Your Chance to Shape Long Beach: Lemonade Day

. I'm taking the opportunity of this unplanned time off to connect with the many artists and creators in this wonderful city that I love. Come with me on my 100-day odyssey of art and creativity in Long Beach. I call it .

Strong words, strong intentions, I know.  Changing the face of a city is a big task.  In my down time I've created a mission.  To nudge Long Beach in the direction of Making.  Today, we have news of progress on the Long Beach Making front.

August 30th was Day 60.  I received an email from SparkFun that my request to put Long Beach on their education tour map was successful!

The Opportunity

There are a few places you would usually go to look for parts for your electronics Maker projects.  In the past it would be Heathkit and Radio Shack.  Today it is the Maker Shed, SparkFun and yes, Radio Shack is starting to increase their parts inventory and embrace the Maker movement.

SparkFun encourages innovation by providing parts and lesson plans for delivery with those parts.  It also provides an environment for budding inventors and entrepreneurs to produce and market their own products.  It's what Making is all about.  Facilitating creativity.  Handmade Penguin believes in facilitating creativity.

SparkFun is reaching out to its customers by taking the education on the road.  Long Beach is on their calendar for October 16th and 17th.  After that, they head to CalTech.

The significance of this opportunity is substantial.  SparkFun's commiting dates to Long Beach means that they believe that Long Beach really wants to make Making happen.  That the support for Making is strong enough for it to be worth their while.  I think that Lemonade and Patch may have had a bit to do with this.

Actual costs for participation will depend on the content we select, and possibly a cost for location and administration.  As I understand, the session is free, but there is an equipment cost. When you learn all this fun stuff, you'd better take some toys home to have fun with.

The Possibilities

The possibilities are endless, but the reality is that Long Beach is new to the Making game.  So it might behoove us to pick the basic introductory curriculum for this first time.

Here are some ideas.

Soft Circuits are Sew Fun! - CLS-11356
Sew together a jar of twinkling LED fireflies, a robot with a LED heart throb, or a luminous LED Jellyfish. This project makes for a great way to learn the basics of LilyPad Arduino and gives you the ability to take home a tangible, completed project. Read More...

PTH Soldering Class - CLS-11355
This course teaches through-hole soldering and is recommended for the true beginner. This will be a hands-on class where the students learn techniques to help them solder through-hole components. Read more...

LilyPad E-textiles for back to School - CLS-11348
We all think of new clothes for back to school and SparkFun wants to help. In this continuation of our Lilypad E-textile series we'll delve into some advancing concepts with sensors and the Lilypad Arduino board. Read more...

Introduction to Arduino - CLS-11346
Go from blinking an LED to virtual prototyping in seven hours and still have time to eat lunch! This class is for anyone who has never played around with Arduino before and those who have played around a little bit but aren't entirely sure about how the basics work. It's easier than you think! Read more...

Solder Your Own Microcontroller Class - CLS-11465
Do you want to learn how to solder while creating your very own microcontroller that you can take home and embed in a project? We'll be doing just that with our Arduino Compatible PTH Kit. This course teaches through-hole soldering and is recommended for the true beginner. Read more...

Introduction to Arduino - CLS-11457
Go from blinking an LED to virtual prototyping in seven hours and still have time to eat lunch! This class is for anyone who has never played around with Arduino before and those who have played around a little bit but aren't entirely sure about how the basics work. It's easier than you think! Read more...

I Need Your Help

I could be selfish and plan it all myself.  Keep it to just the schools that affect me, the non profit organizations that I support.  But I want to share the opportunity.  Yes, the decision will ultimately be mine, and the schools of my affiliation will benefit if I get the needed support, but I really do want to know if you're interested in being a part of the fun.  And you know, sharing is good.

Some questions that I would like to pose to you.  You should also email me at info@handmadepenguin.com.

1/ Are you interested in having this at your school?  The cost will range from $60-$135 per participant.  I expect there will be minimum session sizes.  The equipment, circuit boards, sewable circuits, sensors and more... will either remain with the school or be take-home after the activity, depending upon the requirements of the funding sources.

2/ Would you be willing to seek funding from your local PTA or businesses so as to facilitate the activity at your school?

3/ Are you a grant maker and possibly interested in supporting Making in Long Beach?  I know granting takes coordination and no one person can make a decision, but if you have an idea, I'd love to hear it!

4/ Are you technical or an artist and interested in being a part of the Maker movement in Long Beach?

5/ Are you an artist, crafter or just interested in making cool LED lit costumes for Halloween?  That works too! After all, it will be Art's Month, the month of October, the month of the Zombie Walk!

Let's make Making happen in Long Beach!

Tips, Tidbits, Things

• We now have a fairly substantial topic of conversation for the Long Beach Makers meetup group.  Even if you can't make the meetup on Sunday, please join the group so that we can communicate.  If your interest is youth making, please join Long Beach Young Makers.
• My Meetup group of Long Beach Makers hopes to bring those who make and those who want to make in Long Beach together.  Please join if you want to know about what we will be doing... gatherings we will have.  Our first meet up is scheduled for Sunday, September 2nd at Colorado Lagoon.  Bring a project to share.  Note: The actual making of lemonade is being pre-empted by this very important discussion.
• I am working on learning the requirements for three new BSA merit badges: Entrepreneurship, Inventing and Graphic Arts.  I am extremely open to working with other youth communities which have similar goals.  Girl Scouts... what else?  If you are interested in having me look at your community's requirements, please contact me.
• If you just want to listen, want to help, anything at all with regard to Making, please email me or join one of the two Meetup groups.
• Yippee!
• I would also like to thank SparkFun for the donation of a $50.00 gift certificate.  I used it in July to purchase several LEDs that have yet to be scheduled.
• This is definiitely a topic of conversation for the next Arts Month meeting!
• I want to start a new invention club: Hovershoes Club of America.  It is not the intent to make only hovershoes, but hovershoes capture the imagination of young minds.  This is evidenced by the over 5MM views of the how to make hovershoes video!
• A message to Dale Dougherty.  ?

Want more lemonade?       

Next up:

I am still thinking of buying some extender for my Speedball paints.  I'm still trying to get to Lyon's Art Supply on 4th Street.

If you would like to contact me, please email me at  info@handmadepenguin.com

Trish Tsoiasue writes as herself about creative and maker topics for and as Handmade Penguin for the Handmade Penguin Blog.