A room full of three- and four-year-olds isn’t the most likely audience for learning how circuits and 3-D printing works, but for the Parachute Factory, it’s just another day at the office. The makerspace group, which partners with the New Mexico State Library on the Makerstate Initiative, has no trouble getting kids of all ages excited about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Paired with a visit from the NMSL Rural Bookmobile East, Pecos Elementary was an ideal place to begin our Summer Reading Program Kickoff Tour!
After a quick introduction, Mariano and Allie showed the students how to roll out their clay to form two “worms.” He then taught them how to light up an LED light by connecting the clay to a battery and allowing the current to flow through the clay to the LED light.
Next, they took a look at the 3-D printer, and Mariano explained to them that the machine is like a robot that can make anything that it is programmed to make from a coil of plastic wire made from corn. The machine is already programmed to make a plethora of objects, and it can also scan images of anything new like a statue or a person and create a print from the images.
The kids were sent home with a goody bag from the State Library encouraging them to participate in a summer reading program during their vacation!