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Mrs D's Adventures with MakerSpace

Check here on a regular basis and I venture into the world of MakerSpace!  I'm excited about the challenge.  I need to accomodate space, materials, kids and teachers!  Lots to do.  Come and hang out here and add your comments and advice!

December 2015
Here's a resource that I reviewed which gave me some inspiration!

Tinkerlab A Hands-On Guide For Little Inventors
Rachelle Doorley
I was given this resource at an introduction to MakerSpaces.  Although I'm a little cynical when it comes to jumping into the latest fads in education, I can actually see myself creating a space in my space deprived library, for students who are sometimes equally hard to please!  MakerSpace is a fancy new way to describe something that educators have been doing as long as I can remember.  This new generation gives us license to allow kids to explore, create and learn through self discovery.  I anticipate teachers wondering how they will assign a mark and ultimately give a grade for a report card, but that is a topic for another day.  Doorley's description in the opening really appealed to my evolving philosophy of education: 'the process of being curious about something, asking questions and exploring various solutions are all part of the fun of learning'.  She also mentions that these activities should not have a 'predetermined outcome'.  I believe a lot of the ideas in this resource are suited for preschool and kindergarten kids.  Many activities celebrate the idea play-based learning.  I will leave the messy (but fun) activities for spaces with no carpet and a sink!  In my library, I need activities which will be low mess and worthy enough to entice teachers to lend me their students!

Here are the highlights of the resource that I want to remember.

I'm too lazy to type all these habits, but I think they are great!  So I've added a pic instead.


Having a son who is mad about basketball, I'm always on the lookout for all things baseball. Michael Jordan's quote is worth remembering as well

          I've missed more than nine thousand shots in my career.  I've lost almost three
          hundred games.  Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning
          shot and missed.  I've failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that
          is why I succeed.

I have started to talk to students about creating in a MakerSpace and they seem a little uneasy when we talk about how many times people fail at things before they are successful.  In my experience, students want to get it done and get it done fast without failing.  This is one thing I hope the MakerSpace helps kids realize - it's OK to fail!

Apparently I need a tool box in my MakerSpace - good to know.  Must talk to Keith about making me a kit with the list of things Doorley recommends.

Whenever I'm reading a educational resource, I HAVE to be able to visualize doing an activity, with my students and in my space.  These are the activities that have ...

MRS D's Stamp of Approval

-Dry erase markers on glass or mirrors (Love)
-upside down art (discuss Michelangelo- we already do this!)
-Draw BIG (butcher paper- hmmm maybe in groups, group art)
-I draw, you draw (someone starts and partner continues)
-Art dice (3 die - shapes, colours, lines) Roll away!
-gumdrop structures - but with marshmellows and playdough too
-hanging structures
-straw rockets  (p. 106)  these sound brilliant!  How have I never heard of these before?
-water wall - to do outside
-paper houses (p.110) this made me think about Abby's boxes that she makes, I'll have to get her to do a tutorial for our space)
-CD spinner (p. 118)
-hammering and screwing into a large wood block (perhaps an outside activity???)
-Drawing machine (p. 127)
-Robot (p. 130)

The book has a whole section on scrap building, which I think is great.  I feel this will be the essence of my MakerSpace.  Kids coming together with ideas and being challenged to create from found objects.  Here are some things that I will probably post on cards and have as ideas when kids don't have an idea of their own.

1.     Build a tall structure (with whatever they can find) that won't fall over
2.     Build a sculture (a robot, person, car...)
3.     Use everything in your basket!
4.     Build with multiples (popsicle sticks, cups...) and use one connector (glue, tape)

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