COLD LAKE - It's more than just tinkering, it's a way of learning.
A local aerospace engineer is bringing his knowledge of the industry to youth in the form of a Makerspace.
“A Makerspace is a safe place that has tools that allow kids to learn by building. Usually they call it tinkering, where you start building something you don’t actually know how to build and you learn as you’re building it. You fail a lot and you learn a lot of skills as you’re doing it,” detailed Alexander Cordes, the aerospace engineer behind bringing the initiative to the city.
During his presentation to City of Cold Lake council on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Toronto, ON native explained how hands-on learning starts at a very young age.
“It’s a skill that toddlers have… it’s a very natural way of learning, but as we enter school, we’re taught a different way and we forget how to learn like toddlers,” Cordes continued, adding there have been numerous studies that show kids learn better through physical experience, which is what a Makerspace is all about.
“You usually provide a goal that you’re trying to achieve and then design, test, and iterate on your design, instead of someone in a classroom explaining a concept.”
Cordes already has a space lined-up at the Cold Lake Library’s north branch.
His vision is to offer an after-school program for kids between the ages of four and 18-years-old. They would be split into different age groups, but their focus would be on engineering-based learning.
From building flying model airplanes out of cardboard and recycled materials to operating top-of-the-line engineering software, Cordes hopes to open the minds of local youth to a world of possibilities.
“Some kids are already doing this at home, so this is a way of nurturing that passion, and for other kids haven’t really unlocked this passion, it’s an opportunity to get them involved in these activities,” he exclaimed. “It would be a great alternative to other after school programs. There are a lot of sports programs that exist and that’s not for everyone. There are a lot of students out there that I think would be interested in the technical after school program.”
Before turning his vision into a reality, Cordes wanted to test the local market to see whether or not a program like this would work in Cold Lake.
Using a Facebook post, he discovered that there was quite a bit of interest, especially among those aged eight to 15-years-old.
“The ages go as low as four years old all the way up to over 18, but most of the kids are between eight and 15-years-old, which I find is the best age to start this kind of program,” noted Cordes.
When pitching the Makerspace to council, Cordes said he wanted to keep it as low cost as possible for families. One way he is able to do that is by working with the library to use their space and computers for free, utilizing recycled materials for their projects, and building equipment, such as a 3D printer, from scratch.
“What I’m still looking for is some kind of financial support to start the program. The idea is to start in March… at a reduced cost,” he added.
Cordes’ plan is to offer 20 hours worth of programming each week with roughly eight kids per group, sparking creativity and out of the box thinking by building various items using recycled materials.
A slow cooker made of cardboard, a vehicle that follows lights, and solar panel projects were among the creations Cordes had in mind.
“It really empowers kids that they can design and build anything that they want and they can make low cost things out of nothing,”
He added, “There really are no limits.”
Coun. Chris Vining, who is also the principal at Art Smith Aviation Academy, expressed there is a market for this type of initiative in the area.
“I think you’re definitely on track.”
Council won’t make a decision on providing any funding until March, and encouraged Cordes to take advantage of any federal or provincial government grants that may be available.
However, Cordes noted, “usually you apply now and hear back in the summer, and I don’t have that kind of time.”
With full intentions to offer a cost-effective program for local kids, Cordes stressed to council they would be focusing “more on recycled materials, so using cardboard, broken CD players, and those types of things, and green engineering, so things like solar panels, wind turbines,” which should help with cost.
