At the Toronto Mini Maker Faire, we'll be running a toy hacking activity all day Saturday and Sunday and the robot battle on Sunday!
Give your unwanted old toys new life! At our Toy Hacking makerstation, take apart old toys and reassemble them into new creations! Use screwdrivers, hacksaws, drills and scissors to take them apart, and use hot glue, duct tape, screws and needle and thread to put them together again. Humpty Dumpty never had it so good!
Hundreds of robots will enter the battle arena, one will leave victorious! Kids and adults are both welcome to enter. Bring a toy and hack it into a robot. Attach balloons to your robot, and arm it with sharp things to pop the competitor's balloons. The robot with the last balloon wins! Buy some parts to customize one of our base robots on site at the Faire. Or make a battle robot ahead of time and bring it in! Add pins, spinning death wheels, headlights, whatever you come up with. Keep it around 30 cm x 30 cm or smaller, keep it safe, and keep it fun for the other participants.
We'll cover our costs if everyone donates at least $5 to build and battle a robot. You can't keep the robot drive platform, but you can buy a kit for an additional $25.
We are still looking for some volunteers for this weekend, if you are available, please email us ASAP at info@makerkids.ca! We are also looking for toy donations (used or new) - you can drop them off at our makerspace during one of our programs Friday 4:30-7:30 at 2241 Dundas St. W. Toronto.
There will be robots, fire, and all kinds of maker projects on display all weekend at the Maker Faire, so be sure to come check it out! Discounted advance tickets are still available online until Friday midnight.
Thanks for the shout-out about the event, Cory! Hope to see lots of BoingBoingers there!