Music in the MAKESHOP
Our theme for the month of August is sound and music. We have been encouraging visitors to create musical instruments, but the staff has been having a blast creating some instruments of our own. A family came in a couple of days ago and wanted to try and make a pair of harps. I have never made a harp before,…
Hana-Chaser
Two of my favorite visitors returned to the Museum a couple of days ago and created another amazing project. Their first tinkering, electronic project was dubbed the “Hanna-Occupier”. Their latest project was a motorized car made out of simple, recycled parts. They decided to name it the “Hana-Chaser”. I was excited to collaborate on this great project. Since these were…
Making Messes
It seems that no matter who I work with, whether it’s with a fellow educator or a little kid, my work spaces end up looking like the above two pictures. Sometimes having a mess can help you be a little more creative. -Kevin
How do you make a doorbell?
Harrison comes to the Museum frequently and he absolutely loves tinkering in the MAKESHOP. He tells us about the projects he’s worked on at home. He also shares his ideas for projects that could happen at the Museum. This particular day, Harrison decided he was going to try and make a doorbell for his sister’s room. This was a pretty…
Made in MAKESHOP
The staff at the MAKESHOP has been collecting videos of visitors explaining what they made and reflecting on the experience that they had. It is always interesting to hear what inspires, intrigues, engages or teaches our visitors. We will be sharing these as we get them, so watch out for them.
Made in MAKESHOP
The staff at the MAKESHOP has been collecting videos of visitors explaining what they made and reflecting on the experience that they had. It is always interesting to hear what inspires, intrigues, engages or teaches our visitors. We will be sharing these as we get them, so watch out for them.
Rideables Competition is now open!
Micro Grants of up to $5,000 are available to support programs that engage Youth Makers, children aged 7 to 17, in the hands-on design and production of objects that respond to two themes: Wearables and Rideables. The Wearables competition ended last week, but there is still a chance to apply for the Rideables competition! The Rideables grant submissions will be…
Youth Alive: Craft Stick Explosions
Pardon the wacky camera work in the videos above and below. I’m for giving the camera to the kids and letting them have a chance to document a project. We decided to let our the students from our after school club, YouthALIVE!, play around with creating “craft stick explosions”. They really seemed to enjoy it. I always like the change of…
MAKESHOP Maker Micro Grants
Last month, we challenged artists, makers, and organizations to propose projects for the Wearables competition of the MAKESHOP Maker Micro Grant program. These micro grants will help programs and organizations to provide youth with meaningful making opportunities. We received many creative and innovative projects from a variety of individuals and organizations. We were incredibly impressed with the projects and thankful…
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…