Design Your Own Sunglasses
10-45 min
Ages 5-18
What Will You Learn?
Transform your custom digital design to real life sunglasses and experience sight in a new way. Learn about joints, hinges, and lenses by assembling your own laser cut sunglasses.
About Inventor City
Become artists and engineers by experimenting with your digital creativity and bringing your online designs to life with activities from inventor city. Projects include designing and building your own loom, sunglasses, 3D structures, and more!
Each Inventor City activity offers campers the experience to express and grow their digital and hands-on imagination, problem-solving skills, and technical understanding. All activities embrace the relationship between online and hands-on technologies by starting out digitally and later being assembled physically. Activities begin online, where campers showcase and practice their computer and artistic skills by designing their project through pixel art. Their custom designs are then integrated into the physical project, which they can print at home and/or order a laser cut version. Following the step by step instructions, campers then assemble their project and see their digital designs come alive! From putting their projects together, campers learn how to fabricate using different materials, experiment with various joinery methods, and gain confidence about their developing skills. Being part of the conceptual design to production process, campers take ownership of their work, thus boosting their self-esteem and their understanding of the thinking and development process.
Make Your Sunglass
Step 1
Visit https://inventor.city/activity/sunglassesmd. Make sure you look at the size of the sunglasses before you start the activity. Based on your head size, you may have to complete the small or large version of the activity.
Step 2
Once you’ve finished your design enter your camp’s coupon code to submit your drawing
Step 3
Once you’ve received your laser-cut sunglasses or print and cut version, it’s time to start assembling!
Cardboard Print and Cut Instructions
Step 1
Print out your activity pages on paper. Your activity pages include the assembly pieces and your design!
Step 2
Cut out your glasses hinges, frame and arms. Be careful with cutting the details.
Step 3
Glue your paper cut outs onto cardboard. Cut out the cardboard using the paper cut outs as a guide.
Step 4
Attach the hinges to the frame. Attach the arms to the hinges.
Metal Hinge Instructions
Kits that include laser-cut version of your glasses are available through steamlabs and the Maker Shed.
Step 1
The assembly for these glasses is going to be a breeze, however, it will require some adult assistance when dealing with these tiny screws. Also, be sure to keep your hinges separate – it is important the each goes on the proper side
Step 2
Let’s start with attaching the RIGHT arm of our sunglasses. Start by flipping your sunglasses over (so we’re working on the back – the part that touches your face). Grab the RIGHT hinge, and we want to start by attaching the SMALL PAD to the right side, making sure that the metal arm sticking off is pointing slightly downwards.
Step 3
Use the screwdriver/allen key we have included to add the little screws and tighten them in .
Step 4
Repeat step 2 and 3 but with the LEFT hinge Helpful tip: When you’re done with the assembly, add a tiny bit of glue to seal the screws in.
Step 5
The next step will be to attach the arms to the front frame. Use either arm (they’re both the same) and make sure you tighten them with the screws like the last step.
Adding Lenses
Acrylic Lens
The last step is to simply take the included lens and pop them into place inside your frames. They should be a perfect fit, and now you’re ready for some fun in the sun!
Helpful tip: Add a tiny bit of glue around the edges of your lens before you pop them bond to your glasses
Acetate Plastic Lens
All that you have left to do now is take the square of acetate plastic and cut it so it is LARGER than the holes in your glasses (we do this so we have some area to glue them to the back of our glasses).
Once those are in place, we can attach the backing frame in place with a bit more glue, and you’re ready to see the world in style!
What's Next?
Try adding different coloured acetate sheets to your lens and see how that changes the colours around!
Steamlabs is a small team of coders, designers, and makers. They developed the Inventor City website because we wanted to create accessible learning activities that not only influence users to explore their creativity, but also help them learn about science, technology, engineering, art and math – all while having fun.
Their approach to this is simple: create open ended online activities that could easily transform into hands-on experiments.
From there, they’ve produced diverse programs that encourage creative imagination, problem-solving, and have inspired kids (and adults) to embrace the relationship between online and hands-on technologies. Along the way, they’ve collaborated with various science centres and educational organizations in supporting their spaces and in developing unique activities. They continue to create more playful and interactive activities in the hopes of bringing the love of science and learning to kids and adults everywhere.
Materials:
- Paper
- Scissors / Exacto Knife
- Glue/ Tape
- Cardboard
- Printable Instructions
Visit the Sunglasses (small, medium, large) project page on Inventor City.
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Measurement & Data
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2 Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.C.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3 Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Ratios & Proportional Relationships
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Geometry
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3 Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three-dimensional ("solid").
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6 Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2 Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.4 Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.3 Describe the two-dimensional figures that result from slicing three-dimensional figures, as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.1 Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3 Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.4 Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them.
NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
NGSS K-2 Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
- K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
- K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
