Meet the SPPL Maker Corps Members!Rose O. is a Youth Services Library Associate at the George Latimer Central Library in St. Paul, Minnesota and a brand new member with Maker Corps.
She has an extensive background in working in library services, being involved with arts and music, and working with children. Some of her creative interests include: cartooning, photography, graphic design, professional organizing, sewing, and making music. Her most recent maker endeavors involve all things Children's Storytime (planning and performing). She is thrilled to combine all her creative interests and skills in working with children. Joey G. runs the homework center at his branch library and is also the go-to tween and teen activity person at his branch. He has worked with kids (4-18) in various capacities (AmeriCorps, public schools, after school programs, and, now, library work) since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 2008. His making experiences has mostly consisted of crafty/arty things in the past, and from-scratch food, but he is interested in figuring out arduino and makey makey-type projects as well. |
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Maker Camp: Week 1 (June 16 & 18)
For our first week, Joey and I prepared an introduction to the Maker Camps by bringing out most of the equipment and gadgets we would work with this summer. We set up the equipment, which included: a green screen, 3D pens, drawing tablets, a Cameo Silhouette Vinyl Cutter, duct tape, finch robots, LED lights, and we demonstrated Vine stop animation. We also revealed a "Possibility Box" (provided by Maker Corps), which contained a MaKey MaKey kit, a Wool Buddies kit, Intel's Galileo, and even an electric toothbrush!
Joey and I started off by introducing ourselves and what the Maker Camp was all about. Then, we had had the kids introduce themselves and what school they went to. After that, Joey and I went through all the equipment and gadgets, which the kids were quite enthusiastic about. We asked them what they were most excited about and what would they like to make. Some of their answers included: the green screen, 3D pens, shrinky dinks, the sticker vinyl cutter, and the wool buddies. The kids were also really excited about the MakeyMakey kits and the idea of making music out of different items, like fruit. There were a few items that Joey and I still need to play with more, including the finch robot, the MaKeyMakey kit, and Galileo. There were several kids who really wanted to make a Wool Buddy, but I let them know that more supplies were on the way! Overall, some of the more popular activities were making vinyl stickers, shrinky dinks, and 3D pen art.
For next week's plan, we will print out the green screen selfies and continue with exploring the equipment we have. We will also focus on some activities that could be tied in with the Summer Spark Activity log.
Participants count:
Sunray - 18
Highland Park - 17
Joey and I started off by introducing ourselves and what the Maker Camp was all about. Then, we had had the kids introduce themselves and what school they went to. After that, Joey and I went through all the equipment and gadgets, which the kids were quite enthusiastic about. We asked them what they were most excited about and what would they like to make. Some of their answers included: the green screen, 3D pens, shrinky dinks, the sticker vinyl cutter, and the wool buddies. The kids were also really excited about the MakeyMakey kits and the idea of making music out of different items, like fruit. There were a few items that Joey and I still need to play with more, including the finch robot, the MaKeyMakey kit, and Galileo. There were several kids who really wanted to make a Wool Buddy, but I let them know that more supplies were on the way! Overall, some of the more popular activities were making vinyl stickers, shrinky dinks, and 3D pen art.
For next week's plan, we will print out the green screen selfies and continue with exploring the equipment we have. We will also focus on some activities that could be tied in with the Summer Spark Activity log.
Participants count:
Sunray - 18
Highland Park - 17
Gallery
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Maker Camp: Week 2 (June 23 & 25)
For our second Maker week, Joey and I focused on incorporating some Maker activities with the Summer Spark Reading Program. We encouraged the kids to join the Summer Spark program (if they hadn't already) so they could win cool prizes. We explained that all they needed to do was track their hours of reading and activities (listed in the activity log) and they would win free books and a chance to win bigger prizes, like a Children's Museum or Science Museum membership. The kids were pretty excited.
Some of the activities they could do for in the Maker Camp for the Summer Spark program included: saying 'hi' to a librarian, going to a library event, drawing a favorite character (on a shrinky dink), making a card, and making a Lego animal. For this week, we also narrowed down our activities and were more in depth with tutorials and examples. Our activities focused on 3D pens, shrinky dinks, duct tape crafts, and the Cameo Silhouette cutter. Last week, we had an overview of all the equipment, but, this time, we had printed out instructions and templates ready for use. This was really helpful. For the 3D pens, we had an eyeglass template, a bridge template, and other drawings the kids could practice by tracing and filling in. A couple kids were successful in creating the eyeglasses. There were instructions and examples on how to make a duct tape wallet, which they kids really enjoyed. It was one our more popular stations. The shrinky dinks were a hit (as usual). One girl wanted to see just how small her shrinky dink could shrink. It was pretty tiny! We also had two special guests from the Pioneer Press come in - a photographer and a journalist who are doing a story on the Maker Camps. It was so neat to hear feedback from the kids on what they thought of the Maker Camp. One girl said she was happy that the camp wasn't all about being lectured to by an instructor and being shown how to do a project. She enjoyed being hands on and having the freedom to try something else when she wanted. That was great to hear! We look forward to the Pioneer Press article and photographs. Update: The article from the Pioneer Press came out! Here's the link: http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_28430675/st-paul-libraries-maker-camps-are-hands-fun?obref=obinsite Participants count: Sunray - 20 Highland Park - 27 Week 3 (June 30 & July 2)The kids just keep coming and we had such fun! This week, the kids were really into creating Woolbuddies, duct tape wallets, and creating with the 3D pens. Woolbuddies were a fun project, but we kept running into a little snag - the felting needles kept breaking. So, we'll have to hold off on Woolbuddies next week until new felting needles come in. In the meantime, we'll have a couple new projects to tinker with!
Participants count: Sunray - 17 Highland Park - 18 |
We had a couple new projects this week - creating LED light greeting cards and build-your-own Minecraft paper characters. These new additions went very well. There were some very creative LED light creations! Duct tape wallets, flowers, and flip-flops were also really impressive.
Also, this week we had the most participants ever at Highland Park Library. It could be the article in the Pioneer Press or it could be the community connections, but word is definitely getting out! Participants count: Sunray Library - 19 Highland Park Library - 33 |
Week 5 (July 16)
I was absent from Maker Camp at Sun Ray on Tuesday, July 14th, but was back at Highland Library for all the fun. For this session, Joey had the great idea of introducing Perler Bead art, which was an instant hit. With tiny plastic beads, plastic peg trays, and a lot of dexterity and patience, the kids created their favorite characters. Joey and I melted the artwork with an iron, so the kids had a neat craft they could take home. We continued to work on duct tape crafts, Woolbuddies, and included a new gadget - a circuit board kit that lit up, moved, and made sounds. The participants never seem to get tired of the acivities!
Each week it's wonderful to see how many of the same kids return (plus all the new faces) because they are so excited about the projects they can work on. A few parents and grand parents even hang out, engaging with their kids and pitching in when Joey and I are helping others. The best is when kids start helping each other out, explaining and showing how to do each activity.
Participants count:
Highland Park - 22
Each week it's wonderful to see how many of the same kids return (plus all the new faces) because they are so excited about the projects they can work on. A few parents and grand parents even hang out, engaging with their kids and pitching in when Joey and I are helping others. The best is when kids start helping each other out, explaining and showing how to do each activity.
Participants count:
Highland Park - 22
Week 6 (July 28 & July 30)
Both sessions this week were pretty mellow. We had just as many kids come for the camp, but it seemed like they knew what they really wanted to concentrate on and went to it. Again, the most popular activities were woolbuddies, perler bead art, and duct tape crafts. To change things up a bit, we challenged the kids to work with "mixed media" and the results were impressive. A few kids worked on duct tape creations and added LED lights. One girl created wool jewelry and added lights, as well. During this time, I chatted a bit with the kids to find out how they found out about Maker Camp and what they really liked about it. Here are some "snapshots" of their stories:
Monte and two of his friends were hanging out at Sun Ray Library for some time and were being disruptive in the library. They were warned several times that they would have to settle down or else they would have to leave the library. Eric, one of the staff members, guided the three young men to Maker Camp and told them if they would like to stay in the library, they would have to help out at the camp. Maker Camp had not begun yet, so the young men left; however, at 3pm, Monte came back to help with the camp. Monte helped sort perler beads for the younger campers and was enthusiastic for the whole activity. They kids enjoyed his help and humor.
Grace, age 11, was proud to tell me that she's attended every Maker Camp session, except for two when she was out of town. She loved every activity, but her favorite was making Woolbuddies, creating her own stuffed animals using wool and a felting needle. Grace heard about Maker Camp when she started the Summer Spark reading program. A staff member informed her that one of the activities she could do in the reading program was "go to a library event" and that Maker Camp was a library event. Grace said Maker camp was a great way to spend the summer.
Caleb, age 9, also enjoyed all the activities maker Camp had to offer. His goal was to do each Maker activity that day. Caleb thought Maker Camp was a lot of fun and better than "being bored" while his sister was being tutored for two hours. Caleb stayed the whole time and even helped us clean up at the end!
It's great to hear how much the kids enjoy making and creating!
Participants count:
Sun Ray: 17
Highland Park: 23
Monte and two of his friends were hanging out at Sun Ray Library for some time and were being disruptive in the library. They were warned several times that they would have to settle down or else they would have to leave the library. Eric, one of the staff members, guided the three young men to Maker Camp and told them if they would like to stay in the library, they would have to help out at the camp. Maker Camp had not begun yet, so the young men left; however, at 3pm, Monte came back to help with the camp. Monte helped sort perler beads for the younger campers and was enthusiastic for the whole activity. They kids enjoyed his help and humor.
Grace, age 11, was proud to tell me that she's attended every Maker Camp session, except for two when she was out of town. She loved every activity, but her favorite was making Woolbuddies, creating her own stuffed animals using wool and a felting needle. Grace heard about Maker Camp when she started the Summer Spark reading program. A staff member informed her that one of the activities she could do in the reading program was "go to a library event" and that Maker Camp was a library event. Grace said Maker camp was a great way to spend the summer.
Caleb, age 9, also enjoyed all the activities maker Camp had to offer. His goal was to do each Maker activity that day. Caleb thought Maker Camp was a lot of fun and better than "being bored" while his sister was being tutored for two hours. Caleb stayed the whole time and even helped us clean up at the end!
It's great to hear how much the kids enjoy making and creating!
Participants count:
Sun Ray: 17
Highland Park: 23
Week 7 (August 4 & 6)
Week 7 of Maker Camp was very exciting. We had the most participants ever this summer. Joey was off this week, but, at Sun Ray, Timothy has been helping us out over the course of the summer, so that was great. At Highland Park, I had the help of three extra staff - Leslie, Maria, and Kaliyah, which was fantastic and totally needed. Also, there were several parents on hand who jumped in and helped with activities. We had 38+ participants at this session!
Maker Camp has gotten into a groove of having four activities the kids can work on. This includes: Perler Bead art, duct tape crafts, Woolbuddies, and Cubeecrafts paper art. It seems as if these projects need just enough time and interest before each participant is ready to move onto another project. They are certainly enthusiastic to work on a project they created and can take home.
Next week, for our final Maker Camp sessions, we will add one new, fun project - making t-shirt designs using the Cameo Silhouette cutter, fabric paint, and imagination. I'm looking forward to what the kids will create!
Participants count:
Sun Ray - 27
Highland Park - 38
Maker Camp has gotten into a groove of having four activities the kids can work on. This includes: Perler Bead art, duct tape crafts, Woolbuddies, and Cubeecrafts paper art. It seems as if these projects need just enough time and interest before each participant is ready to move onto another project. They are certainly enthusiastic to work on a project they created and can take home.
Next week, for our final Maker Camp sessions, we will add one new, fun project - making t-shirt designs using the Cameo Silhouette cutter, fabric paint, and imagination. I'm looking forward to what the kids will create!
Participants count:
Sun Ray - 27
Highland Park - 38
