People who love to use their hands and their minds to create things will be out in force on Saturday as the 2016 Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire takes over Whirlpool Centennial Park for a day filled with amazing activities for all ages. That series of big white tents below the bluff in St. Joe will be given over all day Saturday to "makers" of all sorts.
Cornerstone Alliance Supports Innovation and Creativity at 2016 Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire with a Grant from the Bosch Community Fund as they are again partnering with Berrien Regional Education Service Agency (RESA), St. Joseph Today, and Kinexus to host the 2016 Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire from 10am to 4pm.
For the second year in a row, the Bosch Community Fund awarded a grant to support this event. The Bosch Community Fund grant allowed Berrien County's lead, privately-funded economic development organization to purchase the littleBits Pro Library, a hands-on exhibit that made its debut at last year's Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire. The littleBits library is an interactive exhibit allowing students to learn and prototype with electronics from basic concepts such as power and sensors, to more complex items using programming and wireless technology.
For the 2016 Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire, Cornerstone Alliance has purchased additional kits for the littleBits library including the Hummingbird Duo Classroom Kit, Gizmos & Gadgets, and a Strawbees Kit. The Hummingbird Kit is designed to enable engineering and robotics activities for ages 13 and up (8 with adult supervision) that involve the making of robots, kinetic sculptures, and animatronics. Gizmos & Gadgets includes materials and accessories for 12 different inventions. Strawbees combine with littleBits to build on the basic concepts to create more complex models.
According to Joe Rommel of Berrien RESA, since the 2015 mini Maker Faire, the littleBits Pro Library had quite an impact throughout schools in Berrien County. Recently, the interactive exhibit was featured at the Science and Culture Symposium at E.P. Clarke Elementary in St. Joseph Public Schools, and was also used by middle schoolers in Berrien Springs. The resources are all made available and scheduled through the integration technology consultants at Berrien RESA.
Rob Cleveland, President of Cornerstone Alliance says his team is "delighted to be able to add to the creativity and innovation of the future workforce." He adds, "We do know that the jobs of tomorrow will be vastly different than today. Thanks to the generosity of the Bosch Community Fund, we are able to create an interest and offer students throughout Berrien County a hands-on experience of creating things."
The Bosch Community Fund is a U.S.-based foundation that awards grants in local communities where Bosch has a presence. This grant supports the Bosch Community Fund strategy of encouraging students to see themselves in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through hands-on learning experiences. The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services within four sectors: mobility solutions, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology.
Last year's show saw more than 1,200 people attend with lots of hands-on learning. This year's show has expanded dramatically with multiple tents in place all over Whirlpool Centennial Park for the event which runs from 10am until 4pm.
For more information on the 2016 Southwest Michigan Mini Maker Faire, please click the link below:
