Instructables: Made In Your Mind

Take innovation to the next level with our new DIY exhibit inspired by Instructables website

Sponsored by The William Stamps Farish Fund

You can do it! Anyone can build and create; all you need is a little initiative, teamwork and a DIY attitude. Put on your thinking cap and put your problem-solving skills to the test in Instructables: Made in Your Mind, a new hands-on, do-it-yourself exhibit open through Nov. 4, 2012 at the Museum.  From a duct tape wallet to an indoor kite, creating your own projects is fun as long as you have a can-do attitude!

Made in Your Mind strives to instill the importance of problem-solving in kids through a hands-on, step-by-step process based on the concept of the Instructables website (www.instructables.com).  Branded the “world’s largest show and tell”, Instructables is a web-based platform where people share what they created and how they created it, as well as learn from and collaborate with others.  CMH was given the green light by Instructables to make from scratch an exhibit that would capture the website’s objectives and present them as a challenging, fun and enjoyable live experience. 

Made in Your Mind shows you it takes critical thinking and communication to do anything you set your mind to.  Through a variety of activities, such as rubber band bracelets and pocket flashlights, you can make and you can do!

WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND FOR YOU:

•As you enter Made in Your Mind, an Instruction Kiosk will be available where you can either select an item from a list of 8 activities or pick up a challenge as a guide for your own creative thoughts.  Activities will be suitable for all ages and difficulty levels.  Each week, the activities will be rotated so families who visit multiple times can do different projects.

•Once the project has been selected, grab a basket and go “shopping” for materials at the Materials Rack.  Each rack will have a theme to make it easy and efficient to find the right materials for your do-it-yourself project.

•After collecting all the supplies you need, take your supplies, instructions and challenges and head over to the Project Table and start building away! Each project table is designed for hanging the instructions off the table for easy access, a place to put the bin of supplies, a workspace, and the tools you may need to do the project. 

•After building your creation, race on over to the Testing Area where you can put your project to the test! This space will give you a chance to test out and tweak your awesome innovation!  And remember practice makes perfect!

There will be six sets of eight activities which will rotate throughout Made in Your Mind.  Seventy-five percent of all activities are free.  Paid activities are less than $5 and proceeds are to cover the cost of the materials.  Don’t forget, anything you make, you can take home with you!

ABOUT INSTRUCTABLES
Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others. The seeds of Instructables germinated at the MIT Media Lab as the future founders of Squid Labs built places to share their projects and help others.