Kids need no nudge to make something from nothing. Cardboard box? Turn it into a castle. Sticks and stones? Build a dam. Tin can and string? It’s a phone, wind chime or dumbwaiter. The same can-do spirit inspires “Maker Faires,” family-friendly events that attract artists, craftspeople, inventors, engineers and hackers — collectively known as makers — who want to exhibit their DIY contraptions. They’ve popped up all over the country in recent years, but the Mini Maker Faire at Shelburne Farms is the first-ever in Vermont. Workshops, speakers and demonstrations aim to inspire both kids and adults to roll up their sleeves. Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Enjoy the food and live music while you gawk at everyone else’s gizmos. Segway inventor Dean Kamen is one of the exhibitors.
Champlain Mini Maker Faire: Saturday, September 29, Shelburne Farms, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. $6-15; free for kids under 12. Info, champlainmakerfaire.com; tickets, champainmakerfaire.eventbrite.com.
This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
This article appears in The Back to School Issue 2012.
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