Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 Educational Outreach

Maker Faire inspires, educates, and entertains curious and creative learners of all ages. It celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, green design, food, music, science and technology and brings together communities who embrace the DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit. We welcome students and teachers to take advantage of all that Maker Faire and Maker Media have to offer. There are several ways to do this.

Start a Young Makers Club

The Young Makers program is a collaboration between MAKE, The Exploratorium, and Pixar. The purpose of the program is to inspire and develop the next generation of makers, creators, and innovators. This season of the program is underway, but we welcome new clubs to join --- and any and all efforts to get kids Making no matter where you make with kids. See youngmakers.org for more info.

Join Our Community Sign up for Maker Faire's growing community of educators to receive information about upcoming field trip, school visit, and other Maker Faire-sponsored outreach opportunities. Also, get into the conversation in Make's social network just for Makers who work with students and educators who love to MAKE.

Explore Maker Faire

While at Maker Faire, be sure to stop by our Teachers' Lounge to get tips from fellow teachers, pick up some freebies, and more. We may have special discounted teacher tickets to attend Maker Faire --- sign up to hear when these are announced. (Pre-service teachers actively pursuing their credentials also qualify.)

Read more to see what your teaching colleagues say about why they came to Maker Faire last year.

Bring Your Students to Maker Faire We have created a handful of resources to prepare your students to come to the Faire to build, craft, hack, play, and make: Meet A Maker: Project Notebook (thanks to Saber Khan) Make Up Your Mind: Project Brainstorm Did It Yourself: Submit Your Idea Submit your very own project or article idea to Make: magazine Preview Maker Faire as a Field Trip On Friday, May 20, 2011, we host Education Day, when students may come to enjoy extended visits with Makers and some special hands-on workshops as Maker Faire is prepared. To learn more about this event, go to makerfaireeducationday.eventbrite.com

Exhibit Your Students' Work at a Maker Faire

In the past, we have had many youth at the Faire, both as exhibitors and attendees. If you are interested in exhibiting your students' work as Makers (or in sharing your very own Maker-ish classroom projects), please see our Call for Makers.

Subscribe to MAKE

Students and teachers who have their subscriptions sent to academic institutions enjoy a discounted school rate of just $19.95. Alternatively, you can take advantage of our fundraiser program, where your student salespeople can sell regular subscriptions to MAKE: Money for your group or school.

Watch MAKE:TV with Your Students

MAKE: Television premiered on public television in January 2009 as the DIY series for a new generation. The series encourages everyone to invent, revent, recycle, upcycle, and act up. Each half-hour episode inspires millions to think, create, and, well, MAKE. If you'd like to share past episodes with your students, check out the MAKE: Television website.

Do Maker Projects with Your Students

We have made a selection of projects available free online for your use in the classroom.

From the Pages of Make and Craft magazines:

• Make It Go: Take a dive with Das Bottle. Turn electricity into motion with your own mini-motor. Bring a Frankenmouse or a nocturnal robot to life.
• Make It Sing: Turn a turkey baster into a flute. Transform a cup into a speaker and microphone. Strum a guitar you craft out of a cigar box.
• Make It Fly: Shoot marshmallows in kids' all-time favorite Make project! Float your own blimp. Send a bird-like ornithopter flapping.
• Make It Stop: Capture motion with a homemade strobe
• Make It Dance: Make light bend.
• Make It Tall: Construct a tower to the sky.
• Make It Tasty: Shake up a batch of your own ice cream.

• Blinkybugs by Ken Murphy
• Cell Project by Galaxy Goo
• Instructables in the classroom
• Crafts for kids from Instructables
• More Howtoons
• Make your own wallet from Instructables

Outreach materials for MAKE: Television, including resources for reaching out to Makers in your area and holding a mini Maker Faire, as well as a Project Pack of projects featured on the show.

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Contact Info

Michelle Hlubinka
Education Director