The Beginning of MakerSpaces

Next year we are going to have a MakerSpace in the library.  I'm not sure what that is going to look like--do I have it available all the time?  Do I wrap it around a teacher's lesson and only have it available while they are learning that particular thing?  How do I plan for this?!

Well, we are running a test trial this week.  Getting our feet wet, so to speak.  Today was Day 1 of MakerSpace Testing and I'm thrilled with how well it went!

I had two 4th grade classes come in and try their hand at origami.  First I had them watch the video of Tom Angleberger explaining how to make an emergency Origami Yoda:


As we watched, we all made our own Origami Yoda.  If students struggled, I had others at their table help them.

Then, using an ebook from Capstone, we put it on the Smartboard and made the Floppy Ear Puppy.   Then I gave each table a different assignment: they could use an origami book and choose one design to work on as a group or they could look at the new design on the SmartBoard.  It was kid friendly, but still a bit challenging.

It was fun to step away and watch what happened.  Some students struggled with the Crouching Bunny design on the SmartBoard, but they persevered.  Another group stuggled with making a car, but they worked it out as a group.  Creativity was evident.  One student got scissors and cut his own deisng into a piece of paper and created his own story with the design.  They were allowed, for an hour, to create and manipulate paper and they loved it.

I stood to the side and watched and encouraged and occasionally helped.  When they got frustrated that the Origami paper was wrinkled, I told them they could still use the same piece--wrinkled didn't mean broken.  It didn't mean they had to get a new piece of paper-it just meant they had to push out the wrinkles and start over.

Tomorrow is building and designing with marshmellows and toothpicks.  I'll take pictures and post them.

Adding Some Color to the Library

I have this huge lighting structure hanging above my circulation desk.  Today we added some vinyl stickers to it to spruce it up a bit.  What do you think?!

Now my next task is to tackle that long blue wavy piece you see in the background.  I'd like to add some sort of literary quote, or pictures of characters from books.  This is going to take some thought and planning to make sure we do it right!

Capture the Learning: Crafting the Maker Mindset

Capture the Learning: Crafting the Maker Mindset



I love this article.  It is going to be my guide as we embark on Maker Spaces next year in the library!