Getting Crafty with Campers at Evans Library

9/14/26 - When parents are looking to send their children to summer programs, they may tend to look at community centers, their local school or parks and recreation. But what if a nearby academic library offered children the chance to become inventors, designers, and makers for a week? This summer, campers ages 7-11 at Florida Tech's Evans Library explored creative technologies and brought home a new hands-on project each day, from digitally designed creations to technology-powered crafts that blended imagination with innovation. 

Florida Tech expanded their summer youth programs this year and Evans Library participated in a way that showed off the maker spaces that the library faculty and staff know as the Craft Lab and the Digital Scholarship Lab. When the opportunity was presented Evans Library staff decided to develop and run a unique program that highlighted the creative side of young minds. Hosted by iDesk Supervisor Monika Parker and staff members Lauren Kruthers and Sara Bueno, the program was aptly named Summer Crafts in the Library.  

Over four almost-weeklong sessions campers were able to show off their skills and make a variety of different projects throughout the program. In addition, campers were able to tour different parts of campus over the duration of their session. Tours of the Joy and Gordon Patterson Botanical Gardens and the L3Harris Student Design Center were given, along with daily lunch breaks at Panther Dining Hall to give the campers the full Florida Tech Experience.  The campers got an insight into how Florida Tech students can create satellites, rocket launchers, and more while touring the L3Harris Student Design Center and even left with a 3D printer flier toy.  Campers also got firsthand experience with our 3D printers and painted printed dragons that were ready to go to their new homes.

The campers were given full creative freedom during all activities to design projects that were uniquely their own and were introduced to the different services offered in the library's Craft Lab and Digital Scholarship Lab. The different technologies the campers had firsthand experience with 3D printers, UV laser engravers, a Cricut, and VR headsets. These technologies that the Evans Library houses can be used by anyone on campus to create a multitude of different things. In addition, they got to explore more traditional art mediums such as painting, sewing, modeling clay, and making woven bracelets. 

One of the first technical projects was an introduction on heat transfer vinyl to design their own custom t-shirts. With the help of Canva, campers were able to create their design, choose from a variety of colorful and patterned vinyl and with the help of a Cricut and a heat press, watch their designs come to life. Most campers immediately changed into their shirts and were able to show them off to their families at the end of day one of camp. Another project the campers got to use the Cricut for was to cut out their own sticker sheets that were also designed on Canva.  

Campers were then introduced to sublimation; this practice allowed the campers to make any design come to life in a similar fashion. The designs were heat transferred onto mugs and pencil cases. Some campers chose photos of family, their pets, with a focus on making a customized gift for Father's Day. Others chose their favorite sports team, animals, or characters to make their mugs and pencil cases uniquely their own.  

The third project involved a new UV laser engraver. Monika and Lauren demonstrated how the laser could cut through wood panels and cut out pieces for a wooden lantern. The lantern had some cutouts for designs and with a material called vellum, campers were able to draw with alcohol-based markers. With some wood glue and a tealight candle, our campers had their own little lantern for their next adventure! Campers also were given the opportunity to engrave their own keychains with the UV laser.  

Parents were thrilled to have the opportunity to allow their children to participate in a unique summer program that introduced them not only to the Florida Tech campus, but the various services that Evan's Library provides to students, faculty, and staff. Parents left feedback on the program stating, "We were very grateful for the patient teachers who led the activities each day. Our children are very different, and both thoroughly enjoyed the camp and would love to go again next year. The meals included made it a much easier experience for busy parents." Another parent emphasized the need for more creative summer programs, stating, "Thank you for having a full-day camp — they are so hard to find for working parents! This was so much better than we imagined — better than sticking them in a room with a box of crayons. Nice to have something non-sports for kids who are artistic." 

By the end of each session, campers left Evans Library with much more than a collection of handmade projects. They gained hands-on experience with innovative technologies, explored new forms of creativity, and discovered how learning can be both educational and fun. Through a combination of digital design, traditional crafting, and campus exploration, Summer Crafts in the Library gave participants a unique opportunity to see themselves as inventors, artists, makers, and future innovators. For many campers, the experience was their first introduction to the creative technologies available at Florida Tech, and perhaps the beginning of a lifelong interest in design, engineering, and making. Evans Library is proud to have been part of Florida Tech's summer youth programs and looks forward to inspiring the next generation of creators in the years to come.