Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The Making of Something Awesome

Once upon a time, Matt and I sat bored on a weeknight. Sister had left town, the weather was sunny, and we needed something meaningful to do. So we made a BLOB. Naturally. So here's how it works:

First, you'll need at least 2 black plastic sheets, found in the drop cloth section at Home Depot. We went with 3.5 mil, and I believe it was 10x20. I'm not very good with dimensions; Matt later found this out as he struggled to explain just how big the BLOB would be when combined with two sheets and then folded in half -- I still don't get it. Frankly, it gives me the same kind of headache I get when I think of the word eternity. ANYHOODLE. You'll also need duct tape, trash bags, and a box fan.

Once you've got your supplies, open up the two black sheets side by side, long wise. Tape the two together! Follow Matt's lead:

Don't be alarmed; Matt is in fact wearing shorts.

So once you've taped the two sheets together, fold it in half -- like a hot dog. Now you're going to tape all around the edges. Seal it up like a ... uh... pita pocket? HOT POCKET!

Make sure the edges are lined up together.

And then tape away on the remaining three sides. Look at that teamwork!

So now the BLOB should be like a super sturdy slip 'n slide. You'll be tempted to turn on your sprinklers, and if it's hot enough, go for it. It was a cool 65 degrees for us, so no slip 'n slide. Sadly.

Time for the fan! If you have a large enough trash bag (50 gallon... do they make those?), it should slip right over the box fan. If you're like us, you'll need to lay down three 30 gallon trash bags and tape them together. Then, wrap it around the fan like a tube and tape away. I was too excited at this point to remember pictures. Use your imagination or just give up and pretend you were trying to make a slip 'n slide all along.

Using a box cutter (I didn't tell you to get one of those; quick, grab a knife! ), cut a small opening on one of the short sides of the BLOB. Slide the trash bag tube in about 2 inches and tape it to the BLOB.

If everything's good and taped, turn the fan on and watch it blow up. Run to the opposite end of the fan and with the box cutter make a slit about 3 feet long as an entry way. Voila!


Careful, though. The BLOB can attack.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess I don't understand why I need a blob?

Anonymous said...

You're pretty much my favorite person right now. I look forward to pictures of the kids enjoying the blob!

Anonymous said...

You guys rock. Can you jump on the blob?

Anonymous said...

We used to have a clear one of these at the library in my hometown. They would set it up during the summer reading program months with pillows in it, and kids could go in there and read. It was so cool!

Nice work!

-K said...

Now you need to poke holes with a pencil and make constellations. These are $5000 and called a "Star Lab" they sell them to school districts and make a killing.

-K said...

Here ya go: http://kathrynbradfield.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-make-star-lab-yourself.html