Kids had so much fun at the MakerMobile in Rossland last Thursday that their parents had trouble getting them to leave.
The MakerMobile is “a traveling classroom, hackspace, workshop, art studio and laboratory” driven by Farrell Segall, who is based out of Salmo. The truck is loaded up with all kinds of fun, educational things for kids to play with like a 3-D printer and “squishy circuit” — conductive Playdough that allows young children to safely experiment with electricity.
The MakerMobile got its start in Vancouver five years ago, but has since taken a number of road trips.
“The truck initially was only based in the Lower Mainland and last year we ventured out to a northern and central B.C. Library Federation road trip for a whole month, all the way up to Fort Nelson and as far east as the Rockies, Banff National Park,” explained Segall.
The MakerMobile has travelled “pretty well the whole of north and central B.C.” and now that Segall is living in Salmo he decided to do a mini road trip in the Kootenays.
The truck made its Rossland stop outside of the Rossland Public Library, and Segall says he partners with libraries because it’s one of the best places to find kids during the summer from one community to the next.
“The libraries are a common factor in every little town, certainly in rural B.C., that’s open, specially catering reading clubs for kids, over the summer holidays,” he said.
Segall says having a mobile space is more affordable than a brick and mortar space, and it also allows the space to be used in more than one community.
