Family Maker Camp is a virtual opportunity to
keep creating, making, and exploring ways to
learn new things as a family. Make: has gathered
the best teachers, makers, projects, and tutorials
and created daily live programming available
for free via social media. It’s accessible, it’s live,
it’s interactive, and it’s supporting families,
maker style!
My name is Mario Marchese, otherwise known
as “Mario the Maker Magician,” and I am the
official emcee of Family Maker Camp. I help keep
families in the loop about what’s happening each
week, and every Friday I get to host a punk rock
dance party and DIY magic session, where kids
from all over the world join together to have fun,
be silly, make some magic, and see some of the
robotics from my theater show.
Because of the school and business closures
and sheltering-in-place that Covid-19 has
forced, we all need connection right now. Maker
Camp jumped in early to help forge an online
community of encouragement and support.
The real-time, live, interactive format is vital to
our well-being! My favorite sessions have been
the light-hearted ones, where I interact with
viewers. I’m taking the opportunity to do things
I don’t do in my theater show, like revealing the
inner workings of some of my sacred robots and
teaching my favorite magic lessons that kids can
do with items in their homes, and I’m making up
songs with kids’ comments and getting everyone
jumping up and down!
Beyond that, Maker Camp helps us remember
that the traditional path of education is not the
only way. I hope that despite this trying time,
Maker Camp can help some kids and families
realize their own amazing potentials.
For the grownups
I’m not just the Maker Camp host, I’m a parent
too. If I have to sew something for a few hours, or
solder something, my kids are always watching
and wanting to help, and I find myself with the
conundrum all parents face: how to let them be
a part of what I do while maintaining some sense
of efficiency! But I’ve learned that the extra time
spent is worth it when we see our 8-year-old
daughter sewing doll clothes from old T-shirts,
or when we see our 5-year-old designing his own
toys on Tinkercad. Our kids have been raised on
the road, with the resourcefulness that comes
along with that, and that’s something we’re super
proud of.
Old patterns may be impossible now. Let go
of what you can’t hold onto and try something
different. More than anything, be gentle with
yourselves! Even sitting on the couch and
watching movies with your kids is educational.
The other day, my dad said that the sky seems to
be a brighter blue than he remembers. Maybe
less pollution? Or maybe we never took the time
to look up?
I look forward to seeing you at the next Family
Maker Camp. You can build some of our fun and
easy projects on the following pages, and tune in
at makercamp.com.
MORE ABOUT MARIO
As a professional performer, I normally
tour with my family theater show, together
with my wife, Katie, and our two kids,
Gigi and Bear. The show is an interactive
performance full of DIY electronics mixed
with homemade magic. Kids see a show
full of props made from cardboard, 3D
printed elements, and robots made from
recyclables, and hopefully realize that
nothing I do is out of their own reach. See
more at mariothemagician.com.
Our Great Guests
Maker Camp brings fun shows throughout
each week. Check out these incredible
participants from this season and join in to
watch their segments:
•
CodeJoy (codejoyedu.com)
• Dr. Sparks (doctorsparksshow.com)
• Kathy Ceceri (kathyceceri.com)
•
John Collins (thepaperairplaneguy.com)
• Brown Dog Gadgets (browndoggadgets.com)
• Kaleidoscope Enrichment
(kaleidoscopeenrichment.com)
• STEM Labs (stemlabs.ca)
• Stupid Robot Fighting League
(stupidrobotfighting.com)
Katie Rosa Marchese
63makeprojects.com