AS A kid, half-Filipina half-Polish Anna Makosinski, 22, did not have a mobile phone, Tamagotchi, Nintendo, Wii or Xbox. But, instead, her parents gave her a hot glue gun which she used to create her “toys”.
“I was always making things and being engaged. I loved to tinker and to talk,” she reveals during one of her inspiring TED talks, “Why I Don’t Use a Smart Phone”.
Her innate curiosity resulted to several inventions which included a hollow flashlight that can be powered with the heat of the hand (Makosinski won in the 15-16 age category during the 2013 Google Science Fair for her thermoelectric flashlight), and an eDrink Mug which acts as a phone charger using heat from the drink.
Just like Anna, mom-of-two Debbie Uy-Rodolfo, who recently left the corporate life to open Tinker House, believes in the power of tinkering. “To tinker means to play, dabble, and busy oneself. Tinker House, which started in Tacloban in 2016, is a place where children work with their hands and do something fun, creative, and interesting,” she beams with excitement.
Full Steam ahead
“As someone new in the field of business, I wanted to embark on a venture that would be meaningful to me. The advocacy of Tinker House to make science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (Steam) activities fun, accessible, and affordable resonates deeply with me, because I consider myself a lifelong learner and I believe in the value education,” discloses Debbie who is a graduate of BS Computer Science major in Information Technology and has an MA in Journalism.
Tinker House presents arts and science as enjoyable by making it play-based and hands-on, letting children play in an unstructured and unhurried manner, and with no time limit. It is very reasonable, starting at 150 pesos per activity, inclusive of the supplies.
“And, they get to take home their work! Finally, we make arts and science within reach as we are in malls and open during mall hours. We can also bring our activities to your events, schools, and offices,” Debbie discloses.
Arts and science made fun
Tinker House has three kinds of engaging activities. In Fun Crafts, children get to explore their creativity with open-ended projects and a wide selection of decorating materials. On the other hand, in Awesome Builds, children can assemble and paint puzzles and bots. Lastly, in Cool Science, Tinker House turns science into play with slime making, test-tube experiments, and dinosaur egg and pyramid excavations.
Tinker House also has retail kits for sale that one can do at home or give as gifts.
“Our variety of activities suit children from as young as three years old to older kids and kids at heart. It’s a great bonding activity, too, for both kids and parents. The best part is, aside from keeping the kids away from gadgets, these activities help to develop creativity, curiosity, and imagination in children – essential characteristics for them to adapt in a constantly changing world,” Debbie imparts with a warm smile.
Special thanks to Tinker House Davao for the photos on this page. Please follow their Facebook page, Tinker House Davao, for updates.
E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. To view more photos, please visit http://momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com/.