Hello everybody. Guess what’s happening August 26, 2023 from 10 am – 5 pm?
Wichita’s Makerfaire is back!
If you aren’t familiar with Wichita’s Makerfaire, it’s basically a city-wide “show-and-tell.” We, the maker community, come together to celebrate and share what we do. Anything goes — ceramics, jewelry, wooden toys, dancing robots, video games, clothing and costumes…you name it! Exploration Place is hosting the Makerfaire this year and has invited all of us to apply for a booth so we can participate as makers.
In the past, MakeICT was a central point of Wichita’s Makerfaires. Waddayasay we make that happen again? Besides entering our own projects as individual members of MakeICT, we could come together as a group. Here are some ideas to get the conversation started:
make and take: learn to solder
make and take: a fun servo does fun stuff.
make fun fake perpetual motion machines and show them off
a gardening demonstration (what could that be?)
How about those that are interested meet 7pm on May 19? In the meantime, let’s share some ideas here!
Garden ideas from the Master Gardener event this weekend:
empty CD plastic cases make a cheap and cool plant sprouting case for observation of the plant roots - we could have a few prepared in advance to look at (compare clay, soil, and compost) and kids could make their own to take in just a couple minutes. We would need a lot of donated empty CD cases.
“compost tea” - the kids stir a cauldron with a mix of browns and greens. MGs used this at the Earth Day event at the Zoo. Not a make and take but an easy fun activity, they said the kids loved stirring it. We could also have them dig through a worm mix looking for composting worms.
Not sure I can make the meeting since I have a class I am teaching from 7-9 that day… but I might want to participate. I have to be somewhere under a tent though… August will turn me into a crispy critter.
@ladeana I’m sure we can figure out tents and also some of the booths will be inside.
We’ll miss you at the meeting. I wish we could have found a meeting time with no conflicts but, hey, things are busy at MakeICT and that’s a good thing! We’ll definitely loop you back in after the meeting!
I think it would be fun to have at least one Drawbot at the show. People love those things (as do I). I remember @David Springs had one. Is that still in operation?
I do still have the crazy quilted felt pieces kids could cut shapes out of - was meant for holiday ornaments at the anniversary event, but the only thing we’d need for it are good scissors, cookie cutters or other shapes, and markers to draw around the shapes.
I have supplies and directions for scrunchies and tote bags, but will be at Old Settlers 150th in Mulvane that weekend. I did Bags We All Make simple tote bags at the last few Maker Faires we did 100 bags in one day at the last one. I’m happy to do the prep work for either if someone else is going to run it day of. Since I can’t be there.
Slabs could be rolled, a variety of shapes could be cut out, add holes to top and bottom of cut out pieces. They could be fired and the kids could paint them with acrylics, add fishing line and beads to connect them and make a simple mobile with 3 or 4 painted pieces in a row. Spray polyurethane and extra fine glitter adds a nice touch too. These mobiles would be in the same concept as to what Gaye had with geometric shapes hanging in front of the windows in ceramics. If the kids paint them they can take them home that day. It would also give the kids and parents ideas on what they can do with their kids. Also glazes would not have to be used because they are costly. Just an idea, see if Gaye would be interested in that idea since she is in charge.
Another idea- Clay domes with a hole in the center on the bottom. They can be strung upside down on a cord, add a shape at the other end and you have a bell or wind chime. People can paint and assemble. I also noticed some Unicorn slip molds in the kiln room. A variety of those type of things could be made and fired to be painted. This would also give people a chance to see the range of things that can be made in ceramics and hopefully draw in more members to Makeict.
The ideas and arrangements are endless for this project yet simple. A variety of shapes and stuff that can easily be assembled, decorated and taken home would go over well. Have a few examples hung up to give people inspiration and ideas then let the creativity begin.
