Nan Nan

    there_sun@163.com

    The Nanshan School Maker Faire was held on Saturday at Shenzhen American International School (SAIS), with student makers showcasing their inventiveness, creativity and resourcefulness.

    Held by Shenzhen American International School, the Nanshan School Maker Faire features creative genius by 5- to 15-year-old student makers from SAIS as well as QSI, Yucai No. 4 Primary School, Nanshan Arts and Science Experimental School, Experimental School of Southern University of Science and Technology of China and Shenzhen Qianhai Harbor School.

    A homemade skateboard and stop motion videos from SAIS and a scorpion made of wood and 3D printed products from Qianhai Harbor School perfectly show the students’ strong hands-on capabilities and their interest in new technology.

    Environmental protection is a hot topic at the event. Chanler, a 5-year-old boy from SAIS, introduced how to reuse old clothes. He knitted strips of cloth into a beautiful container. Students from Nanshan Arts and Science Experimental School invented a device to clean up spilled oil in the ocean. Students from Experimental School of Southern University of Science and Technology of China focused on noise pollution. They went to the streets to tell people about the dangers of loud noises and appealed for noise reduction.

    Deborah Summers, the principal at SAIS, said this kind of event is important for kids to show what they are capable of doing, as sometimes adults limit what kids can do.

    A local cultural institution, Design Society, also offered workshops for attendees to learn the basics of architecture. Summers believes these adult makers convey the idea for children that anybody can be a maker, and that they can be a maker when they grow up.

    Maker Faire is a place where people show what they are making and share what they are learning. Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists and garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.