It All Came Together Perfectly

This was the final day together for the Line Group. We had a fun adventure as a group making this slide, we had challenges and great success throughout this creative process. This started with the design process of cutting up chip board to make models all the way to life sized cardboard lounge furniture. Our groups slide was an instant hit with the "younger" crowd. 

Thanks to Mr. Fobes for making this happen, for a lot of us this was our first museum exhibition and was a valuable experience. We're all looking forward to many more exhibitions just like this. Thanks to all who helped and especially to the New Children's Museum of San Diego for taking a risk by letting this partnership take place. I speak for everyone when I say that this was our most fun project this year.

We are all so grateful for this awesome opportunity.

Enjoy the Cardboard Lounge!

Andrew

Last day, Cube group!

Thursday November 8th was our last day with our cardboard lounge project! We took all of the lounge chairs to Downtown San Diego to the Museum to set up the display!

Here is our group on both of our lounge chairs!

Here we have Fobes putting up all the group's small prototypes onto a board that is displayed on the wall in the lounge. On this board also gives a great disruption about the project and the process of everything. 

Before I left Thursday, I had the opportunity to see a little boy run towards our group's lounge chair! He was so excited and kept crawling through the tunnel. The feeling I had at this moment was indescribable, the boy was so precious and this moment proved that all the hard work that was put into this project was completely worth it!

Although it was a difficult project, the finishing of everything and it all coming together was a great feeling, Thank you New Children's Museum for giving our class the privilege with working on this project!!

-Gabi

Group S: Day 10

This Thursday, we met up with Mr. Fobes and the rest of our class to install the pieces at The New Children's Museum in downtown San Diego. We've been working hard on this project, and are so pleased with the result, so it was exciting to finally get to see the pieces in place and how they would work with the other groups pieces.

When we came to the museum we first moved all the pieces from the storage room up to the lounge area. When we got them in place we started to work on placement, even though the kids will move them around, we want them to have an original place. We also worked on the big sign that explains the project and work process to the visitors. Last we worked on getting up the lampshades that Mr. Fobes been working on. They really are the perfect touch to the lounge area.

 Lounge, Sketches and the Cardboard Lounge-sign.

The complete sign and one of Mr. Fobes lamps

It was so rewarding to actually see the result of what all the groups have been working on. I think all of us are so proud of what we have accomplished, I know that our group is.

The Cardboard Lounge.

Some of us students stay behind, while other had classes to get back to, and did some finishing touches. Before we left for the day, we actually got to see some kids play in the lounge and moving the stuff around. We thought we knew how they would use all the different pieces when we made them, and we really tried to think like kids do. But when they started to move the stuff around, building things, making obstacle courses, it got so clear to us that it's impossible to try and figure out how they think.

Here's some photos of kids playing in the lounge 

Now the biggest question is: Will any of the pieces break before the opening on Thursday?

Since this probably is our groups last blog post: Thanks for following us! Don't forget to get down to the New Children's Museum and check out the Cardboard Lounge.

 

Group S from top left: Jason, Madalyn, Viktor and Jessica

 

A list of all the students taking part in the project

- Viktor Andersson

Day 9: Group L Final Post

This is a brief overview of Group L's experience throughout the project leading to the final design, see you at the museum!

-Ryan Dalke

Cube Group- Final Day!

Today was our last day of work! We finished up by first attaching the bottom pieces, second cutting out circular pieces for the outsides of our tunnels and finally taping up all of the edges to make everything look pretty. After class hours and after school hours spent working on the project we are excited and happy with the outcome. We all feel that the pieces will last a good while and will be put to good use.

 Calvin measuring out a piece of tape that will cover the top curve of our seat.

Gabi emerging from the dark cave of our tunnel.

With all of our major work completed, we plan to spend the remainder of our time making all of the pieces perfect! And with the project coming to a close we can finally stretch out and relax on our lounge chair.

- Jaclyn Prebys

Day 9: Line Group

Today was our last day to work on the slide in class and we ended up finishing just about everything. The most significant part we did today was put a double layer on the tops of the slide and the ramp. Because of the extra layer, it will be more sturdy for when children are climbing up and down it.

Mr. Fobes and Serena holding the top layer in place as the hot glue dries. 

Once the extra layers were put on, we taped up the edges that were exposed and cleaned up any fringe from cutting the cardboard. 

All four pieces of the slide placed together the way they will be once they are permanently secured. 

More angles of the slide and Jesika showing how supportive it is. 

As you can see, the slide is mostly complete. Before we transport it to the museum, we have to tape up the ramp and get all the pieces stuck together. We are thinking of using industrial strength velcro so that the pieces can be taken apart when space is limited. We are all very happy with how it turned out and that all our hard work paid off!

-Jesika Frain

Day 8: L Group

(Tuesday, October 30) )

With some of the group working on the 1/4 inch scale model and

other members finishing up the actual full scale model, the

day started off on the right foot.

With the help of Mr. Fobes and some brainstorming of the 

group, we were able to figure out how to bend the cardboard for 

the interior of the model.

Although it took us a while to figure out, we were satisfied 

with the results of the curve. When placed on the inside, it fit perfectly

to the sides and top of the models arch.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Jonathan glued reinforcement pieces

on the interceptions of the model to make it strong enough for 

kids to play around without breaking it. Our TA (to the right 

of the picture) agreed that it needed some kind of reinforcement.

Last but not least, Jenny and Mayra finished the 1/4 

inch scale model. Our group had to adjust this model 

many times due to the various changes and modifications 

we had encounter in the process, however it is finally finished.

Pictures of the finished full scale model coming soon...

-Jonathan Millan

Group S: Day 9

Day 9 was the last day for our group to put the finish touches on our two seating projects.  We finished assembling everything together and gluing all of the parts together. Today our last task was to cover the edges of the seats where the pieces of cardboard met to make them look clean and professional.

Edges and gaps covered by box sealing tape

After we finished covering the edges with the box sealing tape, our group was officially finished with our project and was ready to send it to the New Children's Museum. Before we put everything in the truck, we placed both completed seats together to see the product of our hard work.

 

Seats side by side and stacked together

 Now that everything was done and we took our final pictures of the final product, it was time to put everything in the truck to ship it off to the museum.

Lifting and placing the seating project into the truck

All that is left to do now is to visit the New Children's Museum next Thursday and assemble all of the seating projects in the lounge area.  We also have to install the Cardboard Lounge informational sign and hang the cardboard lamps that will cover the lights that are hanging above the lounge area.

- Jason Tatoy

Day 9: T Group

Mission Accomplished!!! We have completely our four rocking chairs and we are all so proud with the finished product.  Through thick and thin we stuck together and made a pretty amazing product.  It makes we feel good when you not only finish a long enduring project, but know that it will be a part of something greater then just our classroom.

The day consisted of some short, very easy tasks.  First, finishing the taping of the edges of the fourth and final chair.  After that was completed we went around to all four chairs making sure the edges were in tip top shape, before we send them off to get "man handled" by kids of all ages.

After completing that simple task our professor came around to check the product and gave us the thumbs up.  When then got a chance to mess around with them our selves.  We experimented with the different ways to stack and maneuver them.  They actually are a lot of fun to not just sit on but play with and be creative.  I personally believe this exhibit will be  a great addition to New Children's Museum.  

 

At the end here I have included a short clip of an interview on some basic questions having to do with the overall project. 

       Questions:

        1. How does it feel to be completed with this project?

        2. What are some obstacles you had to overcome, and how were they fixed?

        3. If you could change something about this project what would it be?

T Group Interview

-Kelly O'Sullivan

Day 8: Cube Group

Tuesday (October 30) was the last whole class period we had to finish the seats. On Thursday we will have less time and the seats need to be ready, and by then we will have them completely done. During this class period we worked really hard to efficiently utilize the class period. Some of us worked on gluing while others started to cut the top parts that cover the chair. We basically just worked on our second chair since we are almost done with the first one. On Thursday we will just add the final touches (add the tape and finish gluing) to both.

In the picture above we see Calvin and Jaclyn adding/covering the outer part of the seat

Here is Jaclyn measuring the side of the chair to figure out how much cardboard she needs to make the part that will cover the top of the chair.

Here is what Jaclyn came up with. It is a support that is inside the top part of the chair, so that if someone wants to climb or sit there it will be reinforced.

Calvin cutting the pieces of the seat that were sticking out. 

This is how it looks almost completely covered.

Posted by:
 Michelle Jimenez

Day 8: Line Group

Today our group began putting the finishing touches on each piece of our slide. The other rectangular side and the actual slide's edges were both taped up to make the corners look nice. The picture below shows the sides and the nested slide and ramp. Once the bottom was on the slide and the rest was taped, our main focus was the ramp.

When going to put the top on the ramp, we noticed that the construction was not done how it was supposed to be. Because the middle cross section was taller than the sides, we had to use a tool similar to a cheese grater to file down that piece. The sharpness of the tool made it easier to shave off the extra length of the cardboard. Here's a video of Jesika and Serena explaining how we went about fixing it.

Once that was fixed we added more supports to the thinner part of the ramp that didn't have a cross section. By doing this, it will create more stability for when children climb up the ramp to get to the top of the slide.

Toward the end of the day, we cut the pieces to put on the top of the ramp and next time we will glue them on. Don't forget to check back for more updates!

-Jesika Frain

Day 8: Group S

Winding down on the work days we have to complete our chairs, we are just putting final touches on our chair. Our two main goals for the day was to finish gluing the final supports and gluing down the bottoms of each chair. 

We ran into one problem when trying to fit the bottom cardboard piece onto our first chair. It wasn't quite cut to fit the bottom, so where some parts fit perfectly, there were gaps at other parts of the chair. Below is a video of Madalyn discussing more about what we were working on that day and our problem.

By the end of the day, we were able to solve this problem by cutting the cardboard piece into two pieces. We were able to glue one sheet down, and on Thursday we will finish gluing the final piece.

As for our second chair, we were able to glue down the bottom cardboard piece with no problem.

So as of right now, we have one complete chair, and one that is just about there.

On Thursday, once we finish gluing the final bottom piece to our chair, we will tape all the sides of the chairs and will be complete!

-Madalyn

Day 8: T group

Day 8 was a day full of hurdles. We are nearing the completion date of the project, and we have made great progress. However, this progress was not as easily come by as we would have hoped, but I guess we should have expected the trouble. The main goal today was to get all of the skins attached. We began by getting all of the sheets cut out at the sizes needed to cover the exposed innards of the chairs. This is where the first challenge came, as the chairs were not all uniform in size. They all had slight differences in their dimensions. Once a suitable size was found, the sheets were cut and Blake and I went to work on slicing them so they would be able to bend.

It is interesting that the chairs were the first to be completely finished were the chairs that we actually started later rather than the chairs we originally designed. I guess we were just caught up in these new chairs and were excited to see how they would turn out.

Once we finished the chairs with the new designed, it really felt like the project was coming together. But then we were faced with returning to the chairs with the original design. We found that in order to secure the top and bottom skin surfaces, we would need to glue them down while forcing the chairs to bend so that the skin rested evenly along all of the edges. This required all four of us, along with the help of Prof. Fobes, using all hands at once to get these attached. With 5 pairs of hands working on the chair, unfortunately none were left free to take a photo. Basically, we had to add the glue, hold down the surface until it dried, and then use clamps to bend the sides of the chair so that the edges remained underneath the top surface to allow it to set into a fixed shape.

The chairs are looking good and should all be ready well in time for the exhibit!

- Tyler Pierce

Day 7 L Group

As we continued to implement the suggestions made by the New Children’s Museum’s curators, the L Group proceeded to happily progress in Day 7. We started out by adding more support to the edges, as this piece has complexity in its exterior, but mostly in its interior. We also had to add more internal grid (in our case, our gridding consists of the arches) in order for the roof to be more resistant and secure for the children. 

Above a photo of one of our colleagues making calculations for gluing the grid to our piece, (among additional touches).

Also, below there is an image that shows the support edges we added to make our piece stronger, and more resistant:

Theoretically, as we had agreed with the curators’ constructive criticism, we cut deeper angles off the edge. To follow with this, we worked and finished our ¼ scale mode. We included this modification to it as well:

Another modification for improving our tunnel was to add an arch to the “entrance.” Below there is a photo of one of our members and Mister Fobes of course, measuring the size of the template that will determine the shape of the entrance:

Finally, as our piece includes 6 tubes inside its structure for aesthetic, practical, and interactive purposes (we don’t want them to be too interactive though, children could stick their heads in them and this can be dangerous). We thus opted (as our curators also suggested) to add a “blockage” to the tubes. We are glad to say that on this day we successfully finished making all six tubes safer for children. We did this by gluing a piece of a narrower tube in its middle:

We are looking forward to continue to work on the final touches for our piece, we are pretty thrilled and honored for this opportunity. Stay tunned for our final results!

-Mayra Hernandez