About Maker Lab Kids

Building the next generation of makers, one project at a time.

Our Mission

Maker Lab Kids exists to give children real, hands-on experiences with technology, engineering, and making. We believe kids learn best when they're building something real - not filling out worksheets or watching videos.

Every child has the potential to be a maker, an inventor, a creator. Our job is to give them the tools, the skills, and the confidence to bring their ideas to life.

From compressed air rockets to combat robots, from soldering circuits to forging metal - we don't water things down. We teach real skills with real tools, safely supervised by experienced makers.

Meet the Makers

Jennifer Acklen, Owner of Maker Lab Kids

Jennifer

Georgia Tech Industrial & Systems Engineer (graduated with Highest Honor) turned software developer turned technology leader. I started my career writing Java and SQL, training Chick-fil-A on object-oriented programming, and building automation for the travel industry. I'm an engineer at heart - I love diving into the weeds to figure out how things actually work.

From there I spent a decade in financial services at Bank of America and Ally Financial, managing teams of program managers and an $80M annual initiative budget. I got recruited multiple times as "the fixer" - turning around troubled portfolios and transforming organizations from Waterfall to Agile. Then I jumped to a cybersecurity startup as COO, handling product strategy, fundraising, and a stint at StartupBootcamp in Amsterdam.

Now I bring all of that to Maker Lab Kids. Someone has to keep the trains running while Quincy is busy letting kids play with fire and liquid nitrogen. I handle the partnerships, scheduling, and operations so our workshops run smoothly and every school has a great experience from first inquiry to final rocket launch.

Quincy at Maker Faire wearing a Great Global Hackerspace Challenge shirt, holding the winning trophy next to his Feltronics educational electronics display

Quincy

United States Marine turned maker, teacher, and lifelong tinkerer. I've built Tesla coils (big ones and small ones), forged tiny swords with kids at the anvil, cast aluminum with lost foam, launched thousands of compressed air rockets, and once helped set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest QR code. If it sparks, flies, melts, or explodes - I've probably tried to teach a kid how to do it safely.

I've coached VEX and FIRST robotics teams to Worlds, CyberPatriot teams to Nationals, led aerial drone competition squads, run Odyssey of the Mind teams, and served as a Boy Scout Leader, Cub Scout CubMaster, and Trail Life Woodland Ranger. Before all that, I coached rugby to nationals and refereed everything from kindergarten to college. I also went through the Mach37 Cybersecurity Accelerator, Startup Bootcamp, and ATDC Accelerate - where I built Feltronics, an educational electronics platform that won the Great Global Hackerspace Challenge.

I believe every kid has an inner maker waiting to come out. Give them real tools, real projects, and a safe space to fail forward - and they'll surprise you with what they create.

When I'm not running workshops, you'll find me at makerspaces, Maker Faires, or figuring out how to safely let kids play with fire, electricity, and liquid nitrogen.

Quincy giving a tech talk presentation to a packed room at Skookum in Charlotte Quincy grinning while holding a tiny forged sword next to a 'No Weapons of Any Size Allowed' sign Quincy teaching blacksmithing at a forge with a young student Quincy was also a United States Marine!

Our Philosophy

🔧 Real Tools, Real Skills

We use actual soldering irons, real power tools, and professional equipment. Kids rise to the challenge when given real responsibility.

🔥 Safe Risk-Taking

Fire, electricity, sharp tools - they're all part of making. We teach proper safety and supervision so kids can explore confidently.

💡 Learning by Doing

No lectures. No tests. Just projects. The physics lesson is building a rocket. The electronics lesson is making an LED light up.

🏆 Fail Forward

Rockets crash. Robots break. Circuits fry. That's not failure - that's data. We celebrate iteration and perseverance.

🤝 All Skill Levels Welcome

Never soldered before? Perfect. Already building drones? Great. We meet kids where they are and help them level up.

🌟 Take It Home

Every project is yours to keep. We want kids tinkering at home, showing off to friends, and dreaming up their next build.

Our Work in Action

Group of girls collaborating on a robotics project in a makerspace, working together on building and programming
Large Tesla coil with copper windings and aluminum toroid in a maker workshop, demonstrating high voltage electromagnetic phenomena
Handmade LED tree sculpture with multicolored lights glowing in a decorative pot, created by a student learning electronics
Child's hands assembling a bug bot made from electronic components and copper wire legs on a workshop table
Small Tesla coil wirelessly lighting a CFL bulb, demonstrating electromagnetic induction
FIRST LEGO League competition with children in team shirts operating their robots on the competition field
Feltronics radio kit with felt circuit board pieces showing electronic symbols, connected to an oscilloscope displaying waveforms
Drone racing course set up with colorful cones marking the flight path and a quadcopter with controller ready for practice

Experience & Credentials

United States Marine
FIRST Robotics Mentor (Worlds)
VEX Robotics Coach (Worlds)
CyberPatriot Coach (Nationals)
Aerial Drone Competition Coach (Nationals)
Rugby Coach (Nationals) & Referee
Odyssey of the Mind Coach
Boy Scout Leader & Cub Scout CubMaster
Trail Life Woodland Ranger
Guinness World Record Holder
Great Global Hackerspace Challenge (Grand Champion)
Mach37 Cybersecurity Accelerator
ATDC Accelerate
Maker Faire Exhibitor
Public Speaking & LD Debate (Nationals)

Ready to Make Something?

Join us for a hands-on session and discover what your child can create.

Book a Session