Let the Children Make

Let the Children Make
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One of the most important things we can build as makers is… more makers! Whether you work with children, are a parent yourself, or just have friends or family with children, you are in a unique position to be a positive influence in their lives.

How do we encourage children to embrace the maker within themselves? For parents, it’s at once easier and more difficult than you might think. Would you let your child do all the crazy things you did as a kid? You did those things and you turned out alright, didn’t you? It’s strange to be on the other side of that relationship, concerned with your kid’s safety while simultaneously not wanting to squelch their native curiosity and sense of adventure.

AnnMarie Thomas is a maker, a mom, and an engineering professor at the University of St. Thomas. Her presentation on the Make: Live stage at Maker Faire New York 2013 talks about children as makers, and looks at how today’s makers behaved when they were children.

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Andrew Terranova is an electrical engineer, writer and author of How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers. Andrew is also an electronics and robotics enthusiast and has created and curated robotics exhibits for the Children's Museum of Somerset County, NJ and taught robotics classes for the Kaleidoscope Enrichment in Blairstown, NJ and for a public primary school. Andrew is always looking for ways to engage makers and educators.

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