After attending Maker Faire Detroit at The Henry Ford over the weekend I can tell you this: creativity, ingenuity, and a sense of play are alive and well in Detroit. Children and adults marveled at the interesting inventions, took a spin on some clever contraptions, and dare I say it, learned something.

A few things I learned:

Smashing objects and tearing things apart can teach you as much as putting things together.

Kids don’t need carnival rides to thrill them; they thrive on new and interesting ideas.

Silly is always good.

Children have no idea what a vinyl record is.

You can use any fizzy beverage to make the same magic as the Coke Zero & Mentos guys. However, they use Coke Zero because it’s less sticky than the other soda pops. (See video below.)

You can try their experiment at home, just make sure you use room temperature pop, cold pop won’t shoot as high.

Everything you attempt doesn’t have to be perfect, just keep putting yourself and your ideas out there.

Remember to have fun and follow your passion.

Keep inventing, making, tinkering, and doing-it-yourself Detroit! You did our region proud. I’m looking forward to Maker Faire becoming an annual summer tradition in Detroit.