My family and I spent a pleasant afternoon in the East Bay Mini Maker Faire. There were lots of hands-on creative stations with activities for the whole family. One was a cramped woodworking shop where kids could build small race cars out of a block of wood and four large washers, and then race them down a slide.
The activity itself was basic, even if the kids were into it. After helping my son build his car, I was drawn to the writing on the workshop’s wall:
Designers consider objects + systems
Look Closely Turn on your senses! What are the parts? Who are the people?
Explore Complexity Look for relationships What’s happening? How? Why? What’s the system?
Find Opportunity … for re-design, building, hacking, tinkering
I don’t know who wrote these, but I like them. Systems! An excellent primer for the kids, and a good reminder for makers of all ages.