Kids & Family

Father/Daughter Raspberry Pi-Based State Poster Project

Father/Daughter Raspberry Pi-Based State Poster Project

With some help from her dad Scott, second grader Emma made this Raspberry Pi-controlled interactive trifold poster about the state of Vermont, for a school project. Pushing a button cycles through the different agricultural industries of the state, complete with lights and animal sound effects. Other buttons play recordings of the state bird singing and the state song. There is also a “quiz mode,” which tests the viewer on what they’ve learned.

Continue Reading Laura Cochrane16
Making Makers: The Maker Scouts

Making Makers: The Maker Scouts

The Exploratory has been providing making opportunities for young children in Los Angeles for two years through makeshops, public events, in class programs, camps, birthday parties, and educator makeshops. Our mission is to provide tinkering and making learning opportunities for children to practice the mindset skills that they will need to be successful in a future full of unknowns – grit, flexible thinking, creative thinking, frustration tolerance, failing forward, and communication. In making with hundreds of young children, among all the things that we have learned, the biggest lesson for us has been that there is so much we still have to learn! So, Maker Scouts was born as a national program of modern, local communities working together to raise innovation capable young people.

Continue Reading Stett Holbrook6
Makies

Alice Taylor: Inventing the Future of Toys

Alice Taylor is CEO of Makielab, a London-based startup that 3D prints customised action dolls called Makies. Customers design their doll on the Makie website, choosing facial features, hairstyles, eye and skin colour, and selecting outfits and accessories. The dolls – fully-poseable, and about 10 inches tall are then printed in London and shipped out. For the Makie and Alice, that’s the beginning of a long adventure.

I spoke to Alice about the adventure that she and Makielab have been on, playing with toys, working with geeks, and bringing 3D printing to the masses.

Continue Reading Andrew Sleigh10
Big Weekend for Bay Area Young Makers

Big Weekend for Bay Area Young Makers

We have another two wonderful Young Maker/Open Make events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday, March 16. Just like last month, you’ll have to pick just one of these two happenings because they occur simultaneously on opposite ends of the Bay. Each offers a flurry of activity that starts at 10am and ends with an inspiring “meet-the-makers” panel discussion.

The events are at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. Each museum is also hosting a plussing session, where registered Young Makers can develop and finesse their projects for Maker Faire Bay Area.

Continue Reading Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka
Turnin’ Vermin into Learnin’

Turnin’ Vermin into Learnin’

Here’s a fun new take on 3D visualization and design: Make Your Own Gopher! Months ago, my colleagues and I were brainstorming the curricular connections we could make between making and high school coursework. Anatomy could be a rich area of overlap: students could laser cut slices of skulls and print mini skeleton models to have the kids explore skeletal structures, for example.

Dan Sudran, the executive director of Mission Science Workshop, was way ahead of us.

Continue Reading Michelle "Binka" Hlubinka