Holiday Gift Guide by Maker Mom

Hello Everyone.

Joey has been really busy with school, so I'm going to do a Holiday Gift Guide this year. I will add in things I know Joey really likes too.

These are not in any order..just what comes to mind.

I'm sitting at Joey's desk printing on his 3d Printer from +Afinia3DPrint (have to do this while he's at school!)

 ~ +Afinia3DPrint This has been by far the best printer for Joey. He took it out of the box and it worked, and has continued to run hard. They came out with a new sticker think to put on the build plate, make the filement come off easier. That's a must too. While your at it, grab some fun colors of filement too.

Purchase:
www.makershed.com
www.afinia3DPrint.com

~ +Arduino I am always amazed at how much you can do with an +Arduino This has become a 'staple' in any +MAKE house. Can't say I know how to use one - but I see tons of them at +Maker Faire .

Purchase:
www.makershed.com
www.adafruit.com

~ Shamless Plug..working off the +Arduino you can purchase two of Joey's kits. The 3x3x3 LED Cube +Arduino Shield and the SMD LED +Arduino Shield. These are two great kits for Young Makers. They have both been "mom tested" which means I have made both of them!

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ Soldering Iron. This may seem very basic, but you do need soldering skill to do a lot of projects. Make sure that you read directions and be very careful - I don't want you to burn yourself.

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ +Raspberry Pi Joey uses this a lot too. Along the same lines is the new +Intel Galilio. Sorry, I have zero knowledge on these two items. I know they are really cool though!

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ Lock Picking Set from +Toool  Joey has had hours of fun with this.

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ +MakeyMakey by +Eric Rosenbaum and +Jay Silver
This is soo much fun. Who would have thought you could make music with a banana! We had so much fun making music with hot peppers last year!

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ +MAKE  Magazine. The gift that keeps giving! Make has changed how many times the magazine gets published...now you will get it 6 times a year! Who wouldn't love that! - Oh, and the magazine is BIGGER!

A few of My Favorites:

~ Squishy Circuits Ok, the truth is, I can make this work! It's fun and instant gratification. Great for little makers to understand. Making the dough is also a great learning experience.

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ +littleBits TV by +Ayah Bdeir This is another great learning tool. I love when you can play with toys and learn at the same time! I have alot of fun playing with this one. :)

Purchase:
www.makershed.com

~ I really do like +MakerBot new scanner. I do alot of origami and it would be cool to scan and then print.

Purchase:
www.makershed.com
www.makerbot.com

I have to stop myself - I think this could go on forever. There are so many fun toys out there, it just amazes me.
I may have to say the one thing that would be on the top top top of my list would be to take your family to a +Maker Faire That would be a wonderful gift. All the things I've mentioned above would be there, plus a zillion times more! You could play with all the toys and then decide what your favorite item is.

Some of you ask what is on Joey's Gift List this year. He is really into Dr. Who this year and loves the website +ThinkGeek  He also likes LED's a lot! Also, anything from +SeeedStudio is a YES.

Happy Holidays. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Joey and I love to help you all!

Don't be bored...+Make Something!!

~Maker Mom