The Weiss Family Future Dream House

List of materials: Cardboard, Makedo tools and screws, egg cartons, paint and markers, shredded paper, magnetic tiles, string lights, pipe cleaners, simple motors and batteries, food accessories

Our family loves spending time in nature, where there is always something new to learn, explore, and enjoy. We believe it’s essential to care for our environment, ensuring it remains beautiful for the next 15 years and beyond. That's why we were thrilled to take part in the Makedo Future Dream House challenge. We began by brainstorming together, envisioning features for our dream home that would support a healthy and sustainable environment. Our ideas focused on composting, water conservation and filtration, clean energy, growing food, replenishing the soil, and protecting the world around us. We also fantasized on what it would be like to have robots and not have to take long car rides.

We spent about a month collecting recyclables and cardboard, even asking neighbors and friends for help. Using Makedo tools, cardboard, egg cartons, and some paint, the kids created chickens, chicks, and a coop, complete with shredded recycled paper for bedding. It was so much fun cutting out the hens and chicks, and we even turned the screws into cute little bugs for the chickens to "eat." We also built a beehive and garden using recycled materials and "planted" native Makedo flowers to feed bees and other pollinators. To top it off, we made a worm compost bin for our food scraps and cardboard, helping to enrich the soil for future generations.

Next, we constructed a wind turbine to generate energy for our house. Building the house itself was a challenge, especially for Mom and Dad when it came to designing a sturdy roof! But after some teamwork, the house was structurally sound and big enough for all of us to fit inside. The kids could even stand up inside it! Once the structure was complete, we added solar shingles (using magnetic tiles) and built gutters with a filtration system that directed clean water into a reservoir for drinking.

Of course, the future wouldn't be complete without robots! The kids designed a robot to help with homework and answering fun facts. We also built small robots using simple motors, batteries, paper tubes/ egg cartons, pipe cleaners and Makedo tools. We attached stacked Makedo screws to make the perfect legs. These robots are tiny but mighty! We designed them to help us with chores and cleaning around the house.

In 15 years, we imagined that teleportation technology will be available. Instead of hours of travel to a soccer tournament or a vacation destination, we will be able to arrive in seconds! That's why we constructed a teleportation portal in the center of our house using some cool cardboard pieces we found. We can dream, can't we?

This challenge was such a fun and rewarding experience for our whole family. Everyone contributed, and it was a joy to collaborate, create, and dream about the future together. The future is bright!!! 😎