In the spring of 2021, the 6th grade science teacher and I began forming a plan. She had seen the engagement of 6th graders in our afterschool Maker Days program and wanted to find a way to bring that into her classroom so that ALL of our 6th graders could have this opportunity. We … Read more
How to Run a Tech Take Apart Workshop in Your Makerspace Tech Take Apart is a fun, low-budget activity that gets students excited about seeing how the inner workings of electronics function. That being said, my first time attempting this activity with middle school students was a disaster (so much so that I only … Read more
Cardboard challenges have been a core part of my makerspace programming for the past eight years. I continue to be amazed year after year at the amazing ideas students come up with when given a design challenge and simple, everyday materials. In Part 1 of this post series, I looked at some of my favorite … Read more
The Cardboard Challenge remains one of my all-time favorite makerspace activities. I love how accessible it is to students. How enthusiastic and creative they can be with such simple materials. I’ll never forget one of my favorite makerspace moments – my students at Stewart were Skyping with another school that was looking to start a … Read more
This is a multiple post series. Part 1 gave an overview of what my school has been doing during COVID and how my library’s physical space has adapted. In Part 2, I shared about programs I’ve done to encourage reading, plus collaborations with teachers. For this last post, I’ll share how we’ve adapted our makerspace … Read more
Paper circuits are SO much fun! They can be fun, crafty, and a great way to look at STEM concepts that still feels approachable for students. Paper circuits allow for a quick win for students – you can help them get a working circuit made within a 30-50 minute class period. Students can build on … Read more
In Open Exploration in a Makerspace: What it is and Why We Need it, I explored why having open exploration time in your makerspace in an important part of the learning ecosystem. In this post, I dig more into the practical stuff – how to actually make this work in your space. Open Exploration in … Read more
Open Exploration in a Makerspace: What it is and Why We Need It In a thriving makerspace, there is a balance. Design challenges allow students to work together on a similar theme coming from a design prompt. The challenge creates constraints, but not necessarily structure. Workshops are focused more on learning a specific skill. Usually … Read more
It’s that time of year again – the first days of the school year will soon be upon us (and for some of you, it may already be here). Getting ready for the year means pre-planning meetings, making photocopies, arranging class schedules and all the other good stuff that comes in August and September every … Read more
I am by no means a 3D printing expert. But I do have three 3D printers in my library makerspace (and one in my previous space). And I have a lot of students who are very interested in learning more about 3D printing. Some students have built their own 3D printers from kits and love … Read more