Makerspaces. They seem to be all the buzz, but the concept that drives them isn’t new. For many years, we’ve been focused on directing every moment of our students’ lives. As parents, the lives of children are scheduled to the point they never have a moment to decide for themselves what to do. As teachers, if our students don’t look like they’re working, we worry that someone will think they aren’t learning. So when did we decide as adults that play is a bad thing?
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How to Host a Maker Walk
Are your students using your makerspace and now you want to show off their hard work? Host a Maker Walk. Picture a science fair, but so much cooler because it’s filled with the creations your students made in your makerspace!
This can be done with the school’s makerspace or you can just use the creations your students have created from your classroom’s makerspace (like us),
[Read more…] about How to Host a Maker WalkWhat Goes in a Makerspace?
You’ve decided to have a makerspace because you understand the value of the learning that can take place. If you aren’t quite sure, maybe you should go back to our post: Why Should You Build Makerspaces Immediately? It talks about the reasons a makerspace can be valuable in your school or classroom.
What should you put in it? Anything you want. Start small. We put out origami paper and a book during the first week just to see what would happen. (Turns out the answer to that question is lots of paper frogs.) But seriously, we made a list of potential makerspace supplies.
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Do you want to create a makerspace for your students but you aren’t quite sure where to start? Do you need makerspace ideas? Are you worried about the mess or where to get the supplies? Do you have zero dollars in your budget?
Those are the questions we asked ourselves before creating a makerspace in our classroom, but it truly was a transformation that we love. Here’s a quick quiz for you to decide if you can and should have a makerspace in your classroom. Hint: it’s not for everyone, but it might be right for you. Come read our makerspace ideas.
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