do it yourself: scramble screens
October is Cybersecurity Awareness month, and we’ve been learning all about internet safety thanks to ESET! ESET is an IT security company that offers firewall protection and antivirus software. They’ve partnered up with us this month to teach Museum visitors how to stay safe online by sponsoring workshops in our Innovators LAB. Visitors have been making their very own Scramble Screens as an illustration for firewall concepts. Scramble Screens is a workshop created by our very own Teaching Artist, Jaimie, and is something you can replicate at home!
terms
Cybersecurity: Measures taken to protect a computer or computer system against unauthorized access or attack.
Firewall: Computer hardware or software that prevents unauthorized access to private data (as on a company’s local area network or intranet) by outside computer users (as of the Internet).
Warp: The threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the weft) are passed to make a weaving.
Weft: The crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make a weaving.
guidelines + materials
AGE: 6+
TIME FRAME: 45 minutes
SUPPLIES:
- Paper cut into 4×6-inch rectangles and 3×8.5-inch rectangles
- Large wood craft sticks – 6-inch length
- Hot glue
- Hot glue guns
- Scissors – straight cutting and wacky
- Stamps
- Stamp pads
- Markers
- Pencils
directions
1. Select one piece of each size of paper to be your |warp| and –weft-.
2. Fold your narrow rectangle in half and then in half again. Unfold once so that your paper remains folded in half. Cut slits from the fold up to just past the visible fold line from your second fold.
3. Cut your wide rectangle into strips the long way.
4. Unfold the narrow rectangle. Then weave your strips loosely into the slits in an over/under pattern. Avoid weaving tightly as the strips will need a little bit of room to move around.
5. Line up the edges of the strips on either side of your narrow rectangle. Grab 6 large craft sticks and bring them with your weaving over to the glue gun station.
6. Lay a craft stick down parallel to the edge of your strips. Drop a line of hot glue down the length of the craft stick. Place your strips down on the line of glue and press down with a pencil or another glue stick (to avoid making contact with skin). Drop another line of glue on top of the craft stick and strips and place another craft stick on top, sandwiching the strip edges between two craft sticks. Repeat this process on the opposite side.
7. Glue the two remaining craft sticks across the top and bottom of the craft sticks on either side to create a square frame.
8. Decide on your message or image to scramble. Then use mark making tools (stamps, markers, etc.) to apply.
9. Your scramble screen is done! You can now scramble and unscramble your message by pulling the overhanging paper up and down.
Scramble Screens is a fun and interactive way to learn more about computer safety. What secret message does yours say? Drop by the Museum’s very own makerspace any time during the month of October to participate in one of ESET’s partnered workshops! Facilitated workshops are offered Saturday and Sunday and open making is offered daily. Check our website for times.
