Makerspace Managed

Google Expeditions offers lots of 360 content that your students can explore in Google Cardboard viewers. But Google Expeditions isn'

 Our campus moved to a combination fixed/flexible schedule, which has allowed our students additional opportunities to visit the makerspace outside of their normal library time.  Currently, Monday and Fridays are open check-out days and have also become open makerspace days. Makerspace Monday and Fun Friday have become a way for students to have additional time to invent, create, and make.  During these days students can visit the library with a makerspace pass. The pass is laminated and has a place for the teacher to write in the student’s name and amount of time they can visit the makerspace with a dry erase marker making the pass reusable.  

From all over the Web, here are some of the best STEAM learning activities from STEAM enthusiasts everywhere. Pick up STEAM in your classroom!

Makerspaces don't have to be expensive. Here's four examples of budget friendly projects and supplies for your makerspace.

Learning about basic electronics and creating your own projects is a lot easier than you may think.  In this tutorial, we’re going to give you a brief overview of common electronic components and explain what their functions are.  You will then learn about schematic diagrams and how they are used to design and build circuits.  And finally, you will put this information to use by creating your first basic circuit.

Our recent activity development around Light Play led to a synergistic moment as I began to wonder whether cut paper installations I’ve created might allow for some interesting explorations, especially around creating collaborative light environments. So for two days this week, we filled the Tinkering Studio’s workshop space with cut paper crowds and invited people to collaborate in activating the installation using Light Play.

An ambitious study of 153 classrooms in the United Kingdom provides the best evidence that flexible spaces can boost academic performance.

Psssst. Want to make your kid think you’re a sorcerer? I’ve got a trick.

First, you will need a magical machine called a printer. Then when the child is near your computer, ask, “Hey, what would you like to color right now? It can be anything. Your favorite character? Spain during the Cold War? A hot dog?” Your kid might respond with skepticism, but tell him to trust you. Then do a Google image search of his selection, and under Tools, click “Type,” and select “Line drawing.” Choose a high-resolution image, print it out, and hand it to your child with some crayons.

For the first time in four years, I am without a makerspace.  My new school’s library is beautiful and huge and has a school culture that is just ripe for making.  Even though it was tempting, I decided not to change it up and create a makerspace over the summer.  I want to be sure that the library program, including a new makerspace, is responsive to the needs of the school and its culture.  Therefore, I plan on spending at least the first-semester making plans for how this space will work.  It will likely be very different from my previous space, but I’m excited to see what forms.

Making plans for a new makerspace can be daunting, so I’ve gathered together some tips to help get started: