MCHS School Maker Faire 2016

On Monday, April 11th, students, faculty, and staff came together in the Library and Learning Commons to celebrate the inventive and creative projects by MCHS makers, designers, engineers, programmers, and artists for the 2nd annual MCHS School Maker Faire. 

We had some great student and faculty projects lined up, both high tech and low tech,including designed objects, a Makey Makey floor piano, a custom-made videogame, a custom-built computer, musical floppy drives using an Arduino, anatomy in clay showcasing the cardiovascular system, knit clothing, crocheted toys and a checkerboard, a wreath, and minimalist art/low poly art. We also had our BioTech teacher on hand to show off the new BioPrinters the science department purchased.  She printed a bone made out of lotion and showed the students how to use the BioPrinter.

The BioPrinter

Student participants were really eager to show off their creations, particularly those that were personal projects. And it was really exciting to see the reactions from faculty and students attendees, some of whom had no idea that these students were doing these sorts of projects on their own time.  An art teacher had never seen the Photoshop work one of the students had done on his own; she commented that she would never have guessed he could do something like that.   We hope that it inspired them to bring their own ideas to life. 

Making music with floppy disk drives using an Arduino

Once they'd gone through the exhibits, students also made use of the Maker Playground, exploring the various activities: coloring, building with LEGOs and strawbees.

You can see photos of the entire event are available here 

Crocheted stuffed animals

Eager to check-out more Maker Faires before our third annual MCHS School Maker Faire next year? San Mateo hosts the Bay Area’s largest Maker Faire May 21-22, 2016. Check out the website here.

Happy Making!

1st Annual MCHS Maker Faire

Nine months after the MCHS Maker Lab opened, we celebrated the first annual MCHS Maker Faire on Thursday, April 16th. It was a sight to see! 

Maker Faires inspire individuals from all kinds of different backgrounds, all interested in learning from inventive and creative projects. Some companies (e.g., tech companies especially) require their employees to attend Maker Faires as professional development. It is hard to leave a Maker Faire without getting one idea to use in your personal or professional life.

Four weeks prior to the MCHS Maker Faire, we invited all students, faculty, and staff to submit projects for the Faire. 

Over 20+ diverse submissions were accepted; some fully complete, some works in progress, and all very creative.

Pictures and a list of what was included are below:  

Decorate Your Own Book Ends

Needle Arts Table

Homemade Jewelry

Pillow light (using the LilyPad)

Swallowtail Butterfly Habitat

Portable Raspberry Pi

Braided Bracelet

Space Saver Mobile

Water Gardening

Henna

Anatomy in Clay

Stuffed Animal/ Crochet

How to Build Your Own Computer

Flash Videos

Biome Projects

Stair Climbing Robot

Polymer Clay Charms

Stained Glass Art

Make-Your-Own Parfaits

3D printing Model Presentation

String Paper Mache

Origami

 

Eager to check-out more Maker Faires before our second annual MCHS Maker Faire in 2016? San Mateo hosts the Bay Area’s largest Maker Faire May 16-17, 2015. Check out the website here. And start thinking about projects you can submit for next year's MCHS Maker Faire!

Friday Afternoon Yarn Session

Ever since Ms. Stanton crocheted the famous guinea pig (inspired by Ms. Simon's late guinea pig, Bumblebee) and students crocheted Christmas tree chains and ornaments, there has been  increased student interest in MAKING with yarn. Remember, making is not always about gadgets.

Expert knitters Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder picked up on this interest and volunteered to host a Friday afternoon yarn session in the LLC during collaboration where students could learn/practice knitting and crochet. 

In preparation for the session, one of our IWEs created balls of yarn to make them more manageable for students to handle compared to the regular yarn bundles.
Students arrived at the Friday afternoon yarn session in the LLC to find a variety of patterns Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder printed as well as knitting needles, crochet hooks, and lots of yarn! 

While Ms. McGowan and Ms. Schroeder focused on teaching students how to knit, Ms. Stanton taught students to crochet. A good way to begin is to crochet a chain like these two students are doing. Next you could make something like a washcloth. Ms. Stanton crocheted this beautiful red one.

Some students skilled at knitting helped others learn. It was an activity collaboration full of learning and fun. Several students have already inquired as to when we will hold the next “Friday afternoon yarn session”.

Remember yarn is available for check-out at the circ desk, as well as crochet hooks and knitting needles!