Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Mini Maker Faire is the best fair in town

The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium's impressive flyer caught my eye and I needed to know more.  The flyer detailed the Palm Beach's first Mini Maker Faire hosted by South Florida Science Center in partnership with HackLab North Boynton held on May 14, 2016.







Let me confess something first.  I had no idea what a Maker Faire was or what it entailed.  Was I blown away!  The original Maker Faire launched in 2006 to inspire hands on demonstration of artists and scientists under one roof.  Everyone from crafters to hobbyists to engineers come to exhibit new ideas and show case their hard work.


The event was beyond anything my son or I could have imagined.  A short list of what was included:


3D printing

3D printing




Drone demonstrations

Trying to run the drone



Do it yourself maze setups


Very intricate maze


Soldering classes

First time soldering!



Lego robotic machines (my son's favorite)! Local junior and high school students competed in robotics competition to build working lego machines that accomplished multi tasks like for example a garbage scooper.


Cleaning up the "beach"



Or a "live" lego snake with sensors that could "bite."









Star Wars characters


Even Darth Vader participated in the science exhibit



Nitrogen combustion










We spent the whole time 10-4pm exploring all the faire had to offer.  As a Homeschool parent, I search far and wide to expose my son to every learning event possible.  The Palm Beach Mini Maker Faire was one of the best events.  We can't wait to go back to the South Florida Science Center to take advantage of the rest of what the museum has to offer.