The Four C’s are big in education right now: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Communication. We talk constantly about how we need to be teaching our students these skills. I’m not always a big fan of buzzwords – even though I’ve only been in education for less than a decade, I realize that they come … Read more
I’ve written lots of posts about the various Maker Fairs (also called Maker Fests) that I did at Stewart over the years I was there, going all the way back to our first one in 2014. But somehow, I never got around to writing a post about the logistics, the details of how we went … Read more
Makerspaces are amazing places. Our students can learn all kinds of new skills. But it behooves us to learn some of those skills ourselves. You certainly don’t have to be an expert in all things to create a makerspace in your library. When I first started creating a makerspace in my library in 2014, I … Read more
(Post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using them, I get a small commission that helps support running this blog) Just create something. Everyday. I love to read books about creativity and the artist’s process. It’s fascinating to learn the stories of authors, artists and other creatives and learn about their how they create … Read more
While I’ve never worked in an elementary school before, I’m always on the lookout for awesome maker picture books. Picture books are a great way to introduce a lesson or activity in makerspaces. We even have a whole chart on maker picture book connections in Challenge Based Learning (check out the resources page to see … Read more
It’s that time of year again – the time when we scour the mall and internet to find that perfect present for the little ones (and not so little ones) in our lives. Instead of buying stuff that just sits there, why not buy some gifts that get kids creating? In this gift guide, I’ll … Read more
(Note: Post contains affiliate links. Actions taken may result in commissions for Renovated Learning) A Creature Workshop Towards the end of last school year, one of my students came up with one of my favorite design challenges: Make a creature that does something. That’s it. This prompt wins for simplicity and the designs that people come up … Read more
Today, a vendor tried to sell me a Makerspace in a Box. I’m not going to say who, because I am not about bashing companies and organizations. It’s my own personal policy to only mention names of companies or products that I actually support. And besides, there are a lot of companies out there right … Read more
With a changing and growing movement, many are declaring that there are right and wrong ways of doing things. We are getting so hung up on the specifics and our own ideas of what a makerspace SHOULD be, that we’re losing the sight of the big picture. We worry far too much about the stuff. … Read more
2017 was my fourth year of holding a Maker Fair at Stewart Middle Magnet School (see 2016, 2015 and 2014 for the previous ones). This year, my students had to put together everything for our Maker Fair in an extra short period of time, since the school year ended early. They rose to the challenge … Read more