Duct Tape Network — About

What is the Duct Tape Network?

The Duct Tape Network (DTN) is a series of fun, hands-on maker clubs that encourage children 7-10 to use cardboard, tape, wood, fabric, LED lights, motors, and more to bring their stories and inventions to life.

Open Creation and Meaningful Design

DTN gives young people the increasingly rare opportunity to build things that they care about. In the process, children have fun, feel good about themselves, and acquire important skills for their lives.

Accessibility and Affordability

Using low-cost, low-threshold, everyday materials, DTN is about transforming ordinary spaces (schools, community centers, churches, garages) into extraordinary making spaces.

Community

DTN Maker Clubs create opportunities for children to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and work with adults in a genuine, participatory way.

Why children and open-end, hands-on projects?

Kids today don't have enough opportunities to explore their imaginations, tinker with their hands and engage in creating meaningful, open-ended projects. While adults are often uncomfortable when there is no structure or project ideas, kids often need this open space to create projects that matter to them.

DTN Maker Clubs engage kids in the creation of things that they care about before they lose their natural curiosity or get seduced by more consumer-oriented technology.

We provide appropriate structure, project sparks and compelling materials that encourage kids to create, tinker, and explore.

How are the clubs run?

DTN Maker Clubs run as series of volunteer-based 1-hour weekly workshops that engage children 7-10 in the creation of personally meaningful, open-ended projects using everyday materials.

You can run these workshops in your community! We provide a starting point and support you along the way. (check the resources) We also encourage you to adapt our resources to fit the needs and interest of your club.

Connect with the DTN community

The Duct Tape Network has originally been conceived at the MIT Media Lab by Alisha Panjwani, Rachel Garber, and Leo Burd based on their experience designing creative technologies and environments for children in different parts of the world.

The goal of the Duct Tape Network is to evolve based on the contributions and feedback from parents, educators, children and everyone involved in creating and managing the DTN Maker Clubs.

Drop us a line if you are interested to know more: info@ducttapenetwork.org

We would love to keep in touch with you!