MakerS as innovaTors Chapter 1 What Are Makers H ave you ever sat down at your kitchen table and pulled out paper glue wood or other supplies to work on a project But then right when you get started your mom tells you that dinner’s almost ready and you need to pack everything up Have you ever Do you like to build or invent things You might be a maker 4
Makerspaces Makers use a variety of tools and supplies to complete their projects wanted to make wood shelves to display your favorite items but your family doesn’t own power tools Have you ever worked alone on a project but wished someone were there to help you figure out the toughest steps If any of these things has happened to you then you might be a maker without a space 5
as innovaTors MakerS 6 Makers are people who do things to improve the world around them If something is broken they try to fix it They try to find solutions to problems Someone who likes to build new things or use tools or materials in new ways can be considered a maker Anyone who has ever had an idea for a new invention and then made that idea a reality is a maker Makers love to create tinker and play with the world and the resources around them They also love to share their experiences with others This is how a maker group gets started Today’s makers use advanced technology such as 3D printers to make their ideas come to life
Makerspaces Think about life a hundred years ago Almost every item was made one at a time mostly by hand Things were customized to fit an individual person’s needs Chairs were made just the right size for the people who would sit in them and clothes were cut and sewn to fit their wearers Today most everyday items are built in factories but the desire to make stuff by hand hasn’t gone away Now makers con tinue the long tradition of tinkering with changing and improving their inventions as well as things made by others All wooden items were once created by hand 7
