining cardboard stock as shown with 1/2 to 1 inch margin between the mirror images. It is important that the butt and tip of  the two images are in line so that when cut and folded they line up with each other.

Next cut the mirror images out leaving them connected.

Use a ruler to score LIGHTLY along the top edge of the rubberband gun as shown. The goal is to make the folding easy, do not cut all the way through; *Metal rulers are best when using a razor.

Fold the cardboard along these lines and tape either around as I did, or along the seam.

Use the double sided mounting tape to attach the clothes pin. do some testing and make sure to chose a comfortable location for the clothes pin before you tape it.  As suggested above, you can use a binder clip if that is all you've got. They work well but can wear out. Usually I'll tape these on by wrapping a few loops of tape through the mouth of the clip.

For riffles or other longer guns tie two rubber bands together to get the desired length. Too tight a rubber band can go off unexpectedly.

You can even make cardboard targets.

RULES:

• Never shoot at people or animals.
• Never point your rubber band gun at people or animals.
• Point the gun at the floor while you are loading it to prevent accidents.

Color it if you want. Happy Hunting!