The free summer project series calledย Maker Camp launches today. Get all theย fun of camp, without having to go outside and deal with theย mosquitoes!
A Camp for Young Makers
Maker Camp is for young makers interested in DIY projects, making, creating, crafting, hacking, tinkering, and learning. It putsย focus on STEM and STEAM essentials, andย helps young people learn key science concepts while theyโre having a great time exploring projects. It launches in tandem with the National Week of Making.
โGetting students excited about making is one of the best ways possible to prepare them creatively and technically for the society we’ll have tomorrow,โ saysย Make: CEO and founder Dale Dougherty. โOur goal is to help more people organize maker-themed summer camps for kids and create positive experiences that use making to help learn about science, technology, art, engineering, and math.โ
It’s Time to Start Making
This year, Maker Camp is organized around the projects and approaches explained in Start Making!, a book that grew from a collaborative project of the Boston Museum of Science and the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab.
The Start Making! program emphasizes the need to eliminate the barriers that intimidate some kids away fromย considering STEM concepts. The program additionally offers “hooks” to attract students of all types, using the textile and musical arts, performance, and movement to involve participants. Start Making! also provides experiences that guarantee success and create a safe place for failure, so that kids enjoy the journey right from the start.
There will be six project sets drawn from Start Making! that campers can complete and explore at their own pace.
Pushingย the Camp to New Heights
DK Publishingย is joiningย the team this year as a supporting sponsor to make sure it’s the best Maker Camp ever.ย They are offeringย four additional projects for Maker Camp participants this summer, drawing from their two popular books, Out of the Box and Maker Lab.
Author Jemma Westing’s Out of the Box offers 25 interactive cardboard projects that encourage creative, or “out of the box,” thinking. Publisherโs Weekly lauded Out of the Box for being โa book pitched at both sides of a child’s brain.”
Jack Challoner’s award-winning title Maker Lab features 28 super cool projects laid out with step-by-step instructions that allow kids to work independently while having fun, prompting Booklist to praise it for offering โendless opportunities for STEM-related discussions.”
No Need to Camp Solo
Although Maker Camp projects and resources areย online, its robust affiliate program allows campers to meet up in-person and work on projects together. In 2016, there were nearly 800 Maker Camp affiliate locations, including public libraries, community centers, 4-H Clubs, private homes, museums, schools, and Intel Computer Club Houses.
Maker Camp director Bridget Rigby says that she is anticipating greater interaction among the affiliates this summer. “Maker Camp affiliates help campers to become creative problem solvers, visionary thinkers, and courageous doers,โ she says. โAffiliate leaders will develop their own Maker mindset through camp leadership, too! Weโll give our affiliates everything they need to build an awesome program in their community, inspiring the next generation of Makers.”
Since its launch in 2012, Maker Camp and its affiliates have hosted over 1 million attendees across the globe, with over 50,000 campers in 2016 alone. Maker Camp affiliate leaders encourage their campers to upload and share what theyโve been making with other Maker Camp participants around the globe using the hashtag #MakerCamp. Some of the most prolific campers of past years have lived in Israel, Jordan, India, South Africa, and Australia.
Getย Started
Maker Camp 2017 begins today! This year’s projects include working with paper circuits, music, programming, LEDs, light painting, 3D sculpting, art bots, and fabric circuits.
To learn more about Maker Camp, becomeย an affiliate, or register as an individual, please visit MakerCamp.com.
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