Make: magazine founding editor-in-chief, Mark Frauenfelder, has a new book out, and we’re pleased to offer it in our Maker Shed. Maker Dad: Lunch Box Guitars, Antigravity Jars, and 22 Other Incredibly Cool Father-Daughter Projects came out of Mark’s desire to engage his girls, now ages 10 and 16, in the fun mess of making (while sneakily interesting them in STEAM techniques).
The emphasis in this book isn’t on perfection, but rather, on the fascinating learning that comes from making mistakes. Noting that he and his daughters sometimes had to iterate the projects listed in the book six times, he writes, “we’ve tried our best to provide instructions that will ensure a successful build for you and your daughters. . . [I]t’s inevitable that you are going to make some mistakes along the way. Consider yourself lucky.”
Projects include an Ice Cream Sandwich Necklace (made of polymer; less drippy!); Mixie Sticks (a time-sensitive color matching game his youngest devised); a Lunch Box Guitar (the next step up from Jimi Hendrix’s own first cigar-box guitar); and the Friendstrument (in which electronics and soldering turn friends into musical instruments).
Mark and his daughter Jane demonstrate how to put the Friendstrument together in the above video. Take a look and then pick up the book. We think you’ll like what you see!
Meet Mark and his daughter Jane at Maker Faire Bay Area on Sunday, May 18, at 3pm.
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