Maker Hub Consultants help viewers get crafty while they’re spending more time at home.
Many of the students who typically tap into the resources of Elon’s Maker Hub spaces are sharing DIY projects that students, faculty and staff can tackle while away from campus. A new instructional video series featuring easy projects to make with common materials called “Maker Hub at Home” introduces a new project every week on the Maker Hub’s website.
Dan Reis, senior instructional technologist, said the students had lots of great ideas so he was happy to step aside and let them run with the series.
“I often hear from the students who come in that the Maker Hub is their happy place,” he said. “We wanted a way for students to find that happy place even if they’re not on campus. We understand that making things can be rewarding and potentially therapeutic, and those are things that we all need right now.”
Leah Cooper ’22 and Ethan Krohn ’22 launched the series with a short video about painting pictures and messages on rocks, which can be left strategically outside for neighbors to find later. Cooper said she finds joy simply in the process of making and likes to use Pinterest as a springboard for ideas. Morgan Kearns ’22 produced a video illustrating how to repurpose clothes into new versions, a process called “upcycling.”
“A lot of times we see end products and we say ‘I could never do what that,’ so it’s been really fun to try to do video tutorials and walk through the messy process of creating something,” Kearns said. “I hope to inspire the Elon community to be creative during this time with the materials that they have, offering some possibilities that others may not have thought of.”
A new video will be posted on the Maker Hub’s website each week through the end of the semester. Stay tuned for additional projects including a homemade terrarium and yarn art.