We hope you’ll join us for some Maker Fun at the NoCo Maker Faire (Oct 4-5) @ Loveland’s Innovation Center.
This story from last year’s adventures comes from Martha Lanaghen, Mack parent and founder at MakerBoulder.com
The Difference Between a Dog and a Pinwheel
By Martha Lanaghen
The Denver Mini Maker Faire was busy with inquisitive children and adults, buzzing with the excitement of all the hands-on activities that were available. Mackintosh generously volunteered the help of several staff and faculty to assist with the MakerBoulder.com booth at the Faire — so we were thrilled to have a booth chock-full of eager-to-tinker, learn and play children and adults.
The craft we had selected was a clever pinwheel made out of simple straws, tape and some soft wire. In real-life, we quickly learned that while the project was relatively simple, it was hard to execute well, and a number of children were frustrated with how long it was taking, and how many iterations it took to get it right.
Of course, iterating is part of the wonder of Making — learn from what works and what doesn’t, try a new thing or two, and “tweak and nudge” — but this pinwheel was quickly swamping our children (one was even overheard saying, “I failed!”), and not fostering the fun and creative experience we were hoping for.
While I struggled to keep up with four clever crafters, a lone boy picked up the scissors and started to bend and cut straws. He taped things together, and several moments later, he barked at me. There, on the table amongst the straws and wire, stood a handsome (if not somewhat lop-sided), dog made of neon straws and wiry ears.
The rest of the children that approached the table with the oft-uttered question, “what can I do here?” heard a new answer — “Whatever you like. We have straws, tape and wire. Here are some scissors. If you want to make a pinwheel, I’ll help you — but you could do whatever you want.”
I was, for the first two hours, deeply committed to bending those straws into pinwheels — but the child taught me (again), that the human imagination is capable of doing so much more than we ask, when it is free to wander through the materials presented. Brilliant.
The rest of the weekend saw more dogs, flutes, benches, bridges, people, curly machines, and yes, even a pinwheel or two.
Be sure to join us this year at the NoCo Mini Maker Faire – the largest in the region. Maker Boulder and Mack will both have booths. We hope to see you there!