From Maker Camps to Makerspaces to Live Events, This Summer Is All About Making, Creativity, Hands-On Learning, and Having Fun

/EINPresswire.com/ -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - June 21, 2016) - As reported by the White House and as a part of the launch of the National Week of Making initiative, Make: is proud to announce a commitment to engage over 1 million kids nationally over the next 12 months in hands-on, project-based learning through its Maker Faires, School Maker Faires, and online Maker Camps.

Launching for the season on July 11, 2016, Maker Camp -- the free virtual summer camp for young makers interested in DIY, making, creating, crafting, hacking, tinkering and learning -- returns for its fifth year, helping to kick off a full Summer of Making. With the support of AT&T, through AT&T Aspire, as a presenting sponsor of this year's program, Maker Camp remains a free resource for teachers, educators, parents, and kids.

"We're excited to be able to offer Maker Camp again this summer," said Make: founder and CEO Dale Dougherty. "At Maker Camp, kids work with complex concepts while they're having fun, learning key skills that will help prepare them for success in our rapidly changing world. We want to help our next generation grow up as creators, not just consumers. Maker Camp is one way to effect that change."

Maker Camp is based online, but has off-line applications as hundreds of Maker Camp affiliates are located all over the world. Affiliates host Maker Camp at their community center, library, recreation center, and even in homes. Just this past weekend, over 1,000 kids learned how to design and make their own Maker Camp T-shirts when they attended National Maker Faire in Washington, D.C., as part of President Obama's proclaimed National Week of Making.

Focused on raising this new generation of problem solvers, Maker Camp helps kids learn complex concepts while stoking their creative fires by exploring such topics as physics, basic electronics, crafting, construction, woodworking, programming, sensors and circuits. Maker Camp projects center on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) principles, presenting them in a such a way that kids naturally enjoy learning.

Since 2012, Maker Camp has engaged over 1 million kids, with hopes to reach 1 million more. Currently, there are already some 600 affiliate locations set for this season, with the goal of 1,000 affiliates helping kids learn to love making.

With support from AT&T through its AT&T Aspire initiative, the 2016 Maker Camp program will provide those affiliate groups which have the most need with supporting materials necessary to help their students make anything from a light-up superhero cape to DIY stomp rockets. There is even a special Bay Area event that allows Maker Camp participants to gather offline. At Shape, an AT&T Tech Expo, running July 16-17 at San Francisco's famed AT&T Park, attendees will be introduced to Maker Camp Live, another highlight of the Summer of Making. Maker Camp Live combines the best parts of summer camp with starter projects that kids can work on together with adult Makers onsite to assist. Campers will learn to solder, make their own traffic lights, and transform different energy sources into helpful IoT solutions or even wearable applications.

"When you make it, you learn it," said Nicole Anderson, executive director of philanthropy at AT&T. "Maker Camp provides hands-on learning that inspires students' creativity and sparks interest in STEM careers for our next generation of leaders."

Although getting kids interested in STEM and STEAM projects is important to Make:, the Summer of Making is not just for kids!

There are plenty of ways for adults to celebrate, too:

• In partnership with GE, Make: brings the Lights for Life challenge to inventors, designers, and makers -- asking them to design the future of connected lighting. Have a bright idea for how to leverage the smart, connected home? Here's your chance to shine and take home the $25,000 grand prize and have your project produced and taken to market by GE. The deadline for this great Summer of Making project is July 19.

• There's also a terrific new design opportunity for Makerspaces across the globe. MakeItGo engages select Makerspaces to participate in a 24-hour challenge to add to a kinetic sculpture design that will then be passed along so that the design evolves organically as it travels from team to team. The final design will be built and exhibited at World Maker Faire New York in October!

• This Summer of Making also brings the world's most interesting Makers right into your home. Every month, we'll be livestreaming "Meet the Maker Chats" on Twitch Creative, where you can watch project demos and ask inspiring Makers your burning questions.

It's never been easier or more fun to engage in the Maker Movement and join this Summer of Making. The only question to ask is: What will you make?

About Maker Media
Maker Media seeks to create positive change in the world by inspiring and empowering everyone to become a Maker. Through our signature brand, Maker Faire, we have the largest event network that engages Makers around the world and under our Make: publishing brand, we produce Make: magazine, the how-to "bible" of the Maker movement, along with websites, books, and kits. Founded in 2005, and headquartered in San Francisco, Maker Media caters to a universe of more than 25 million Makers across its properties.

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017.

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Contact:
Brita Muller
brita@makermedia.com
(415) 949-1423

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