“I haven’t felt like this since I was in kindergarten,” said Julius Friday afternoon in the lab as he played with the prompt, make something that balances. We took Julius’s words as a compliment. Kindergartners tend to be liberated, free and fearless. They believe in themselves and see themselves as artists, mathematicians, writers, athletes and poets.
Remember the story about asking a group of 5-year-olds, “How many of you are artists?” and the entire class raises their hands enthusiastically. Six years laters ask the same question to a group of 6th graders and less than half the class raises their hands. What happens? Where does the creativity go? We are not sure, but FabNewport does our part by striving to provide opportunities for youth and adults to liberate the fearless, creative, kindergartner in all of us.
Come prompt with us Saturday at the Broadway Street Fest in Newport. We will have a collection of simple materials available for creating with:
- Feathers
- Pipe cleaners
- Wire
- Popsicle sticks
- String
- Wooden Skewers/Dowels
- Washers/nuts/bolts
- random wood pieces including Laser Cutter Scraps
- random 3D printed objects/pieces including flashing
- Glass Beads
- Tape
We love prompts because they challenge you to make something while encouraging creativity. They often have a small constraint, twist or word play, and are broadly interpreted. Examples are, make something:
- That goes up but does not come down
- For angles or angels
- that spins for 30 seconds
- for your worst enemy
- that counts
- make something to survive on Jupiter
(answers to this prompt in the photo)
Come play with us Saturday on Broadway. If you can’t make it then we have open lab until every Friday, 4-8, and Saturday, 9-1, unless we are at another event.