Lend a (Makey) Hand

Want to make a safe and simple way for students to interact with a Makey Makey? Lend them a hand. Two, in fact. By making a pair of cardstock and aluminum foil cut out hands, we can wire up a Makey Makey and make it act like any button on a computer.

Supplies

A Hand, Cardstock, Aluminum foil, Glue stick, Scissors, Copper tape Wiring Makey Makey Computer

Step 1: Getting Started

Gather two pieces of cardstock, scissors, pencil, a piece of aluminum foil and borrow a hand. (Aluminum foil sheets work especially well for young makers.) Draw an outline of the hand on cardstock, then cut it out. Stack your items so that you have a full sheet of cardstock on the bottom, glued to your aluminum foil sheet. Place your hand cut out on top, but don't glue it down yet.

Step 2: Adding Some Connections

Before you glue down the hand, find a part that will be hidden by the top layer and add your wire. Using a piece of clear tape, place the stripped wire against the foil and seal it firmly to the foil with a piece of copper tape over the stripped end. This will allow for an electrical contact over the whole piece of foil. Glue this sandwich together to hide your wiring.

Step 3: Repeat!

Make a pair!

Step 4: Final Steps

With your two wires, choose one to connect to the ground. The other can be attached to whichever button you choose. Try space bar for a photo booth prompt or timer start; try left click and start a video or a Scratch project. We made ours trigger a Baby Shark attack!

Enjoy!