As part of the Makers movement, a Maker Faire is a community gathering that celebrates creative expression in digital fabrication, arts, fine crafts, robotics, programming, and engineering.  Across the nation, these events are inspiring kids and adults to be creative, curious and take on the spirit of an inventor.

Frequent readers of our blog will note that I’m passionate about creativity.   I love the craft of making music.   Thanks to my mom and dad, I grew up in a home where I learned to play violin and piano.   As I internalized my love for music, I started learning how to arrange music on my computer and picked up guitar.   I am always thankful that my parents fostered musical thinking in my life.   It has been a source of self confidence and joy.

I also enjoy the crafts related to computers.   I grew up tinkering with computers with my dad.   I can still remember writing simple games in GW-BASIC programs with him on our IBM PC 8068.   When I was eight, my dad brought home our first mouse.  This was a revolutionary technology at the time.  I spent hours learning how to draw pictures on Microsoft Paint.   These small creative experiences with my dad inspired me to become a software engineer.  As a researcher today, I enjoy artificial intelligence, machine learning, gaming and how technology supports learning.

My parents fostered my love of learning by exposing me to music and tinkering with computer technology.   Sarah and I hope to inspire this same love of learning in our kids.   We enjoy taking the kids on road trips to help them stand in “awe” of the world.  Sarah, my wife who works as a biology professor, does a great job teaching them about the building blocks of life.   She celebrates the wonderful complexities of our Earth and nature.  It’s cool to hear my eldest talk about exploring cells or get excited about discovering a new plant or insect.

In the Rosario household, it’s very common to see us making stuff.  We enjoy making music together.  More recently, we have started playing Minecraft together.  We enjoy building Lego space ships and robots together.   It’s amazing to see how much fun the kids have building forts from card board boxes.

Making is in our DNA.  If you’re reading this post, you probably enjoy being curious, being creative, and learning.   With that said, I wanted to promote the Atlanta Maker Faire that will be happening later this month.

Atlanta Maker Faire

• The third annual Atlanta Mini Maker Faire is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2013 at Georgia Tech from 10am to 5pm. Featuring both established and emerging local “Makers,” the Atlanta Mini Maker Faire is a free family-friendly celebration featuring speakers, workshops, and exhibits on topics such as robotics, green tech, electric vehicles, vintage computing, 3D printing, textile arts, home fabrication, and much more! Get your TICKETS here https://atlantamakerfaire.eventbrite.com/
• COST: FREE
• WHERE: Georgia Tech; Tech Green at Clough Commons; 266 4th Street Northwest; Atlanta, GA 30313
• WHEN: Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Learn more at http://makerfaireatl.com

Stories from MakerFaire NYC