I help parents raise kids who create with technology — starting with 3D printing.

You’ve watched the YouTube videos and read the threads, and somehow you’re more confused than when you started. You don’t want to waste money on the wrong 3d printer for your kid — and you don’t want your kid to miss out either. I get it. I’m Henrique, and I spend every week with 200+ kids, watching exactly what works when they create with technology. That’s what Designoteca puts in your hands: the confidence to guide your kid, starting with 3D printing.

Why you can trust me to guide you

I’m not a reviewer chasing affiliate links. I spent over a decade designing real products across Germany, the Netherlands, and Brazil, and taught design to graduate students — so I understand how things actually get made.

In 2012 I started teaching kids to build with digital tools, and everything changed. Watching a child turn an idea into something real became the work I couldn’t stop doing — and the reason I understand what your kid is about to go through.

Today I teach technology to K-8 students — 200+ kids a week. I see where they get stuck, what’s worth your money, and what quietly ends up forgotten in a drawer. You get the benefit of all of it, without the trial and error.

And I’m in this with you. My daughter Eva reminds me that doing this at home — on a kitchen table, between everything else — is a whole different challenge than doing it in a classroom.

So everything here is built for your house, not a lab: honest, tested, and doable by a parent who isn’t a tech expert and doesn’t want to become one.

Because your kid deserves to grow up as someone who makes things, not just someone who scrolls past them. That’s worth getting right.

Here’s how we’ll do this

A simple path from unsure to up-and-running:

1. Decide with confidence. Honest answers on whether it’s worth it and which printer to buy — no hype, no regret.
2. Get your kid creating. What to make, how to guide them, and how to keep them going — even if you’ve never touched a printer.
3. Watch them take off. 

Picture a few months from now

Your kid sketches an idea, designs it, and prints it — then runs to show you, proud of something they made themselves. The printer earns its place. And you never had to become an engineer to get there.

Start here: explore the stem resources for parents page

Your kid is a maker waiting to happen. Let’s get started.

— Henrique