DIY Life

There are many easy principles that we all take for granted that you can use to amaze and delight your kids. All you have to do is make the time to spend with them.

These tricks are relatively fast and very simple to execute. The pay-off in looks of wonderment and excitement in you kids' faces will be well worth the time it takes to pull them off.

So plan to turn off the X-Box, PS 2 or 3, Wii or TV, and spend a few minutes with your kids as you introduce them to the wonderful world of mad science experiments.

I always thought that shattering glass with your voice was a myth. A way of illustrating how strong a voice was, but not actually a direct result of voice pitch and strength. I was wrong.

According to these instructions, with the right volume and frequency, you can in fact break a glass with your voice. You'll need an amplifier, a crystal glass, a microphone, ear and eye protection, and a fierce voice. Have a read through the full instructions including their safety advice before giving this a try.

Every glass will have a different frequency at which it will shatter. You'll want to play around with different glasses and pitches. You can test the needed pitch by dipping your finger in water and running it along the rim of the glass, or tapping the glass gently. If you mimic your sound after the sound that these produce, you'll probably hit the right note.

Just don't try this with your wedding crystal in case it actually works.

I can't watch the preliminary American Idol auditions. I think it's because I feel too close to people who actually suck and my heart just breaks for their complete and total public exposure. Looking through these 41 hilarious science fair experiments tugged on those same heart-strings, but still left me compelled to share. Strange little psyche I have, but that's a story for another day!

Science fairs are said to shine a spotlight on the leaders of tomorrow. They are supposed to be highlighting those who really stand out as innovators. In my opinion they are more a reflection of who's parents can back off and let the kids do it and who can't help but step in and take over. You can always tell which ones Mom and Dad tinkered with and which ones they were asleep on the couch for.

This is our next generation of DIY'ers. I'm curious as to why the projects seem to have changed so dramatically over generations. It used to be about showing a real experiment, now it looks more like a research project. Where is all the mess? I want mess! No volcanoes, no slime, no models of that ideal pancreas? I'm not impressed. The display boards look great, the kids obviously took the time to make professional presentations.

They all look proud standing in front of their projects, and obviously put some very hard work into them, they just don't cover the topics I'd expect. Some of you with older children may be able to help me understand what's going on here. Are we not building robots and blowing things up anymore? Have Science Fairs changed? How do you think this impacts the next generation of DIY'ers; are they being encouraged to tinker and experiment less, with the new emphasis on creative displays and polished presentations?

Do you ever wish that you could disappear? It could be fading away from an embarrassing moment or causing a little mischief in your transparent state, but the whole idea of being invisible is intriguing to me. I can't point you to instructions on how to actually disappear, but we just might be closer to that than you think. There are some exciting advancements in the areas of optical camouflage, which are forging the way for new technologies.

This video is a compilation of experiment clips shot at The University of Tokyo. If you're curious about how it all works, this page offers descriptive diagrams and comments on the public domain research on optical camouflage.

It sounds like we are not far off from having this technology available to consumers. A DIY invisibility suit may be just around the corner!

I like to think I'd make a pretty good Crime Scene investigator, but with most of my knowledge coming from crime dramas, I suspect that I'm not actually equipped for the job. If you want to try out some of these investigative skills without actually gaining access to a crime lab or one of their fancy and fully loaded tool kits, then check out this fingerprint lifting tutorial.

The video shows us how to professionally lift fingerprints. Here's what you'll need for the experiment:

1. Superglue
2. Light bulb
3. Aluminum foil
4. Cardboard box
5. Sticky tape

Executing this experiment isn't simple, but it yields professional quality results. If you've got a suspect item with fingerprints on it, gather the rest of your materials, follow the details in this video tutorial and get started on your investigation.

Resin casting is a fun and exciting craft. You get to embed almost any object you want to in crystal clear liquid plastic. You can choose any mold you want, and hope that your cast comes out the way you want it too. You can color the plastic too. Casting resin is a fun craft anyone can learn, with experimentation being the key to cool looking crafts.

Craftlog has lots of pictures and ideas in their post, fun with resin. The poster received casting resin from her sister for Christmas, and the two of them had fun using various items for casts. Some of the molds they used were a pill box, a candy mold, a rigid contact lens case, and a plastic paint palette.

If you don't know how to cast resin, learn how with the help of Family Education. Casting resin can be purchased from your local craft store. The kids will be happy to help you preserve their treasures, and they can make extras to give as Christmas gifts next year.

No, that isn't a philosophical question! It isn't even a redundant one. While the cereal box may say X ounces, have you ever wondered how much ink is in a marker? Or, better still, what does X ounces of cereal LOOK like when put end-to-end? These deep questions have partially been answered by Cockeyed in a series called (rather appropriately) How Much is Inside? It's a humorous, if sometimes juvenile, look at how much stuff is in our stuff, and what it looks like in various arrangements.

Unless you've been living under a rock, or don't care about science-related news, I'm sure you've heard about how a group of British scientists successfully induced a pseudo-out-of-body experience in their research subjects. The set-up is really quite simple, and ingenious: the research subjects put on virtual reality goggles that allow them to see a real-time feed from a camera that's aimed at their back (so basically they're seeing what someone standing directly behind them would see). A researcher then rubs and taps on the subject's back, which the subject sees happening through the V.R. goggles. Eventually, the sensation of being touched will transfer from the subject's body to the non-existent body that they see projected through the goggles in front of them. Essentially they'll feel the sensation outside of their own body! Pretty cool, eh?

So, I bet you're thinking, "what in the world does this have to do with DIY?" Well, my inquisitive friend, you're about to find out, because I'm going to show you how to recreate this super cool experiment with little more than a willing friend (with a good sense of rhythm) and your kitchen table.