The Making Spirit
December 8th, 2008The Make Blog has an awesome post by Dan Woods on The value of a good hands on project. After observing that “Hobby, toy, and game stores” are listed as retail business currently experiencing growth (second after gas stations!), Dan attempts to explain by writing:
Perhaps it’s the constructive distraction of focusing ourselves on something other than the recession, something where we have a reasonable chance of controlling the outcome. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of picking up a new skill, dusting off an old one, or simply learning how something works (or doesn’t). Maybe it’s the memories that live long after the project is done.
And there’s definitely something intrinsically satisfying about passing along skills — even the simplest of skills — to a younger maker. What kid doesn’t enjoy a workbench, a few tools, and a good project on a rainy day?
Even though many of us are nixing the vacation we’d thought about, driving that funky clunker of a car for another year, or putting the bathroom remodel on hold, the basements, garages, and backyards of this planet are coming alive with experiments, tinkering, and the making spirit.
Apologies for the long quote, but what Dan says is just so great. Go read the full post here: The value of a good hands on project.
And after that, go pick up a kit or two for your kids at the Maker Shed Store. I’m going to pick up a Blinkybug Kit for my kids. And perhaps a Diet Coke and Mentos kit for myself…
