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The Maker Faire overflows with creative inspiration, and here are a few fabulous ideas you can recreate at home.

Make your own cardboard structures. DIY brought supplies for building and visitors did the rest. Brightly colored tape helped spruce up the standard cardboard-brown, and participation was encouraged by putting signs saying "help fix me!" on structures that had failed in some way. 

Brittany Wade, Camp Galileo Lafayette

Q: What is your job at camp? What do you see as the most important part of your role?
A: I am a Team Leader at Camp Galileo Lafayette. On a day-to-day basis, I provide my campers with an incredibly fun and memorable experience. Beyond that, I feel that the most important part of my role is guiding children to realize their creative potential, teaching

We’re always inspired by hardworking organizations that empower kids to change the world. Our friends over at Girls Leadership Institute (GLI) have been doing just that for ten years and counting. This national nonprofit has an ambitious—and profoundly important—mission: “The Girls Leadership Institute empowers girls to know who they are, what they believe, and how to express it. These skills

Little plastic knick-knacks come home from birthday party favors and kid's meal toys, often resulting in a battle between kid and parent over treasure vs. trash. One way to handle these little plastic pieces is to convert them into creative art through a toy mash-up session.

Supplies:

tiny toys and other small recyclables, like bottle caps, corks, wood scraps, ribbons, beads, etc. 

hot

Powwow! The annual Stanford Powwow is this weekend, beginning tonight at 5 p.m. Experience Native American dancing, singing, drumming and more. The Powwow runs all weekend, tonight from 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free and is located in Stanford's Eucalyptus Grove. 

Get moving at mobile park day. This Saturday, San

Kids love making wax molds of their hands, and it's loads of fun, even if the end result may look like a creepy Halloween decoration. The set up requires a little bit of planning, but it's not difficult to do and once ready, the wax hands are very easy to make. Also, this doubles as a spa treatment, which means even if the mold fails, you'll have smooth hands. 

What you'll need:

a block

Free comic books! It's free comic book day with many stores around the Bay Area participating. Look up your local comic book store and head on in where they will have a list of giveaway comics just for showing up. Some stores are going all out, including storm troopers, face painting, and more at Illusive Comics in Santa Clara and storm troopers and G.I. Joe villains will be on hand for photos

It all started with a rock collection. I was digging through the storage when I stumbled upon a box that held my childhood rock mementos. I decided my daughter might like it so I got it out for her. She was fascinated by all the different stones; she especially liked the quartz and amethyst. Soon she had me getting books at the library on the subject which led to visiting a gem show. At the

Kids of all ages love to doodle on chalkboards and this project will add some easy, inexpensive outdoor entertainment just in time for summer. Exterior chalkboard board made at home is surprisingly durable, and it's easy enough to make that kids can lend a hand in the process. 

What you need:

plywood - we used pieces that were 2 ft. x 4 ft., but pick a size that works for your space. Stores

Teach a child to fish... The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife are again offering free learn to fish workshops this weekend. Both are early mornings, with the workshops running from 8 - 10 a.m., with fishing allowed until 11:30 a.m.  Tomorrow's workshop is at Scottsdale Pond in Novato, and Sunday's workshop is at Sandy Wool Lake in Milpitas. Gear is provided on a first come, first served