DIY space station encourages kids to use tools and imaginations – ABC Online

Updated April 02, 2017 16:04:14

For one weekend only, children in Alice Springs have had the opportunity to try their hands at construction, using drills and other tools to make their very own space station.

The free event, called An Unsafe Adventure for Kids was organised by the local Scouts and took place on a vacant site in the heart of the town.

The event was a community affair with local businesses donating the wooden pallets and solar panels used to create the station.

Kids were encouraged, under the watchful eye of their parents, to build their own structures and get involved in risk-taking play, using tools and their imagination.

"One of the big problems today is people hurting themselves and others because they haven't dealt with risk before," project organiser and Scouts leader Eugene Blom said.

Mr Blom said luckily "Alice Springs is full of people who aren't helicopter parents".

In the space station adults were "droids" and did what they were told, but they were also programmed to stop "astronauts" from sawing their fingers off.

For parents, the weekend was an opportunity to get their kids off the couch and to bring risk back into their everyday life.

"Have fun with your kids. No screens! No internet! No wifi!" one parent said.

The event was a success, with more than 100 children and "droids" turning up with their tool belts.

"We get to use our imagination and just do whatever we want," one young participant said.

The project was also a recruitment drive for the local Scouts group, which is struggling to survive.

"They're on their last legs. We have five Scouts, we have 10 Cubs," Mr Blom said.

It was hoped the event would create community awareness about the kind of activities Scouts run and generate some interest in membership.

"If I wanted to put on an activity like this for Scouts I'd have 20 kids here, but I thought 'you know what the community's up for this'," he said.

Topics: play-and-learning, community-development, community-and-society, alice-springs-0870, nt

First posted April 02, 2017 15:52:00

Originally posted here:
DIY space station encourages kids to use tools and imaginations - ABC Online