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Retro toys and creativity are hits with young and old at library's makerspace

 
Antonio Prestigiacomo makes a pair of sunglasses with the 3-D pen in the new Helen M. Card Retro Lab Makerspace at the West Hernando/S.T. Foggia Branch Library. The makerspace had its grand opening Friday.
Antonio Prestigiacomo makes a pair of sunglasses with the 3-D pen in the new Helen M. Card Retro Lab Makerspace at the West Hernando/S.T. Foggia Branch Library. The makerspace had its grand opening Friday.
Published Sept. 10, 2015

SPRING HILL

For oldsters who have bemoaned in recent years that they share no common ground or language with their grandchildren, retro diversions are sweeping divergent generations together again with believe-it-or-not results.

In the new "makerspace" at the West Hernando/S.T. Foggia Branch Library, kids 4 to 16 — and some grandparents, too — are whooping and shouting "Look! Look at this!" as they wave about their Spirograph works of art, or sharing fist-bumps over the cabin they just built with Lincoln Logs.

"It's insane," chortles digital initiatives librarian Brittany McGarrity, as excited as the youngsters who have taken joyfully to toys and crafts from the 1950s through '90s.

"They come in here for the robotic Legos and Super Nintendo, but they stay for these," McGarrity said, gesturing to the older-timey stuff. "I think it's because they don't do this at school; they don't have art classes."

Given the projects under way in the makerspace, the youngsters are enthralled with putting to work the right sides of their brains and all those fingers beyond thumbs callused by Game Boys and smartphones.

The new Helen M. Card Retro Lab Makerspace is devoted to inspiring creativity and imagination through retro activities for all ages. It's where creativity and do-it-yourself connect. It was made possible with a $25,000 bequest from the estate of the longtime library volunteer for whom it is named. The grand opening took place last Friday.

"They'll stand in line for this," McGarrity said, pointing to the Super Spirograph, a geometric drawing toy celebrating its 50th birthday this year with a $40 price tag. "It's the greatest generational thing. Kids and grandparents do it."

McGarrity picked up a can of Play-Doh from a multi-colored hill of them.

"I remember this was expensive when I was a kid," the 25-year-old said of the current $20 collection.

"Most of these things, most families can't afford," she suggested, noting the $75 Erector set, the $100 Shrinky-Dink and the $300 Button Maker. "Kids can't expect to own them themselves. This room is kind of an (economic) equalizer."

At the Button Maker — not a shirt button, but 2-inch-diameter lapel button with clasp — Sarah Prestigiacomo of Spring Hill assembled her third such creation, proving the toy's popularity.

The 13-year-old traced a circle outline onto standard paper, drew her own colorful design and wording within, and stacked button back, artwork, laminate cover and sealing ring appropriately into the accompanying press. It took all of her weight to seal the parts. She beamed over the results.

Having watched Sarah, local sexagenarians Linda and Ron Parks moved into the teen's makerspace. Linda deftly embellished her hand-printed name with contrasting flowers, handed the parts to her husband and told him, "I'm going to wear this everywhere I go, so you better make it perfect."

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As Ron fumbled a couple of assemblages, Linda advised, "Go get that little girl."

Sarah returned and set things right. Not an unexpected or unusual lab experience: kid as teacher.

Meanwhile, Sarah's 16-year-old brother, Donovan Prestigiacomo, toyed about in the Deconstruction Zone, a clutter of up-to-date electronic and digital gizmos in various stages of guttedness. In the body of a laid-bare computer hulk, he deftly wove a flexible plastic tape through barely discernible diminutive rollers, explaining, "This connects to the motherboard."

Lifting and repositioning another component, Donovan said, "I do this all the time, seeing what kind of parts it has in it."

Since age 12, he's tinkered with discarded electronics found in the home attic, "trying to put them back to work." His goal after college: his own computer repair business.

Most futuristic among the current gadgets in the lab is a three-dimensional pen that enables all comers to create a fairly simple product, a cellphone holder or eyeglass frame, among several available patterns. Similar to a craft glue gun, the core-heated pen melts and extrudes plastic as the user presses the drawing implement to paper, "painting" within the pattern lines.

"It gives the idea of a 3-D printer," McGarrity said.

During the lab's soft opening earlier last month, Sarah gave the pen a try. "It was cool," she said, "but it took a long time."

She estimated 45 minutes for the phone holder.

Five Prestigiacomo siblings are staking out lab space every Friday afternoon as part of their homeschooling curriculum, handled by their mother, Amanda.

"They'll be in there as long as I let them," Mom said from a quiet spot outside the lab.

McGarrity noted that lots of homeschooled youngsters are using the lab regularly.

"That we can provide this for homeschoolers is awesome," Amanda Prestigiacomo said.

Lab rules include occupancy of up to 10 persons at a time, one hour each during the library's open hours. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Users sign a contract requiring them to clean up makerspaces before leaving.

Signing onto the rules is part of an ageless lesson, McGarrity said — learning responsibility.

Contact Beth Gray at graybethn@earthlink.net.