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Make: and Maker Camp
By Make Community, LLC. Visit Make: and Maker Camp
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Make: is a DIY magazine and community for makers of all ages. Maker Camp is its free summer program: schools, libraries, makerspaces and families register as camp sites and get a library of 200+ step-by-step projects, badges in areas like arts and crafts, coding, electronics, wearables and fabrication, plus worksheets, an activity book and certificates. Projects are sorted for ages under 5 through 14+, and the maker says over 2,000 camps have registered. Projects can be used year round.
Our take: A strong free option for parents, librarians or teachers willing to lead a summer or after-school maker group; not a self-serve kids' app.
| Ages it suits | under 5 to 14+ (Maker Camp); magazine for teens and adults |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | The terms of use set no minimum age. The privacy policy says Make: follows COPPA and does not knowingly collect data from children under 13 without parental consent. Maker Camp sites are run by adults. (terms) |
| Price | Free, with paid extras. Maker Camp is free to register and use (Oct 2026); supply packs sold in the Maker Shed. Make: magazine is $24.99 a year print, $29.99 digital or $49.99 premium; Make: membership $59.99 a year. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | Yes |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI. |
What's good
- Free, structured project library with badges
- Projects for every age band
- Works for a family, library or school group
Watch for
- An adult has to register and run the camp
- Electronics and fabrication projects need tools and supervision
- Ad and marketing tracking on Make: sites
Data and privacy
The privacy policy (Dec 13, 2024) says Make: may use location and ad-viewing data with marketing partners for personalized ads, and third-party ads may appear on its sites. It says it follows COPPA. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No independent studies of Maker Camp found; the maker cites more than 2,000 registered camps.
In the Big Index
- On the list 20 best DIY and maker sites for kids
- On the list 20 best summer learning ideas and programs
Alternatives to Make: and Maker Camp
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Adafruit Learning System
Adafruit Industries · ages about 10 and up with an adult
A top free resource for families building electronics together; kids should not work through it alone.
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Autodesk Fusion (Education)
Autodesk · ages about 14+ (high school and up)
Worth it for high schoolers serious about engineering or 3D printing; younger makers should start with Tinkercad.
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Babble Dabble Do
Ana Dziengel · ages about 3-12
Great for families and teachers who want craft projects with a design or science twist; an adult should pick and prep the projects.
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Blender
Blender Foundation (open source) · ages about 12+
Ideal for a motivated teen who wants to learn real 3D; younger kids should start with Tinkercad.
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Crayola crafts
Crayola, LLC (Hallmark) · ages about 3 and up (each craft lists an age)
Handy for parents and teachers hunting for a quick holiday or rainy-day craft; nothing here for a child to use alone online.
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DLTK's Crafts for Kids
DLTK's Inc. (family-run, Canada) · ages about 2-8
A handy free printables source for parents of preschoolers who don't mind ads; families wanting an ad-free site should look elsewhere.
Where these facts come from
- https://makercamp.make.co/
- https://makercamp.make.co/maker-camp-faq/
- https://makezine.com/
- https://make.co/join/
- https://make.co/terms-and-privacy-policy/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.