In January we kicked off the #STEMchat year with KitHub. Our topic was STEAM fun and learning in the year ahead. The official tagline of #STEMchat is bringing parents, educators and STEM professionals to share ideas and resources for raising STEM-loving kids, but I think always learning, always growing might be just as appropriate. Without fail, I always learn from STEMchat, and I meet great new Tweeps, to boot! KitHub #STEMchat Recap Here are ... [ Read More ]
Sticky Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects. A Book Review
I received a review copy of the DIY Duct Tape Project Book, Sticky Fingers (affiliate link). Author Sophie Maletsky provides dozens of DIY duct tape projects along with advice on how to make them. The book starts off with an introduction to making things, or crafting, with duct tape. She's pretty clear on the three basics: a place to work, tape and a good pair of scissors, but she rounds off what would otherwise be a very short chapter with ... [ Read More ]
Meet Ballerina Turned Chemical Engineer, FirstBuild’s Amelia Gandara: It’s STEM Girl Friday!
Amelia Gandara is a professional ballerina turned turned chemical engineer. She earned a ChemE degree from the University of Louisville and has recently joined FirstBuild, a new platform to bring innovation to home appliances through co-creation. Why did you choose to study chemical engineering and what was it like working as one of just a handful of women working toward your degree in chemical engineering? I chose to study it because I ... [ Read More ]
May 10 Making for Families at Destination: Chicago
Join in this Saturday, May 10 for a day of making and doing at Destination: Chicago. Part of the wonderful and engaging City of Learning program, Destination: Chicago is a fun day for youth to experience everything from hip hop yoga to origami. They can get back to nature making seed bombs or go high tech creating stop-motion films or an electronic glow flower.This free event for youth ages 4 - 24 will take place at Jones College Prep, 700 ... [ Read More ]
Make a Moonball!
Watch the video below to learn to make what The Maker Mom made at the Maker Faire, moonballs! I first played with moon balls* about 25 years ago, way before kids and potty training , but years after dolphin training, back when I designed and facilitated team building programs. Moonballs are one of the many goodies I picked up from the master of play, Karl Rohnke. How to Make Moonballs All you need to make a moonball is a few pairs of tights or ... [ Read More ]
The White House is Hosting a Maker Faire!
Behold the power of a marshmallow shooter. After President Obama blasted a marshmallow across the White House dining room on young Joey Hudy's homemade extreme marshmallow blaster at the 2012 White House Science Fair he was hooked. Thirteen-year-old Joey's personal credo, "Don't be bored. Make something."* not only struck a chord with the dad of two and leader of the free world, it moved him to action. In 2014 the White House is going to host a ... [ Read More ]
Glass Blowing in Chicago
The Older Maker Teen and I headed into the city for a morning of glass blowing instruction and practice at Chicago Hot Glass in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Since making a paperweight in 2008 at Patterson Glass in Mundelein, he's been asking to do more glassblowing. I thought we were in for something similar, but the ornament-making workshop was different. Instead of heavy, solid weights we made delicate hollow orbs. Perhaps if we celebrated ... [ Read More ]