This week I presented for the lovely entrepreneur, Karen Bonanno at Eduwebinars, a session on keeping the ‘making’ space in a library going. Momentum Makerspace In the session I briefly explained how we started and developed our space, which can be found throughout this blog. I spoke about how a space for making can be anyway….halls, corridors, classrooms, trolleys…just about anywhere that children can explore, play create with different materials.
Outside is an awesome environment for creativity: building, digging, planting, flying drones!! Make the space exciting, inviting, practical and versatile. It needs to be a flexible space so a variety of activities can happen. Another very important point to consider is the interests and desires of your students. Each ‘Makerspace’ is different! As I’ve said before it’s a ‘space’ and ‘place’ for children to enjoy collaborating, sharing, experimenting and having fun! New skills are taught and shared and our students become learners and creators not just consumers of technology. They can turn their knowledge into actions…….learning by doing!
People are the best resource and I shared the contact of a few amazing inspirational educators who have shared their work.
Diana Rendina Colleen Graves Laura Fleming Anne Weaver
Throughout this blog I have stated how our Makerspace is often inspired by literature. This year our Book Week Theme is “Australia: Story Country”, this invites us to explore the many wonderful stories which make Australia the nation it is!
Using the shortlisted books Megan and I have created ‘guided’ learning activities within the Makerspace to explore and enjoy.
Here is a list of some ideas …..
ScratchJr interactives…..’Piranahs Don’t Eat Bananas’
Air-dry Piranahs with LED’s ..&..Chititronics….Circuit Stickers…
Moveable pets…..’Bigsy’
Tinkercad….3D designs and then print elephant legs…’One Step at a Time’
Squishy Dough….’Suri’s Wall’
Air Propelled bike….’Ride Ricardo Ride’
Make QR Codes and animations for refugee stories….’Flight’
Masks…..showing emotions….’Mr Huff’
Create an artefact to help someone homeless…….’Run Pip Run’
Green Screen…..’Dead Bunny’
During Book Week we will be holding a ‘Book Week MakerFaire’….very exciting!
I spoke a little on how I link KLA’s into our Makerspace, which can be found on a previous post KLA’s in a Makerspace
We invite all our students to be involved in making and a huge hit recently was our ‘Marble Run Wall’. Girls came before school and at lunch times to add to the wall and create interesting runs which at times would be slow and other times fast!
We also try to be current in our space so we have a ‘Makerspace Rio Challenge’ which includes ideas like designing and creating a stadium for the opening ceremony, making a podium to hold 3kg, medals, catapult to fire marshmallows and record distances…..of course, a literature challenge of finding Olympic themed fiction!
The girls are having heaps of fun!!!