MakerKids Reviews
I think that MakerKids is doing some outstanding things for kids. Let’s get more kids into making.
I’m excited to see people specifically targeting kids that can help kids become makers. We know from Maker Faires that kids want this – and some of it is just knowing that they’re not the only one out there that likes to make things and wants to make things.
Working together with the MakerKids staff to create a unique social skills group has been fantastic and created a fun engaging learning environment. Their staff have been great at connecting with the kids and working with a behaviour analyst to adapt their programming to the needs of the clients.
I’m the co-founder of Yoga Tree Studios, a network of five yoga studios offering 2000 classes a month in Toronto, all studios were closed on March 15th due to COVID-19.I have two boys age 7 and 9 and since March, all members of our family (my husband and partner, co-founder of Yoga Tree and my two kids) were either learning or working from home.The public school system pivoting to online had it’s limitations, with only one weekly check-in with their homeroom teacher as a group for 30 minutes, the rest of the time, we as parents had to fill the void with the lack of kids programs available from home.I’ve signed up my two boys Preston and Connor for Makers Kids COVID-19 Coding Program from Home since March and continued till June, every day, Monday to Friday for 2 hours 1 pm-3pm. Jason and I look forward to 1 pm daily, as these two hours are our most productive hours working from home where we can focus and efficiently use my time replying to emails and connecting with my Yoga Tree team via zoom.Our kids also enjoy learning a new coding language and I’ve watched my younger one who started off being a bit shy and unwilling to share online to make new friends and became one of the most talkative ones in class.Maker Kids also makes it fun for kids with weekly Minecraft Wednesdays where kids can come together as a team to strategize and work together as a team online to navigate through the game.Signing up for virtual coding camp in COVID-19 was definitely was a positive experience for my kids while keeping parent’s work productivity high!
MASSIVE CAMP SUCCESS!! ☺️
For kids on the spectrum, it is common to have very specific interests. For Malcolm, he loves STEM learning: Robotics, programming, app design and YES Minecraft. This week is pretty much like Disney Land for him!!! It’s been an entire summer of waiting, planning and a little bit of fear on his part. Transitions aren’t always easy. I am so crazy delighted to say we’ve made it to Toronto and I left Malcolm feeling like he has joined his “pack” this morning! I’m not sure I’ve EVER seen him so happy and engaged. A happy child makes for one VERY happy (albeit tired) mom. I’ll take it. My heart is so full! Big thanks to MakerKids for being so detailed in making this experience happen!
My son has been in the Idea Incubator class for 10 weeks now. He looks forward to it every week and can really articulate what he’s learning – which to me means that he’s really understanding it.
Since joining MakerKids we’ve talked about our experience so positively that three other kids we know have joined!! (2 girls, 1 boy).
As an educator myself it’s a real pleasure to see ACTUAL student-centred enthusiasm-driven learning happening. It’s clear that so much thought is going in to fostering an environment where curiosity is supported and encouraged. Our son is gaining confidence and competence at a rapid rate in this program.
Thank you, very sincerely, MakerKids for your excellent programs! We feel so lucky to have found you!
We now know that kids learn best by doing. MakerKids is possibly the best example of learning by doing out there today. Our seven-year-old absolutely thrives on the tactile building, assembling and design thinking that is embedded in the programs. Highly recommend for any kids and wish I had something like this growing up.
Great company! great people! I really respect what these guys are doing.
MakerKids has impressed me from the start. It’s the ultimate playground for wired, technology- oriented kids or any child that wants to play “inventor”, and what kid doesn’t! The atmosphere is relaxed and the teaching method is child-centered. Creativity comes first and no question is left unanswered. Experimentation and the learning process are emphasized more than the end result.
My son has an IEP for dyslexia and previously would cry with frustration when he had to read. He took the Minecraft virtual camps with MakerKids during covid and it’s been an incredible experience for him! His mastery of Minecraft has given him so much confidence, he’s so excited and now he’s doing great in school. Thank you MakerKids for the exceptional service and fantastic teachers! We love the coding camps and virtual birthday parties too!!
Our longstanding Learning Partner, MakerKids, has joined Kingsway College School this year by providing online instruction in Scratch coding to interested grade 3 and 4 students. As always, MakerKids instructors and programs are highly popular among our students. Thank you, MakerKids, for adding to our enriched program and introducing students to the creative world of making and coding!
Inspired by one of our MakerKids’ clubs, a student in grade 5 and his Dad are building an Arduino controller to remotely turn on the cottage water heater in advance of their arrival. This and other amazing projects have been spreading through Kingsway College School thanks to MakerKids.
It’s never been more exciting to be in education; the learning and creativity through technology, coding, electronics and open-ended making are like rocket fuel for the school experience. But schools need help making this available for all their students, and that’s where MakerKids stepped in at KCS. Their focus on children, their passion for learning through making, and their flexibility in providing solutions for our school have been invaluable in our efforts.
Vast new frontiers for learning are possible by embracing the Maker Movement, but most schools don’t have enough in-house expertise needed to go there. With MakerKids, you’ll have the expertise you need. You’ll be amazed by the potential in your students. MakerKids will help you release it.
MakerKids was a great experience for my kids this summer. One of my sons did 4 different weeks and each was a different program. Jacob loved Makerkids and learned a great deal about electronics and computer programming. These programs are the way if the future. Jacob has expressed interest in working at Makerkids one day. It really was a very positive experience for him as well as our younger son who joined him for one of the weeks. I recommend MakerKids to anyone whose kids want to try something different, it is just great!
MakerKids came on my radar after Googling the game Minecraft, a game that my kids are very passionate about. What a lucky find! Every Thursday now my twin 9 year old boys play their favourite game with other fans in a safe, fun and welcoming atmosphere. The mandate that we are all “makers” and that creativity is the beginning of any great idea is apparent in the relaxed accepting vibe of the space and in the approach of the facilitators. Makers themselves, they seem to intuitively embrace and encourage what other classes and systems work so hard to repress. My boys flourish here and look forward to it every week. They show social skills improvement and more confidence since coming to MakerKids and finding their “tribe.” Happy children make me a happy and grateful mom. Thanks MakerKids for creating programs for my quirky, “outside the box thinking” boys.
Artash developed more confidence and skills about DIY projects at MakerKids. He enjoyed tinkering and interacting with mentors and getting his numerous questions answered.
I honestly can’t say enough good things about MakerKids, Jenn, and the rest of the team. When my son started his first multi-week Arduino class last spring, he had only done a few open-make days, and had never – not ever – done an extracurricular program or camp. He is 11, super-bright, with high-functioning autism, and always found the challenge of being successful in a group of peers when there are activities happening totally beyond him. Right from the first day of the class at MK though, every single member of the staff strove to understand exactly what my son’s anxieties were, and accommodate him. They immediately connected with his passion for building and technology, and used that as a way to make him feel connected to the program and the group. He loved every class, and Thursdays quickly became the best day of the week by a long shot. His confidence grew immeasurably, and he loved every minute of the course. He was able to learn first hand about the process of building a project from the ground up, from planning, to revision, to the multiple steps in testing and revising and failing and trying again. Most of all, he was clearly delighted to be in a place and with people who not only “got” him, but loved the same things that he does. His passions and interests – which are usually only marginally addressed and fostered in school and other settings – were encouraged and celebrated. You can’t get better than that. This past summer he also did a one week camp session at MK, and from start to finish, he had a blast. He was outgoing, relaxed and even helpful with some of the younger kids in the group, and was able to handle things which a short time ago would have been overwhelming. Best of all, he was so excited and proud of what he was accomplishing every day, and eager to do more. Truly I think if he came up with a place where he felt right at home, with everything he could ask for there, he’d be talking about MakerKids. Ok, maybe he would like a jet engine, but otherwise, it’s just about perfect.
It is a great space to help kids create what they can imagine!
Since I come here about every week, it’s like Christmas every week!
This place is awesome. It’s fun to make things, and you can use your imagination a lot. And there’s no right or wrong thing to do.
MakerKids is an awesome organization. I like that they won’t do the project for you. They will of course teach you how to use tools. If you want to make something they will supervise but you will do it.
One of my favourite memories of Clara and Minecraft was the day we took a visit to Maker Kids, a STEM-focused kid-friendly maker space in downtown Toronto. We went for a drop in session because we heard that they had Minecraft-related programs. Clara walked in carrying one of her store-bought pickaxes and headed over to a group of boys seated at a pod of computers at the back of the room. One of them looked up and complimented her on the pickaxe. “Are you guys playing?” she asked. “Awesome!” One of the other boys looked up and said “Hold on: a girl who likes Minecraft? COOL!” Clara grinned widely and pulled up a chair, quickly joining in on their game. Before long, she was teaching them things they didn’t even know. As a teacher myself, I couldn’t help but beam with pride. Her confidence exploded that day.