POPULAR SEARCHES:
  • Cardboard
  • String
  • Game
  • Light
  • Paper Airplane
  • Electricity
  • Robot
  • Maker Faire
NEW Maker Campus! Check it Out TODAY!
  • Maker Faire
  • Shop
  • Make: Projects
  • Magazine
  • Maker Campus
  • Partner With Us
Make: Community brand logo Make: brand logo
  • LOG IN
    avatar
    avatar
    Log Out
More
  • About
    • Get Started
    • Playbook
    • About Maker Camp
  • Project Library
    • Projects
    • Videos
    • #maketogether
    • Submit a Project
  • Maker
    Videos
  • Camps and Classes
  • Educational
    Kits
    • Maker Camp Kits
    • Books & Magazines
  • Makers & Partners
Make: brand logo We are all makers
Make: Community Nav close icon
  • Make: Community
  • Why join Make: Community?
  • Video Playlists
  • Make: Magazine Collection
  • Live Learning
  • Make: Community Login
  • Make: Community Home
  • Partner With Us
Make: Magazine Nav close icon
  • Make Magazine Home
  • Subscribe
  • Gift Subscription
  • Manage Subscription
  • Back Issues
  • All Stories
  • Make: Tested Projects
  • Tool Guides
  • Maker Spotlights
Maker Faire Nav close icon
  • Maker Faire Home
  • Global Faires
  • Faires Around the World
  • Start a Maker Faire
  • What is a Maker Faire?
  • FAQs & Support
Maker Shed Nav close icon
  • Maker Shed Home
  • Best Sellers
  • Hands-on Kits
  • Digital Books
  • Maker Faire Swag
  • What's New
  • Returns
  • Become an Affiliate
Maker Camp Nav close icon
  • Maker Camp Home
  • Get Started
  • Project Library
  • Playbook
  • Upcoming Events
  • About Maker Camp
  • #maketogether

Happy Holidays!
Check out our Maker Campus Programs!

Subscribe

* indicates required
I am a

Available For Everyone, funded by Make: Members

Maker Camp Sponsor logos

Welcome from Founder Dale Dougherty

Family Maker Camp encourages making and hands-on learning at home. Making is fun and engaging for kids as well as adults.

What is making? It can be many things and use all kinds of materials and tools. Making is usually defined as a project shaped by your ideas and interests. Making is as much about the process of taking an idea and bringing it to life. Making integrates science and technology as well as arts and crafts.

Family Maker Camp provides inspiration, guidance and an opportunity to share what you do with others online. We have many projects that will help you get started and continue to develop new skills and a maker mindset.

Most importantly, Family Maker Camp will connect you with a community of makers of all ages who have a broad range of interests and skills. We will introduce you to makers online and have them talk about their projects and their process.

Keep it playful

Play opens us to creative ideas and new experiences. While we play, we engage our bodies and our mind, and we often engage with others. While we play, learning feels natural and we can take risks to do things we didn't know we can do.

Be Curious

Ask questions -- who, what, why, and how. How are things around you made? Who makes them and where are they made?

Get physical

Use your sense to experience the physical world all around you. What are the differences between the natural world and the built world?

Find a favorite tool

Tools exist for all kinds of applications. Given an area you're interested such as bicycles or music, what are some of the tools, both physical and digital, that you might want to learn to use? Choose a new tool and share it with us.

Do something you've never done before

Sometimes we decide that we’re not good at something and we never try to do it. Part of the DIY spirit is to try something you’ve never tried before, even if you’re not particularly good at it. Think of it as an experiment. See if you like it. Try cooking or gardening or playing a musical instrument. Or try to fix something that’s broken. Share this new skill.

Make something

You might design something that solves a problem — it could be a problem for you or a problem for others. You might build something that’s interactive such as a play toy, or a toy car or plane. Paper airplane launchers are popular, as are rockets.

What are the benefits of engaging young people in making?

Here are the five key competencies that we identified as outcomes for young people who participate in Start Making!

  1. Identify as a creator or maker. Young people develop positive attitudes toward creating hands-on projects.
  2. Develop confidence in creative expression. Young people feel capable of bringing their ideas to life by designing, experimenting, iterating, and persisting through failures.
  3. Acquire technical tool literacy. Young people become familiar with a variety of tools and technologies that they can use to make projects.
  4. Become aware of STEAM. Young people become aware of ideas and concepts that bridge science, technology, engineering, art, and math and demonstrate curiosity to learn more.
  5. Learn collaboration and networking skills. Young people actively engage in collaborating and helping others.


Start Making! A Guide to Engaging Young People in Maker Activities
By Danielle Martin and Alisha Panjwani edited by Natalie Rusk

What are the attributes of a maker? What is a maker mindset?

  • Makers are curious. They are explorers. They pursue projects that they personally find interesting.
  • Makers are playful. They often work on projects that show a sense of whimsy.
  • Makers are willing to take on risk. They aren’t afraid to try things that haven’t been done before.
  • Makers take on responsibility. They enjoy taking on projects that can help others.
  • Makers are persistent. They don’t give up easily.
  • Makers are resourceful. They look for materials and inspiration in unlikely places.
  • Makers share—their knowledge, their tools, and their support.
  • Makers are optimistic. They believe that they can make a difference in the world.


Making Makers: Kids, Tools and the Future of Innovation
By AnnMarie Thomas

virtual trips

Kits and Books From Maker Shed

Make: produces a variety of great products and helpful project tutorials to enhance your making experience.

Start Making
Makey Robot - Learn to Solder
Making Makers
  • Dozens of projects in every issue covering Robots, Drones, 3D printing, craft and more
  • Tips and skill-building tutorials with inspiration from the leaders of the maker community
  • Save over 40% off the annual cover price!
  • One Year (4 issues)
SUBSCRIBE TO MAKE: MAGAZINE
Make: Community brand logo Publishers of Make:Magazine Producers of Maker Faire Logo
  • About us
  • Our team
  • Advertise with us
  • Help Center
  • Contact us
  • Support Make:
  • Find a Maker Faire
  • Manage Magazine Subscription

Make:
Maker Faire:
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
©2020 Make Community LLC. All rights reserved
Special Pinterest-only offer!
One year of Make: Magazine for just $19.99
We use cookies to optimally design and continuously improve our websites for you, as well as to display news, articles and advertisements in line with your interests. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. You can use the "Configure" button to select which cookies you want to allow. You can find more information in our privacy policy. ConfigureACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.