What is 3D Giving Day, you ask?

3D Giving Day was an event designed to share iconic picture books with people who can’t experience them through visual means.

Thanks to 3D Printing, 3Doodler pens, and other maker space tools, 3D Giving Day participants made these stories tactile, in some cases for the first time ever. The finished products were then donated to libraries, hospitals, preschools, or other individuals so they could experience beloved images in a whole new way.

We are excited to share the success of 3D Giving Day with you, and we have compiled some of our favorite examples below.

A group of teens at the Library Station in Springfield, Missouri created a tactile version of Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear. Once completed, Library Station Youth Services Manager, Phyllis Davis, read the finished version aloud to blind and visually impaired preschoolers at Shining Stars Early Childhood Center. The kids interacted with the 3D prints through touch, providing further context to the visuals most of us take for granted. The local NBC station was also there to cover the reading.

“We’re helping other people so they can have the same feeling that we have when we read the books,” said San Gabriel, CA sixth grader, Krystal Osorio. “But instead of reading they are going to feel with their hands.”

3Doodler co-founder Maxwell Bogue attended the 3D Giving Day celebration at Massapequa-Ames High School, leading students through favorites like Where The Wild Things Are, Elephant and Piggie, and more.

3Doodler ambassador Naomi Harm put together a 3D Giving Day lesson plan for Coffee for the Brain’s 25 Days of Making. One week later, she brought the 3D Giving Day concept to more than 1,000 attendees at the SLATE Conference in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Want to see more about 3D Giving Day?

Check out the links below in the footer, and in the spirit of sharing, please post them on social media! @3Doodler #3Doodler