Playful Engineers LLC is a small arts-in-education business which creates and facilitates programs promoting play-based, curiosity-driven learning, helping kids learn skills, gain understanding, and build confidence, as they design processes, and make things move! In our hands-on programs, the kids are the Playful Engineers, designing and building artful mechanisms that accomplish tasks, send messages, tell stories, and bring characters to life.
Since 2015, Playful Engineers has presented over 1200 programs, both in-person and virtual, at schools, libraries, camps – wherever kids and families gather. We’ve presented over a hundred virtual sessions through the non-profit organization Connected North, for Inuit, Metis, and First Nations students in Northern Canada, and over a thousand in-person workshops in the Northeast US, including hundreds of grant-funded sessions through both the STARS Residency program, and many Local Cultural Councils in Massachusetts. Now entering our 9th year, Playful Engineers has been officially re-formed in 2025 as Playful Engineers LLC.
Our in-person traveling makerspace programs will come to your town if you’re within driving distance of our home base, but we’ll present our popular virtual programs anywhere across the globe.
We’re partially based in Amherst MA, a town founded and built on the unceded homelands of the Pocumtuc Nation on the land of the Norrwutuck community. The Norrwutuck community was one of many Pocumtuc Indian towns, including the Tribal seat at Pocumtuc (in present day Deerfield), Agawam (Springfield), and Woronoco (Westfield) to name just a few. The Pocumtuc, who had connections with these lands for millennia, are part of a vast expanse of Algonqiuan relations.
The Team
Jay Mankita: Teaching Artist & Founder of Playful Engineers
For 30 years, Jay Mankita worked with kids and families as a touring songwriter, guitarist, performing artist, and workshop leader. Jay uncovered a new passion for engineering and making things move, when he and his (then 4 year old) son Mojo saw a fantastic Rube Goldberg Machine video shared by a friend. They went into the playroom together, and Jay never came out! Jay builds and teaches chain reactions, mechanical linkages and crank-driven automata, pencil geometry, and all sorts of otherwise artful mechanisms.
Jay also enjoys being a dad, swimming, hiking, dancing, guitar and piano, ping-pong, tetherball, tahini, chocolate, and sauerkraut, but not all at the same time.
Susan McGinn: Workshop Assistant & Materials Coordinator
Susan has been a teacher in many different settings for elementary through college level programs, developing programs for science museums and environmental education centers, and now for Playful Engineers. She also coordinated the Dance New England summer camp kids program for eleven years, and for four years, the Amherst Family Center.
Susan also enjoys being a mom, and loves gardening, leisurely breakfasts, hiking, music, and reveling in the beauty of the world.
Merlin Katz: Workshop Facilitator
Merlin has always loved building, coding, tinkering, playing, and sharing his love of engineering. In 2023 he won a LEGO competition and got a job as a professional LEGO builder! There, and in many other educational programs for the past three years, Merlin has been able to show thousands of kids what they can accomplish through exploration, patience, and play. This is why Playful Engineers was the perfect place for Merlin to go next. As a traveling instructor, Merlin brings his passion for fun and building to the next generation of tinkerers at Playful Engineers.
We’re so happy to be working with Merlin, and we know that you will be too!
Shannon Richards: Bookkeeping, Database, & Communications
Shannon keeps the Playful Engineers data flowing behind-the-scenes. A true inspiration for getting things done, Shannon is always there with good cheer, reminding us to do the same.
Shannon also loves singing and dancing, maybe even while she’s bookkeeping!
Mojo Mankita-McGinn: Founding Kid, Youth Consultant, & Resident Eye Roller
At age 4, Mojo was inspired by this Rube Goldberg video and thus began his serious journey with Susan and Jay in tow, into the lighter side of makerspace activities. Now in his teen years, he expresses his creativity more virtually, and is working towards his goal of being a professional game designer. He’s currently enrolled in a career pathways program at Launchspace in Orange – our favorite community maker space!
Mojo also enjoys reading, juggling, and quesadillas!