A plethora of projects…
Augustine and his sister were already hard at work in a corner of the MAKESHOP when I came back from break. They were working on two intricate projects: a wooden truck and a tadpole. These two projects were brought to my attention because Augustine wanted to cut a piece of scrap wood to a certain size. I helped him with…
Playing with Gears
I was asked by a fellow teacher to create something that facilitates the exploration of gears. Gears can be tricky for children to understand, so I thought it was a great challenge! After an extremely informal brainstorming session with Christian, I came up with this activity. I have to thank Christian for passing by during the day and suggesting that…
Robot Fabrication
Robots are a common theme here at MAKESHOP. We have robot sculptures overlooking our area. We live in what is ostensibly the robot capital of America. On her last day, one of our summer interns made a robot pillow to remember us by. Robots are, let’s face it, just plain awesome. Unfortunately, they also get repetitive after a while, which is why I’m always…
Community Highlight: Free Workshops!
Constructing Identity: A series of workshops in costume making Interested in costume making and performance art? Want to be in a fashion show? Now is your chance… Sign up now to participate in a summer-long series of FREE workshops at the Pittsburgh Gay and Lesbian Center with local artist Scott Andrew. Youth ages 13-17 are invited to participate in workshops…
Call for Makers
The Call for Makers for Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire is now open! They’re hunting the region’s most brilliant makers of all ages. Click here to learn more and apply!
Youth Alive: Survival Kit Project
Over the past several weeks, students from the Museum’s YouthALIVE after school program worked on a very interesting design challenge. The kids were tasked with creating a “survival kit” for someone stranded on a deserted island. They were afforded time in the MakeShop to design and create the objects for their kits. The students worked in teams and were given…