The Makery

So excited about my latest 3D print. This potion set is the cutest! Going to create a few more for upcoming Makery activities!

One of our camp kiddos was making LEGO flags! What a creative idea!

These wind up creatures made at camp last week turned out AMAZING! Foam clay is such a fun medium to work with!

Fred Rogers reminded us that “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. At various times, play is a way to cope with life and to prepare for adulthood. Playing is a way to solve problems and to express feelings. In fact, play is the real work of childhood.”

Research shows that play is how children…
- Share their feelings
- Learn about the world around them
- Build relationships
- Feel a sense of agency and control
- Develop important life skills

Check out this clinical report, which was reaffirmed January 2025, to learn more about the research behind the importance of play: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/The-Power-of-Play-A-Pediatric-Role-in-Enhancing?autologincheck=redirected

Citation: Michael Yogman, Andrew Garner, Jeffrey Hutchinson, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Council on Communications and Media; The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics September 2018; 142 (3): e20182058. 10.1542/peds.2018-2058

Love all the creative things we find as we circulate the rooms! This one made us smile!

Some days at The Makery we have a plan. Other days I ask the children what they want to do, and I listen.

Today was the second kind, and it turned into Watermelon Day.

It started with a request for watermelon oobleck, because last time someone forgot the "seeds" and that was, apparently, unacceptable 😆. So we made it again, seeds included. That reminded me of a watermelon puffy paint project I had been wanting to try, so we added it in. Then I offered to grab real watermelons for snack, and the children immediately took that further and decided they would set up a watermelon stand and "sell" it to the other children (for play money), a direct sequel to yesterday's playdough ice cream shop. Later someone wanted to make dough, so we mixed up cornstarch and conditioner, turned it pink, added seeds, and yes, as you may have guessed, it became watermelon dough.

Five activities, one theme, and a full day shaped mostly by some of the children who were living it.

We always come in with materials, ideas, and a whole lot of flexibility. Some days we lead, and some days we hand it over. Today they ran with it, and it was the best kind of day. 🍉

Loving how these turned out and the children made them unique with different styles of wings and antennae. I think the most fun part for many of them was being able to use the glue gun on their own (low temp) as there were many first time glue gun users!

The Makery app is live! Head to our website and save it to your home screen! 🎉🎉