Take Your Kid To Work Day celebrates creativity, fun

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- For the first time, a Minnesota-based startup company has the space to fully celebrate Take Your Kid to Work Day, and it's making the absolute most of it.

Eden Prairie's Mission Outdoor, which specializes in outdoor watersports and other boating equipment and accessories, hosted a half-dozen young ones Thursday.

"It's the first time we've ever been able to do something like this," said CEO Corey Uchtman. "It's something that we've wanted to do for a long time, and it's just so happened that we had an opportunity to do it this year and we jumped on it."

Employee's kids got a chance to create a design, learn about 3D printing it, marketing it, before ultimately creating and shipping it.

"It's a really cool experience to see your little guy or girl get really pumped up about a robot moving around or taking a picture," Uchtman said. "You're using words like invention, or you're drawing this picture, and all the sudden they see the picture turn into this 3D thing they get to pick up and take home with them."

Mission Outdoor is inviting the community to an open house this Sunday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their warehouse and office in Eden Prairie. They plan to have food trucks, drinks, music and bounce houses at the free event.