How to start a makerspace with next-to-no money -Ryan Hunt, Co-Founder of the MakerBus, Canada’s first mobile makerspace Three years ago Kim Martin, Beth Compton, and I decided to build Canada’s first mobile makerspace. But there was one small catch – we didn’t have any money. Despite this (big, but not insurmountable) catch we have […]
Read more "How to start a makerspace with next-to-no money"As the summer winds down, we’re gearing up for the second round of MakerBus renovations. Last year with the help of Paul Graham at Alpine Systems Engineering and his amazing team, we turned a rusted, old school bus into our big blue beauty. The second stage of renovations will focus on the interior of the […]
Read more "How would you build a mobile makerspace?"It has been a busy (and totally amazing) few weeks for the MakerBus. We wanted to write a quick email and thank a bunch of different awesome people in our community who have given us their support in the past weeks. We’ve always said that the MakerBus runs on community support and we’ve received an […]
Read more "Huge thanks to everyone who supports making in #LdnOnt"We are very excited to announce a new series of after school classes. Do you have an 8-12 year old who loves to explore, tinker, and take things apart? Bring your children to our after school classes and we will help introduce them to the maker movement. Our classes focus on hands-on, experiential learning that […]
Read more "MakerBus After School Classes"Makerspaces are amazing places for learning and discovery – unparalleled spaces that encourage people to learn through hands-on discovery. At the same time, makerspaces often contain equipment that can be extremely dangerous. At the MakerBus we often consult with organizations that are interested in building makerspaces. From libraries, to schools, to community centres, we are […]
Read more "Building a makerspace? Safety considerations for 3D printers, drones, and laser cutters"We were recently asked by a community partner what we would put in a makerspace in a box – something portable that could be transported for location to location to create pop-up maker experiences. For this thought experiment let’s assume that in addition to our makerspace-in-a-box you would have access to basic equipment like computers, […]
Read more "Ideas for creating a makerspace in a box"In the final instalment of our three-part series exploring how to create library makerspaces on different budget ranges, we’ll be exploring what to do if you secure a large amount of funding, and we’ll attempt to answer the question – what would a $1,000,000 library makerspace look like? If you receive a million dollar grant […]
Read more "How to make a $1,000,000 library makerspace"Last week we explored ideas for building a $100 library makerspace. This week we’re increasing our budget 10 fold and exploring how to build a $1000 library makerspace. While our budget has gone up significantly, we’ll still have to be strategic about how we spend our money. Should I buy a 3D printer? We get asked this […]
Read more "How to make a $1000 makerspace for your library"Working with the MakerBus we’ve had to learn how to do a lot with very little. This is the first instalment of a three-part series exploring how to create library makerspaces with very little (the $100 makerspace), moderate (the $1000 makerspace), and a ludicrous (the $1,000,000 makerspace) amounts of funding. Follow along as we share […]
Read more "How to make a $100 makerspace for your library"
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