Creating Innovators

League of Makers

Last weekend, Mr.12 and I tagged along to an afternoon meetup of (said in a loud barritone) "The League of Makers" to see what exactly The League of Makers does. Turns out they are a friendly bunch of guys (mostly) who dabble in the realm of digital fabrication. One of the Makers has designed a lazer cutter that he is building from scratch, by himself. It looked seriously hard. Another guy showed us the amazingly complex mini lathe he made by printing the parts on a MakerBot 3D printer. And there was an official talk (complete with power point) about the future of Makers in Wellington and how they are working towards creating a shared workspace that is completely open for anyone to use. Amazing. Mr. 12 and I also got to see the Maker Bot in action which always blows my mind. Mr. 12 is a changed man after seeing it print out actual objects and he has already put in a request to get one for home. Can't blame a man for trying. Then after hours of internet "research" Mr. 12 discovered the brand spanking new MakerBot Replicator™

I came away from the afternoon really inspired to see kids creating with this technology and getting their hands dirty building, destroying and making. Plans are shaping up with my Maker pals Rich Decibels and Richard Fortune (aka "The Riches") to create a fun kids class like this making little robots with basic electric circuits, motors, LED lights and some digital fabrication tools like the MakerBot. Looks like we may even have something going for April school holidays so if you know a keen kiddo age 9-12, watch this space!

Born to Learn videos explain Montessori approach

Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

Flaming Nachos "Rising Stars" of FLL

FLL Trophys, originally uploaded by hadleyfierlinger.

Just returned home from an amazing weekend with my FLL team at the FIRST LEGO League National Championship Tournament in Auckland. My team, The Flaming Nachos, won the "Rising Star" award and brought home a big trophy made of....LEGO! We had an amazing amount of fun and everyone, including the parents, learned so much that we will never forget.

One thing that is brilliant about the FLL programme is that the emphasis is really put onto what they call "Core Values" which emphasize independence, teamwork, process over product, effort, creativity and most importantly FUN! Awards are not about points earned but are given for best Robot Design, best Teamwork, Research Project and even "against all odds".

The National FLL competition in Auckland is in its 4th year and this year there were 20 teams from around New Zealand. This is the first year a Wellington team brought home an award. It was really cool to see that the Auckland tournament looked very similar to the Photos from Google sponsored FLL event that took place in California in November. I would like to see NZ tech companies support the FLL as they do overseas. We need volunteers, sponsorship and mentors from our local community to inspire our kiwi kids.

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FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL) is a global programme designed to get children excited about science and technology. A hands on programme for kids ages 9-16, FLL uses Lego Robotic Challenges based on real world scientific problems to engage children in research, problem solving and engineering. The cornerstone of the program is it's Core Values, which emphasize friendly sportsmanship, independent learning and community involvement.

I am really thrilled to be supporting the Wellington Region FLL as Coordinator and I think the FLL is really going to take off in our little city. The season for FLL begins in September and runs through November. Next year the theme is “Senior Solutions” which will be all about helping older people stay healthy, connected and mobile.

Anyone interested in FIRST programs in New Zealand should be subscribed to the primary announcement email group, facebook, or twitter

Prep time, originally uploaded by hadleyfierlinger.

Flaming Nachos in Food Factor competition

Flaming Nachos in Food Factor competition a video by hadleyfierlinger on Flickr.

2 1/2 minutes to complete as many challenges on the mat as possible! This was our best round scoring 120 which was our average score from all our practices.

Were off to Auckland!

Sunday 27^th November is the NZ FIRST LEGO League Championship tournament and you’re all invited to check out just how far our NZ teams have advanced since 2009. The event is open to the public at no cost so feel free to spread the word!

20 teams from Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch will compete in the Food Factor challenge for the 2^nd time this month after advancing from their regional qualifier events so it’s a tournament well worth attending. The standard of research projects, innovative solutions and robot designs has been accelerating since 2009 so expect to see some spectacular achievements and great ideas.

Time: Teams arrive at 8.30am and best robot game action from 12pm – 3pm. Sunday 27^th November.

Food: Good selection of hot & cold food available on site

Location: ACG Strathallan, Hayfield Way, Karaka

We’re looking forward to a great “FIRST” year in 2012 with the introduction of Junior FIRST LEGO League and a FIRST Tech Challenge pilot along with the established FIRST LEGO League events. Get involved at any level and help uncover & inspire our future science and technology stars!

Next year’s FLL theme and challenge name was recently announced – Senior Solutions

~Go FIRST Teams!

8 Years Old

Made for Jasper, originally uploaded by hadleyfierlinger.

My little sonny is 8 years old this week and one of his present requests was for a "knitted guy" to add to his motley crew of softies. I have not made anything for him in years so I searched for a pattern that would suit his 8 year old sensibilities and also something that could be knit in a hot hurry.

I decided to knit some Monster Chunks which is a Free PDF and uses up yarn you already have. ANY yarn! It was my first time using double pointed needles and I have to admit, I am a total convert. No sewing up! This little guy took me one night to knit and that is my kind of present: Last minute and made with love.

Never to be outdone by his mother, the 12 year old snuck the sewing machine to his room and is madley sewing a softie for his little bro too.

The Dad is also in on the making and had made tiny drawings on canvas of everything Jasper loves in the world - his fave, New York.

I just love the feeling of generosity and giving and love that is in the house at the moment. All because of a little boy that came into the world 8 years ago and made us all feel complete.