Make: Online : MAKEcation pics: Teach your family to solder

We're starting to see some fine submissions to our Teach Your Family to Solder MAKEcation challenge. So far, it's been mainly kids -- very little kids. While we're thrilled that MAKE readers aren't Nanny State types who over-protect their children, we'd love to see some older kids, teens, and more grown-ups. We're still offering Maker's Notebooks to people who post their pics to the MAKE Flickr pool. So get to it!

MAKE pool member Digrat teaches his son Joseph how to solder a basic LED circuit.

The Irish Robotics Club ran a soldering workshop night, at Dublin's Science Gallery. Participants built Mitch Altman's Trippy RGB Waves kits.

Thomas Beckett writes of his son, "Kidrocket," almost six, learning how to solder:

Shortly after [his first soldering picture] was taken, he got a little burn and I thought that would be it for soldering for a few years. But tonight, with just a little coaxing, he was back at it. The Wee Blinky kit we obtained from Maker Shed made the process a little easier. He and I alternated soldering joints and finished it up in no time. His excitement and satisfaction when the blinker came on was priceless to see. He is more educated and empowered today than he was ten days ago.

Way to go, Kidrocket!

Josiah Ritchie taught his three year old daughter how to solder -- soldering form, anyway. He left the iron off, but tried to teach her a health respect for the iron, the danger of its heat, and the proper way to hold it. Nice form. What's she working on there?

More MAKEcation action:
Let the MAKEcation solder-fest BEGIN!
MAKEcation Cooler Hacking Challenge

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: qubix on August 11, 2009 at 4:17 AM

Robots > computers

Slight correction. We are a Dublin based Irish Robotics Club, not computer club. It was our first hands on workshop and hopefully the first of many!

Reply to this comment

Posted by: Aaron on August 11, 2009 at 6:05 AM

Safety

Its nice to see kids doing this stuff, but where are the safety glasses? Hot solder could flick up into an eye and blind them forever. Please use safety glasses when soldering!

Posted by: Marcel on August 11, 2009 at 6:10 AM

Starting young

This isn't a brag, or a "mine's younger than yours" entry...

My son has just turned two. He's seen me soldering a few times and although he's not even held it himself yet, he does know that it's hot and has the general idea of what I'm doing with it.

Like most things in life, there's no lower age limit for learning. I really look forward to teaching him to solder for himself. My Dad taught me.

[m]

Posted by: josiahritchie.myopenid.com on August 11, 2009 at 3:36 PM

She's just "attaching" a wire to some sort of pot I desoldered from an old set of speakers. It was of appropriate size to capture her attention.

Aaron, we'll remember the safety goggles when the iron's hot. I don't have any that would fit her at the moment. Any tips on where to get safety googles for a kid that age?

Posted by: alex.s.myopenid.com on August 11, 2009 at 3:49 PM

A local "educational toy" store in your area is likely to have them, but if there aren't any in your area, there are several places online you can get them, such as:
http://www.forsmallhands.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=86_779
http://www.sciencebob.com/store/gog-100.php
etc..