S.T.E.A.M. MakerSpace

 

NOTICE: Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, 

our downtown Studio MakerSpace is now CLOSED. 

 

Did you know that kids who participate in arts and crafts are more likely to become successful entrepreneurs and inventors and world problem solvers?

 

Researchers estimate that lifetime creative accomplishment is three times more reliant on childhood creativity than on childhood IQ. 

 

 

 

Play is the highest form of research.   ~ Albert Einstein 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, we currently have a childhood creativity crisis in the United States. Research shows that over the past 25 years, childhood creativity has been on the decline. In fact, we may be robbing students of the ability to think independently.  Do we blame video games, standardized school curriculums, funding cuts for the arts, television, over-scheduling kids’ free hours, nationalized testing, smart phones/electronic devices, or all of the above?

 

Bottom line, kids need time to JUST PLAY.

 

 

When kids play, they pretend, imagine, invent, create, problem-solve, and build with whatever is on hand and without adult interference.

 

Remember running, jumping, skipping, rolling down hills, and lying in the grass looking up at the clouds and daydreaming? Kids need to play neighborhood games and run races and compete with one another just for the fun of it. These kinds of activities help children build and strengthen their creative skills. Play is the WORK of children.

 

That’s where the Maker Movement comes in. MakerSpaces* provide valuable play opportunities in a safe, fun place for kids to imagine, invent, create, tinker, craft, build, and just make things!  

 

 

*also referred to as hackerspaces, fablabs, tinker labs, thinker labs, and collaborative spaces


 

Our S.T.E.A.M. MakerSpace is a fun, accessible, well-equipped MAKER studio where kids can enhance their creative skills in ways that allow them determine their own outcomes. Examples might include:

  • A self-determined project, such as designing and building a robot with moving parts, a purpose, and a name, out of recycled materials. Or, a Perler (melty bead) emoji project or a Mother's Day card.
  • A MakerSpace Challenge Card project, such as designing and creating a pair of silly goggles from an egg carton, or building a working Lego zip line, or the constructing tallest tower possible out of only notebook paper and paperclips.
  • An art, craft, or building project selected from our library of crafty ideas and how-tos, such as constructing a working 5-cent battery, or designing pop-up Christmas cards, or building a rubber band powered vehicle.

The Space is equipped with new, donated, and recycled materials as well as a full array of arts and crafts supplies. We also have building sets such as Legos, Duplos, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys, and a large collection of puzzles and interesting board games, some of which we invented ourselves!

 


Below is a dog painted on wood, a model of the Newton's Cradle, a "bottle-bot," a model of a blazing campfire,

and a little maker constructing his own building set. 

 

What is S.T.E.A.M.? Think of S.T.E.M. (if you are familiar with it) plus ART. 

STEAM is becoming more widely accepted for MakerSpaces as the integration of ART is now

acknowledged to be vital to creativity, innovation, and out-of-the-box thinking. 

 

STEAM = Science + Technology + Engineering + ART + Math


 

The BAC STEAM MakerSpace is open during most business hours; please check for availability.

Drop-in fee is $5 per hour for full access to available materials and supplies (no charge for accompanying adults).

Crafts, projects, and art projects made from consumable or recycled materials may be taken home.

MakerSpace Camps are available throughout the year.

Please check this website for dates, times, themes, and enrollment fees.