Last weekend the kids, husband, and I attended the 2nd annual Maker Faire New York at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, Queens. We were all blown away by the experience–I spent the weekend happily geeking out: touching stuff, pushing buttons, exclaiming repeatedly to anyone who would listen This is what our SCHOOLS should look like! (Well..I said that in between meeting tons of fabulous people at the GeekDad/GeekMom booth where Dave Giancaspro, Amy Kraft and I chatted up visitors and ran a photo scavenger hunt, with prizes provided by ThinkGeek.)
It’s hard to put into words what Maker Faire is, so I’ve resorted to trying to tell my story through pictures and sound bites. Understand: back in the day, I was one of those kids who kind of compulsively enjoyed taking things apart to see what was inside (but could never get everything to go back together again afterwards). If you or your kids are that kind of a person? Maker Faire will make you happy…
1. 3D printers are the new “it” gadget. There are a couple of different kinds–and keeping with the “maker” ethos, most are kits that the user first builds themselves–but the concept is exactly what the name implies: 3D printers produce a 3-dimensional model of whatever you’d like to create, including intricate pieces for that board game you’re designing, space age jewelry, or components for the robot your team is designing to compete in their next FIRST challenge. Enthusiasts even have their own online community, Thingiverse, where they can upload and share their open source digital designs.
[To read the rest of Andrea Schwalm’s take-away lessons from Maker Faire New York, go to GeekMom!]
