Kids get creative and test out future careers

Curious minds transform electronics into airplanes, cars and bottle openers

For some kids, summertime fun means unlimited hours spent sitting in front of a computer.

For others, the fun is taking the computer apart.

On Saturday, curious young minds came out to York Region’s first Hackerspace event, where 15 kids and some parents dug through recycled electronic parts and worked with tools to transform the scraps into everything from airplanes to motorized cars to bottle openers.

“When we started, a lot of the kids didn’t know how to hold a glue gun,” said Janet Arnold, the managing partner of Stem Minds, an Aurorabased kids’ day camp focused on teaching technology, science, math and engineering, which helped organize the event. “This is not about making kids into video game designers. We just want to be the triggering point that makes them think about where they want to go in the future.”

The free drop-in event was hosted by NewMakeIt, a non-profit organization that runs the “makerspace” workshop in Newmarket.

The weekend event is intended to encourage creativity while giving kids free access to woodworking and metal-cutting tools and expert guidance from adults, said Anu Bidani, founder of Stem Minds.

“This place is inspiring,” said Bidani, who brought her two sons to the event and watched as her son Rik, 9, dismantled a computer and a printer and built a motorized car.

For Liam Bird, 14, the event was a chance to test drive a possible career.

“I’m into building stuff,” said the Markham teen, who spent the better part of the day hunched over his wooden-framed airplane creation. He thinks building and design might be part of his future career path.

The event continues on Sunday, with prizes awarded for the best creations in different age categories.

Organizers hope to hold another event in the fall.

CHRIS SO PHOTOS/TORONTO STAR Grade 11 student Robert Andrade checks the LED output for his car, which is powered by an Arduino circuit board. “Being able to learn this at a young age — or at my age — opens doors to a (technology design) market that’s rapidly growing,” he said.

Derrol Salmon, one of the founders of NewMakeIt, works on a wheeler used to fabricate thin metals into 3D shapes, in this case, a fender for a model car.

Stem Minds program director Reza Beyzaei helps Arteen Mirzai, 12 put together his own electric car. Organizers hope the event encourages children to take an interest in how their beloved electronics are made — perhaps even spark an interest in a future...

Liam Bird, 14, works on skinning the wing of wooden plane. Bird worked with wood, plastic wrap and “a lot of hot glue” to make his creation. He attended the event with his brother, Aidan, 15.