January, 2022 - 3Doodler

Snow Day Boredom Busters

Posted on January 26, 2022November 8, 2022 by Will Insull

Those magical words “snow day” can have different meanings to different people, depending on your age.

For kids, it can mean no school (or maybe a switch from in-classroom to remote learning). For parents, it can mean extra travel time into the office, or even a scramble to figure out childcare for the little ones. Either way, regardless of your age, it’s a chance to slow down for the day, brew a hot cup of tea or cocoa, and bust out your 3Doodler 3D pen. We’ve pulled together four snow-themed projects for you to pick from.

Snowflake Window Decorations

Check out our collection of super cool snowflake stencils. Download and print these templates out, and then Doodle them in a variety of snow flurry colors – white, light blue, clear, or go bold and add in some color! There’s no wrong way to do it. Once you have everything Doodled, you can string them up and hang them from the curtain rod of your favorite window.

For adults doing this project with your kids/students, here are some fun facts about snowflakes that you can weave into this fun hands-on STEM project. It’s never a bad idea to have some fast facts on hand in case you get peppered with questions from curious minds.

Snowflake Fun Facts

When temperatures are at or below 32°F (0°C), and there’s moisture in the atmosphere, tiny little water droplets will collide with dust to form ice crystals. When enough ice crystals form, they’ll stick together to create a snowflake. This video does a great job of visualizing snow being formed.

Do you know how many sides a snowflake has? All snowflakes have six sides because the molecules that make them up are hexagon-shaped.

Are snowflakes white or blue? Try neither! Snowflakes are actually translucent.

Snowflakes that descend through moist air that is slightly warmer than 32°F (0°C) will melt around the edges and stick together to produce big flakes. Snowflakes that fall through cold, dry air produce powdery snow that does not stick together.

The heaviest snowfall ever recorded in a 24-hour period in the U.S. occurred on April 14 and 15, 1921 in Silver Lake, Colorado. During this single day, 6.3 feet of snow fell. What’s the heaviest snowfall you’ve witnessed?

Take the Olaf Challenge

Here’s another snow-related project for you to try at home or in your classroom. In this step-by-step project, we’re going to use our 3Doodler 3D printing pen to Doodle a snowman! Just like Olaf, from Frozen. This fun tutorial will walk you through creating your own little snowman from the warmth of your cozy living room.

For any teachers out there interested in going a little deeper, check out these wintery STEM-focused lesson plans – Platonic Solids Snowman Math Challenge, Doodle Snowflakes: Geometry and Symmetry

Don’t forget to share your snow fun with @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Exploring the Phases of Earth’s Closest Neighbor

Posted on January 19, 2022November 8, 2022 by Will Insull

How many times have you looked up in the sky and seen a different shaped moon? Chances are if you look close enough, you’ll see how every day of the month the moon looks slightly different than it did the day before. Whether you are a parent or a teacher (or both) moon phases can be an exciting topic to explore with kids. When you get to bring the moons to life in 3D with your 3Doodler 3D printing pen it’s a tangible experience that helps lock in everything your learning. So grab your 3Doodler Start+ or Create+ 3D printing pens and let’s get learning.

The 8 Phases

There are eight phases of the moon, in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days). Although there are eight phases of the moon we are going to mostly focus on the four that are the easiest to see with the naked eye. This video creates a good visual of what is going on.

If you want to see another perspective of the moon check out this view of the moon Doodled by the artist Ricardo Martinez.

New Moon

During a New Moon, the moon is located between the Earth and the Sun, and as a result, isn’t visible to the human eye. The New Moon is considered “new” because it marks the start of the lunar cycle. It represents new beginnings, rebirth, potential, and stillness.

Waxing Moon

A waxing moon is the period of time when the moon appears to slowly grow fuller and bigger. This period includes the phases of waxing crescent, first quarter, and waxing gibbous. The waxing moon represents growth, personal development, decision-making, and progress.

Full Moon

Also known as the harvest moon, the full moon holds much power. During this time, the moon and the sun sit on opposite sides of the earth, lending the moon its bright, circular appearance. The full moon represents illumination, clarity, and completion.

Waning Moon

When the moon is waning, it appears to fade gradually from the sky (though of course, it’s always there). A waning moon includes the phases of waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. It symbolizes letting go, releasing, retreating, and surrendering.

So tell us, do you have a favorite moon phase? A fun discussion topic can be explaining which phase is your favorite, and why / how you got to that decision. But enough talking, let’s get hands-on with this subject!

STEM Moon Project

Now that we’ve learned about the different phases of the moon, it’s time to create our own 3D versions. Use this week’s stencil and tutorial to create your own moon diagram that’ll demonstrate your understanding of the different phases of the moon.

Don’t forget to share your moons with @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Balloons Are For More Than Just Birthday Parties

Posted on January 12, 2022November 8, 2022 by Will Insull

Up, up, and away! Have you ever seen a hot-air balloon? This magical vehicle may not be the most efficient way to travel the skies, but it is certainly a commute you will remember.

National Balloon Ascension Day on January 9th commemorates the first balloon flight, which took place in the United States in 1793. Because of their size, they require large open fields to get set up, take off, and land, which makes it difficult for most people to catch a glimpse of these behemoth balloons. One of the most popular places to experience the magic of hot air balloon rides is in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This festival sees over 500 balloons and is the largest such gathering of balloons in the world.

A close cousin to the hot-air balloon is the blimp. One of the most commonly recognized blimps may be the Goodyear Blimp, which provides aerial coverage for major sports events.

History of Hot-Air Balloons

Did you know, the hot-air balloon is the first successful human-carrying flight technology. The first untethered manned hot-air balloon flight was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes on November 21, 1783, in Paris, France.

The first military use of a hot-air balloon happened in 1794 in France during the battle of Fleurus. Today, we use these balloons for leisure and entertainment as they are commonly colorfully designed and fun to watch. Additionally, these balloons are used for scientific research as access to the atmosphere is pretty easy from within a basket.

How They Work

A hot-air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft, consisting of a balloon or bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath the envelope is a wicker basket, which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. This is what helps lift the balloon off the ground. Want to put this explanation to the test? Build an at-home hot air balloon and watch how different temperatures inflate the balloon in different ways.

Let’s Create Our Own!

Although creating and flying an actual hot-air balloon is relatively difficult, creating our own model hot-air balloon is totally doable. So grab your 3Doodler, this tutorial, and get ready to create your own flying machine perfect for demonstrating how these magical vehicles work.

Don’t forget to share your hot-air balloons with @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Welcome to 2022, the Year of Doodling

Posted on January 5, 2022November 8, 2022 by Will Insull

Welcome the 3Doodler Community of creative minds. Our community encompasses people of all age groups, from all around the globe. Our user base is made up of crafters, artists, DIY hobbyists, designers, tinkerers, and more.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. We hope you had some fun Doodling with your new 3D pens, and we are beyond excited to welcome you into our community. For all our new users out there, or for all returning visitors looking for a refresher on our resources, we wanted to make sure you know about all of the support material at your disposal, which we provide to you for FREE so that you can learn how to use your pen to the fullest of never run out of inspiration along the way. Join our newsletter so that you never miss a new tutorial, stencil, product launch, or sale ever again. Remember, Doodles come in all different shapes and sizes. There has never been (and never will be) a one-size-fits-all approach to Doodling. So keep practicing, have fun with it, and remember to reach out to us if you ever have any questions!

Online Resources

Here on the 3Doodler website, we provide a non-stop shop for experimenting, learning, creating, and playing. Take advantage of our extensive “how to section” so you can master the ins and outs of your new 3D pen.

Once you’re comfortable with how your 3D pen works, go and explore our tutorial library where we walk you through how to create a variety of fun Doodles with varying difficulties. Each tutorial includes step-by-step photos and written instructions. You also don’t want to miss our library of 300+ stencils which can be filtered by category to give you build ideas based on your interests. And if you are a teacher or parent, we have a specially curated library of lesson plans that feature detailed projects for all grade levels – ranging in subjects from science, technology, engineering, and math to the humanities.

Follow 3Doodler on Social!

Every week, we share content from the community (via Instagram Stories) and we also post fun video tutorial reels to help keep you inspired with weekly challenges. So find us @3Doodler on your platform of choice, be it Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest. We also use social to announce new products and do occasional giveaways, which you won’t want to miss out on!

If you want to enjoy longer formate videos, on a larger screen you can explore the video section on our website or go to our YouTube Channel.

Download our App

Take Doodling to the next level with the 3Doodler App, which some find easier / more fun to navigate than a website. And for Start+ 3D Pen users, you can even Doodle directly on your phone or iPad. Download the app from Apple or Android and give it a try!

Enough Talk, More Doodling

If you have the new Start+ pen then you already have access to the Eiffel Tower stencil that comes in the Quick Start + Activity Guide. We thought it might be helpful to provide a more in-depth tutorial on how to build and construct the Eiffel Tower. This is one Doodle that once complete will be sure to impress your friends and family. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get Doodling!

Don’t forget to share your creations with @3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Month: January 2022