I know there are a fair few fellow geeks on here and some creative types too.

Anyone else going to Maker Faire UK in Newcastle this weekend?

If it was included in the year pass we have yes but it isn’t so no. Probably be a bit much for a 4yr old hyperactive child to take in anyway.

Looks interesting, have you been before?

Wondering whether a 9 and 10 year old are likely to get enough out of it to make a 4 hour drive and hotel stay over worthwhile.

northernmatt: you get 25% off the ticket price with your annual Life pass and kids under 5 go free, so you and mini-matt would only be £9 for the day which seems okay.

vinneyh: yeah I went last year with my daughter who had just turned 5. I think she was most impressed by the weird robot steel band, the Coke and Mentos guys, and the semi-tame t-rex that was walking around:

But she also did a bit of soldering, made an LED paper lantern, played with compressed air rocket cars, made a spray paint LP, played with giant bubbles, and generally had her imagination and interest in technology, engineering and making sparked a little.

Since then we’ve built a couple of (very simple) circuits at home and done a bit of simple programming. So hopefully she’ll enjoy this year even more – she is certainly looking forward to it.

You know your kids, but they are definitely in the right age range for it, so if it sounds like the kind of thing that might interest them then I’d go for it.

Here are a couple of vids from last year:

Ad:
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm0WBReGsqc[/video]

Amateur footage:
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5nuaf0iubg[/video]

Slightly more grown-up developer level stuff:
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mUzLO6dH14[/video]

No one else? I thought it’d be more popular on here given past threads about Raspberry Pis, electronics, strange contraptions and general geekery.

You get a years pass to go to newcastle

Can I dress up as a Star Wars character, is Adam Savage going?

These are the important questions

Can I dress up as a Star Wars character,

You can if you like. Rebel Legion UK will be there so I’m sure they’d love to talk to you if you do.
http://www.makerfaireuk.com/makers/rebel-legion-uk/

is Adam Savage going?

Yes – but he’ll be cunning disguised as a middle-aged guy in a Newcastle football shirt.

I’d love to, but just too far to trek to.

It’s a real shame about the fiasco of the London Maker Faire, the little one at E&C seems dead now too.

I’d have to kill them as I’m Darth Maul

Do you come with detachable legs?

No. But I do come with the proper boots

Interesting article Simon. I had no idea they had tried that. Shame it fell through, the Bay Area Maker Faire it absolutely massive. It’d be great to have an event that size in the UK.

(The Newcastle one is quite big but only really has room to display a few of the big projects.

No one else?

France is closer.

I’ll make do with DiResta on youtube 🙂

There is a “Make” channel on YouTube too (which sometimes features DiResta).

Also worth checking out “Make It Extreme”, “DIY Perks”, Ben Heck and of course the ultimate shed-based UK maker Colin Furze.

France is closer.

Actually, Rome is both quicker and cheaper for me to travel to than Newcastle. Quite tempted now to book a cheap flight & hotel and go to the big European one in October.

Well that was awesome!
So good we ended up taking the kids on both days, though I ditched them on the Sunday so I could go to the lectures.

Great to see my girls enthused and excited by technology, engineering and possibilities.

Particular favourites were Robot Wars, the giant foam dart firing hexapod, bubble making, and a chance to see “a real rocket just like Tim Peake’s”

(from Copenhagen Suborbitals who are attempting to crowdfund a manned mission to space!)

Some more photos in the gallery here:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/visitors-stunned-lightning-duels-space-11234573