You want to create a Makerspace for your students but you aren’t quite sure where to start? Here’s a quick quiz for you to decide if you can and should have a Makerspace in your classroom.
- Can you handle a mess? If the answer is no, you shouldn’t have a Makerspace. They’re messy, but that’s part of the fun. Teach your students to respect the Makerspace by cleaning up after themselves, but accept the fact it will be messy.
- Can you let go of the control? If the answer is no, don’t have a Makerspace. Students need to feel free to make what they want to make without your controlling input. Besides, you never know when you might need something you didn’t even know you needed but your students create.
- Can you accept that kid work may not be a cosmetically appealing as you’d like? If the answer is no, then don’t have a Makerspace. Kids are going to cover their ideas in tape and glue and that’s ok. Just because it doesn’t look as nice as you’d like, doesn’t mean the learning isn’t valuable.
- Do you have a table? It doesn’t matter. Just designate any space as your Makerspace. This is where your materials are stored. If it’s a small space accept the fact that students are going to make things all over the classroom. The Makerspace is not defined simply by its space.
- Do you want to learn new things about your students? Of course you do! A Makerspace is a great way to learn what your students can do when they are left to their own imaginations. They will amaze you.
There are no rules for Makerspaces. You get to decide. Our very first Makerspace was created by accident when we left a set of linking blocks on a table. Students started playing with them in between subjects or when their work was finished. Soon the table was covered in creations. We started adding other materials to the table over time and BOOM! Makerspace!
Share with us your Makerspace fun in the comments below!
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