Heart Shaped Box Project

thingiverse

This was a student project for Valentine's Day. The students designed a heart-shaped box with a customized lid. Because the box bottoms will all be the same, you can print them ahead to save time. If you print the boxes at 150%, 100%, and 50% they will nest inside each other. Posted here is a blank box and lid that you can customize, and one with a bow and the name "Ali" I made as a test for my niece. I also made a box top with a real heart on it. The other box tops are student designs. Here's a link to the blank bank and top on Tinkercad: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3yAB57h1Ssj-heart-shaped-box/editv2 I printed the lid face up, despite the overhang. This creates a somewhat hairy underside but it's concealed, and the top wasn't affected. If this is a concern you can print with support. With the lid face up there isn't much surface in contact with the build plate. I didn't have any trouble printing in, but you might need a brim so it sticks. Standards NGSS Overview and Background This is an art / 3D design project for middle school students. The students designed a heart-shaped box as a Valentine's Day gift for someone and customized the top. Could also work for other occasions, like Mother's Day. Since all the box bottoms will be the same you can print them in advance and save time. You can make the project easier by giving the students the blank box top to start with. Here's a link to the box and box top on tinkercad: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3yAB57h1Ssj-heart-shaped-box/editv2 A common mistake made by students doing this project is rotating the lid not quite 180 degrees. This will cause problems when printing, so watch out for it. Lesson Plan and Activity Making the Bottom of the Box Start a new design on Tinkercad. Drag a heart shape onto the work plane. Change the dimensions of the heart to 100 mm x 100 mm and a height of 40 mm. Duplicate the heart and make the duplicate a hole. Change the dimension of the heart-shaped hole to 92 mm x 92 mm and lift it 2 mm above the work plane. Use Align to center the heart-shaped hole and heart. Group the heart and heart-shaped hole and check that you have a box with solid walls, correct if necessary. Making the Lid Drag a heart shape onto the work plane. Change the dimensions of the heart to 110 mm x 110 mm and a height of 14 mm. Duplicate the heart and make the duplicate a hole. Change the dimension of the heart-shaped hole to 101.2 mm x 101.2 mm and a height of 12 mm. Use Align to center the heart-shaped hole and heart. Group the heart and heart-shaped hole and check that you have a lid with solid walls, correct if necessary. Customize the lid - you can add shapes, pictures, a name, etc. Print your box and lid. Optional - you can decorate with paint, markers, glitter, etc. Materials Needed None, unless you plan to have the students paint or decorate their box. Or want to provide or make gifts to go inside the box.