Imagine a 10,000-square-foot workshop with all the woodworking, electronic, metal and craft tools and machines you could ask for. Then apply the concept of a health club where first you join and then you take turns on the apparatus, and that's what Maker Works is all about.

It's one of the dozens of exhibitors at today's Mini Maker Faire at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. "Maker Works is an investment in trades people whose talents are being lost," said Tom Root, one of the entrepreneurs behind Maker Works, which is slated to have its grand opening later this summer. "It will be a community place where people can get back to physicalness."

A spirit of creativity and invention drives the Mini Maker Faire, which is in its third year in the Ann Arbor area. "The purpose of the fair is to present interesting and unique exhibits that excite, motivate and educate," said Dale Grover, one of the members of the a2geeks committee that organized the event. "Kids love explaining what they've made, and we have a very appreciative audience."

Kids like Adam Krueger—who, along with his two sisters and mom, ran the Kids Unplugged booth at today's fair. "I like crafting a lot and making robots and machines," he said, referring to the use of Scrap Box materials that go into his creations.

"I make the kids unplug the TV and turn on their imaginations," said Adam's mom, Diane Krueger, a graphic designer. "It sets them free."

Meilan Liu came with her son and his friend, who are fourth-graders at Ann Arbor's Lawton Elementary School. "They like Legos so I thought they'd like this, and they do," she said.

Legos are at the core of Brain Monkeys, which offers summer camp, after school and home school classes; and private tutoring. Brain Monkeys teaches kids to program Lego robots, and the Sumo Battle Bots were a big draw today.

"We're teaching basic electronics and giving kids an opportunity to do hands-on activities," said Katie Tilton, one of the teachers at Brain Monkeys.

There were also demonstrations for the less technologically inclined of all ages, like the Green Sheep exhibit, where Jeff and Robin White and their children demonstrated looming.

"We're using T-shirts and old wool sweaters and making blankets with them," said Jeff White about the colorful, warm blankets that he compared to giant pot holders.

"Each one of our kids has a specialty," said Robin White. "That's the spirit of the Mini Maker Faire, to get children involved and learn how to better communicate.

"It's a real business experience, and I really like teaching people," said their 12-year-old daughter Ellie White, while making a blanket on the loom.

For Faire organizer Bob Stack, the event offers an opportunity to provide people with a place to come and see the kinds of things that they can do themselves.

"This is kitchen table stuff," said Stack. "Originally we did the Faire for geeks, but it's turned into something for kids. It's great to watch how awed they are by this stuff. They're having a blast."