Creative: Kids print their own T-shirts with a new plotter
Achievement at the student research centre
After a year, the time had come again: a visit to the SFZ.
We were very excited to see what exciting projects the school research centre in Bissendorf, for which we have been a sponsor for two years now, has come up with over the past year.
At the SFZ, pupils can try out their creative, technical and craft ideas and realise their own projects every Wednesday afternoon. We would like to give you a closer look at what these projects look like:
There are currently around 40 children letting off steam creatively. From painting canvases and plotting their own T-shirts to building electric cars and bobby cars with solar cells – the pupils develop these and many other ideas with the two teachers and team leaders Patrick Kreutzmann and Malte Dassau.
Print T-shirts with your own plotter
“Anyone who is interested in technical and creative topics can take part here. Age doesn’t matter,” Malte explains. As we came down the stairs, three 10-year-old boys were already sitting at their laptops and putting together various technical graphics. A few other children were busy assembling a new electric car. And when we entered the centre, we immediately noticed the large graffiti on the wall that Patrick had already told us about in the last blog entry. Now the wish has been realised.
Malte then showed us the Student Research Centre’s latest achievement. They have purchased a plotter with which they can now print their own T-shirts. Many of the children wore their self-plotted T-shirts and hoodies that day. Malte explained to us how the whole thing works: “The plotting process consists of several steps. But once you’ve done it, it’s not difficult at all! First, you either create a motif in the appropriate programme beforehand or select an existing motif in the programme. The laptop is then connected to the plotter in order to transfer the data of the desired motif to the plotter. The film intended for this purpose is then inserted and the plotter starts working. Once the film has been plotted, our new transfer press is used. The motif can then be pressed onto the desired item of clothing. And our self-printed T-shirt is ready.”
Recycling plastic lids
This is not the only project that has been realised. Another great idea is to usefully recycle plastic lids that are no longer needed and create something creative. The children use plastic lids to make lamps and mobile phone holders, which they sell in their shop “Plastikhelden”. Malte also showed us the wooden boxes the pupils had made themselves. “The kids designed the boxes themselves using our laser cutter,” he told us. “The laser cuts tiny incisions into the wood so that the box can be customised as desired,” he continued.
Intergenerational learning
Everyone helps everyone here. And you can feel this sense of community directly. The children help each other or the teamers provide incentives so that the pupils can realise their projects. “Everyone is involved here and no one is neglected,” reports Malte.
To provide the children with even more incentives and insights, they will visit us in August for a company tour and workshops in the areas of design, production and marketing. Some of the children have set up an Instagram account in recent weeks and would like to learn more about posting and creating stories.
We are still looking forward to working together and to your visit in August! We wish you every success with your future projects!
