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Introduction: A Clear Glass Whiteboard

This instructable will show how to build a transparent glass whiteboard that will never wear out and never ghost. Glass is a superior surface for writing on with dry erase markers and erases with a tip of the finger. The size I made mine was 28 inches by 54 inches and was NOT made to freestand as it would take up too much room in my sons college apartment. Total cost was a very reasonable $60-65, and took a weekend to build and finish (minus the time going to and from stores!). The glass was from a local IKEA store. It is normally used as a desktop protector and is safety glass weighing about 30 pounds . My son is a Math and Com Sci double major along with being a whiteboard nut and his rooms look a lot like the garage in A Beautiful Mind so a great project for him.
Does it work? Yes. Is it the best whiteboard my son has ever used? No. It's the contrast. A white whiteboard with a black marker is, by far, the easiest to see and use. Unless there is a dark background or a white background, the writing is harder to see on a clear whiteboard. The best is to have a white sheet of material stuck to the other side of the glass but that defeats the whole purpose for a clear whiteboard!
The other question you have to ask yourself is glass the best clear material. I went shopping in Home Depot and bought several types of plastic sheeting. Lexan was the ONLY plastic sheeting worth considering. I found a great place to buy Lexan sheets. Freckleface!:
http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/polycarbonatesheet.html
But in the end, I decided that glass was the best material. A large sheet of Lexan is harder to keep clean, the leading brand of markers (Expo) will ghost after sitting for a week or two, and has a much more shiny surface which makes it even harder to read what is written. But it does not break and would be much easier to build. Next clear board is going to be 3/8 inch 36 by 48 Lexan, just for mobility and safety's sake.
Why a clear whiteboard? In the show "Numb3rs", I was intrigued by the clear whiteboard that Charlie Epps is using.
Could I buy one?
http://www.clearmarkerboard.com/home.html Not at THIS price.
So let's build one!

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Step 1: Building a Windowframe.

So I have a large piece of glass that I want to mount to a support. That is,err, let me think, a WINDOW. So how do I build a cheap and strong frame for the glass? Looking around and I see that my windows use WOOD as a frame. Whew, tough decisions are made.
The IKEA glass sheet is 55 1/8 inches by 29 1/2 inches or 140 by 75 cm. I will use stock 1 by 3 inch pine as the frame and use 2 by 4's that I trimmed to 2 1/2 inches wide to match the frame. If you do not have access to a tablesaw, I would recommend using 1 by 4 inch pine.

Step 2: How to Mount the Glass to the Frame.

There are several ways to mount the glass into the wood.
Professional made windows use a special routing (or shaper) bits to create a tongue and groove assembly but that is expensive to buy and time consuming.
I could just build the frame and surface mount the glass using mirror holders (an L shaped piece of plastic that screws into the wood and holds the mirror in place with a tongue that extends over the glass). I Really do not like this one as the edge of the glass is exposed and the frame would be wobbly as the glass is not part of the structure.
Finally, the method I used is simply to rout a 1/4 inch slot into the wood and put the glass in. I used "Space balls" ( I swear that is their name). They are 1/4 inch rubber balls that go into the slot and keep the glass from moving and protects it from shock. rubber washers cut up and inserted into the wood would work just as well.

Step 3: Building the Frame.

I will give precise measurements for the frame but it would be foolish to use them. My slot was 1/2 inch deep and made with the table saw. I could have also used my router in my router table. I leave it to you to learn how to make a slot in wood if you do not already know.
The frame was 28 7/16 by 2 1/2 inches for the sides and 59 1/8 by 2 1/2 inches for the top and bottom. The TOP extended past the glass and the sides attached to the top and bottom.
I made the slot continuous through all pieces and then glued in some wood into the slot where the glass wasn't and the top met the sides. This was to add strength to the butt joint.
Test fit the wood to the glass to make sure your frame will come together and that the glass does not move. You can make the grooves deeper or add larger pieces of rubber washers to make the fit work. Of course, mine came out perfectly the first time (lucky for me!).
Make sure to sand the wood before putting the frame together. I put a bevel on the glass side to make writing easier. I also stained and finished the wood before assembly
Again, your choice and your lessons in staining or painting are necessary. I used Minwax conditioner and a Early American oil stain with a Minwax clear satin water based acrylic finish.
I used a pocket hole joiner to finish the frame. I guess other ways would be to buy loong screws and screw the frame together or possibly just put a piece of wood over the joint and screw it together.

Step 4: The Frame Support to the Wall.

This could not have been easier. The support beams are just leaned into the wall. I left the 2 by 4's at 8 feet ( I would recommend 7 foot now). I took my cut down 2 by 4's and put a block of 1 by 3 wood 6 inches long that one end was 43 inches from the floor. This is to add support to the bottom of the frame. That put the TOP of the frame at 74" from the floor (approximately).
I cut the bottom of the two supports with a 15 degree angle to approximate the lean as it sat against the wall. I screwed 4 rubber feet on the bottom to keep the supports from sliding and put two more at the top to protect the wall.
With the frame clamped on the supports and sitting on the blocks, I drilled 4 1/4 inch holes 1 3/8 from the sides and 1 3/8 from the top and bottom. 1/4 by 3 1/2 inch bolts, 1/4 inch washers and wing nuts holds the frame to the support.

Step 5: To Make a Freestanding Frame. My Thoughts.

Given a choice, I would have built the frame into a T shaped frame with wheels so It could be moved around and have both surfaces usable. Just no room in the apartment for that though.
I would have built like this. Keep the 7 foot supports but skip the bevel and the rubber feet. Again using cut down 2 by 4's, make two base supports about 3 feet long each. Add wheels to the bottom (2 1/2 inch rubber with the flat plate design). Make a triangular brace for support 2 1/2 foot on a side out of plywood and screw everything together.
Should be stable enough not to tip over! If tippy, make the feet longer. If wobbly, use 45 degree cut 2 by 4's to add as a brace just screwed in. I would make them about 3 feet or so long.

Step 6: Final Thoughts.

This was an easy project and it was nice to work with my son on it. The glass whiteboard is being used and may end up as a winner. All in all though, the IDEA sounded a lot better than the actual thing.
I think that Numb3ers uses the clear whiteboards so that they can film the actor's face rather than the back of his head while he is writing! It also lets there be more variety in the background than a huge white board.
I would love to hear about someone making a Lexan whiteboard so I could hear how well it works.
There are many other ways that I can think of using a clear whiteboard. I would love to hear some of yours.

We have a be nice policy.
Please be positive and constructive.

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This instructable will show how to build a transparent glass whiteboard that will never wear out and never ghost. Glass is a superior surface for writing on with dry erase markers and erases with a tip of the finger.

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Cubelets robot blocks - Modular Robotics | Cubelets robot blocks

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My first crack at implementing a maker space in my school media center began in August. I posted a request for advice on creating a LEGO wall on the school library media specialist listserv, LM__NET. I received such encouraging responses (Thank you Pamela Thompson, Becky Brown, Nancy Gifford, Jennifer Chance Cook, Peg Noctor, and others!), that I decided to embrace Nike's "Just Do It" slogan and give it a try. Here's my "recipe" for creating the wall.

What you'll need

* A wall, or other vertical surface to build on

* LEGO base plates. I chose the 32″ x 32″ studded size

* Fuze It or other adhesive

* Caulk gun

* Duct tape

* LEGO (of course!)

Starting out, I took the advice of fellow LM_NET members and hosted a week-long LEGO drive. It was important to do this to give students buy-in and a way to connect to the project.

On Monday, the first day of school, every child went home with a flyer (in English, Spanish, and Portuguese) asking for donations of used LEGOs, and a "Parental Consent to Donate" form. I work in a socioeconomically disadvantaged school (77 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch). I wasn't even sure I should ask for the LEGOs, but in the end decided to, explaining to teachers and students that they didn't have to donate, but if they did, contributions would be welcome.

Tuesday morning, a third grade boy gifted a 922-piece Minecraft LEGO set, possibly the mother lode of LEGO sets. I made sure his mom had signed the consent form, but still, I questioned him for five minutes before accepting the donation. Are you sure you don't want the set any more? Do you have a younger sibling who may want these one day? (I did not want to appear greedy or predatory!) The boy reassured me that he wanted to donate the set. At that point, I knew that even if I didn't receive another single piece of LEGO, all would be fine.

I received many more contributions, from snack-sized bags to one supersized container filled to the rim. As a reward, when the wall was completed, I invited all the donors to the media center and made them Honorary LEGO Wall Team Members. I took a photo, which will hang above the LEGO wall.

Next, I shopped for the green 32″ x 32″ studded base plates. I figured I would only need eight to 10 of these (my media center is tiny). I tried crowdfunding first and posted a project on DonorsChoose. However, within a few days, I took the campaign down. While I believe it would have been funded in this way eventually, time was of the essence. I wanted this wall up before the second week of school.

I approached the manager of a LEGO consignment franchise. The price for used base plates was actually higher ($12 each) than new plates; unfortunately, the store would not work with me. In the end, I bought the plates from the LEGO shop. The price was competitive-$7.99 each, and free shipping on orders over $35. I was able to purchase more than two at a time there, unlike other sites. There's a limit of five, but I bought 10 in two different transactions, spending $79.90.

Looking for instructions on how to put up the wall, I found an awesome online tutorial posted by Diana Rendina, media specialist at Stewart Middle School in Tampa, FL, and SLJ 2015 Build Something Bold award recipient, on " How to Build an Epic LEGO Wall." The post offered great tips.

On Friday, I began attaching the LEGO base plates to the wall. A Home Depot rep recommended using a product called Fuze It (around $7), which "bonds everything to everything," and a caulk gun. I applied Fuze It in a traditional method-a line along each base plate edge with an X in the middle. I began with the bottom left plate (since it rests on the chalk tray of my blackboard, I knew it was level), pressing firmly, then securing the plate with duct tape so it didn't fall off while I was prepping the next plate. Fuze It has instant grab so this was never an issue. But...squeezing the caulk gun trigger is hand-crushing! I enlisted help from my tech aide, Jen, and a few library users. I attached the second plate above the first, making sure to attach a LEGO brick that spanned both base plates. This, per librarian Jennifer Chance Cook, ensures the base plates are spaced properly when they dry. I did this until my hand fell off-make that, until all the base plates were attached.

The following Monday, my library regulars-the students who come every morning to exchange books-were happily exclaiming about the new LEGO wall.

After lessons and book exchanges, I reviewed how students would be chosen to play on the wall and went over the posted rules. In drafting them, I followed the advice of two librarians. Peg Noctor suggested using the LEGO wall as a behavior tool. She randomly selects the names of two students who followed the rules during library class. The two students can each choose one friend to join them. While students don't have to dismantle their creations, they do need to know that students in other classes might. School librarian Pamela Thompson suggests that anyone who gets aggressive (or throws a LEGO), might lose the LEGO privilege.

When everything was in place, I gave students time to build on the wall. I plan to use my Random Student Selector in PowerTeacher to select well-behaved students to build, but at the moment, everyone is on task and focused, so everyone builds. (Aren't the first weeks of school heaven?) A tip: a separate LEGO table and some LEGO sets in baggies lessen the disappointment for those not chosen to build on the wall. Right now, it appears that students are just as happy to bring LEGO to the tables as they are to build on the wall.

This project was a blessing. It allowed me to connect with other media specialists, it provided my students and staff with a chance to show their altruistic selves, and our school now has a the beginnings of a cool, brightly-colored maker space area in our media center. In fact, I plan to build another LEGO wall. My advice if you're still on the fence: Just Do It!

Margaret Jones is a media specialist at South Street School in Danbury, CT. In her sixth grade autobiography, Jones wrote that when she grew up, she wanted to be a children's librarian.

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My first crack at implementing a maker space in my school media center began in August. I posted a request for advice on creating a LEGO wall on the school library media specialist listserv, LM__NET.

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Students respond to real audiences. Writing for a few editing partners and the teacher just isn't enough. Connecting students with authentic readers helps inspire their best creative work.

Stockman recommends checking out Write About, National Novel Writing Month, Wattpad, and Figment online, as well as looking into local newspapers and writing contests (like these eleven great writing contests to share with your students).

For an easy start, download this free activity for writing a letter to the editor of The New York Times. It can make a great enrichment project for your strongest writers, or an engaging whole class activity.
#4 Let students share process as well as results
This great idea caught me by surprise. Perhaps you too will wonder how you could have missed this in your teaching. Stockman recommends giving writers a chance to talk about what they are learning about the process of writing. "Make time for writers to share the strategies they are learning in addition to the pieces they produce" (76). If one student has figured out how to make good transitions between parts of her plot, another has found a way to mix and match descriptive writing elements from three mentor texts, and another just had an "aha" moment about how to write a killer conclusion, why not let them teach others?

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to incorporate some flipped learning into a curriculum, and this strategy struck me as a great opportunity to let students create shareable videos. If you are spending your class time writing in your makerspace, consider letting students create the homework - videos to watch at home explaining the strategies they are using for success.
Finally, don't get hung up on how maker spaces connect to standards.
One of my favorite phrases in the book is Stockman's final mantra, "pursue standards, not standardization" (81). She pushes hard for deep reflection about what you hope to achieve as a teacher, what your own standards are, how you want to help your students, and how you can keep the standards that you set separate from conformity and standardization.

In a helpful section called " What YOU can do tomorrow" at the end of the final chapter of the book, Stockman shares this prompt, which feels useful in the face of standards-based pressures whether or not you want to jump entirely on board the writing makerspace train.

"Define your purpose. Craft a credo, a manifesto, or a purpose statement that defines your stance. Why do you teach? What kind of learner are you hoping to shape? How do you hope to influence your community, your school system, and the colleagues you support? Why do you matter? In what ways will you help your students matter? Why are high standards important to you? Why should learners pursue them?" (83).

Stockman, of course, is considering this topic because a classroom given entirely over to a writing maker space may not immediately appear to be accomplishing the daily tasks of the common core. Deep learning is clearly taking place in her maker space, but not in neat order.

However, my guess is that most readers of the book, like me, will quickly identify some wonderful takeaways from the book but choose not to revolutionize their classroom entirely into a maker space. A maker corner? Absolutely! A maker unit? Yee-haw! A maker festival? Love that idea!

Read the book for yourself if you want to dive deeper into Stockman's theory and techniques. Or begin by testing out these four applications and see if you want to dig deeper.
Curriculum Spotlight
Looking for an easy way to add a bit of making to your curriculum right now? Check out my literary food truck project. You'll be reveling in the combination of great food and stellar literary analysis in no time.

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Writing Makerspaces: 4 Ways to Apply the Maker Movement to your Classroom

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Angela Stockman's book, Make Writing: 5 Teaching Strategies That Turn Writer's Workshop Into a Maker Space , is absolutely unique. In more than ten years in education, I have never read or heard of this idea before. Stockman proposes we let students "make" their ideas before they write th

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Q-BA-MAZE is a unique system of colorful cubes that interlock to form a marble run. The big difference? You can create marble maze sculptures in any form such as animals, robots, towers, and geometric shapes. Configurations are unlimited, allowing for unpredictable action when the steel marbles travel different routes.

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Elenco Electronics, Inc., 150 Carpenter Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090 * 847-541-3800 * 800-533-2441 Copyright © 2018 Elenco Electronics, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Electronics Catalog | Toy Catalog

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write on table using dry erase markers

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CO 2 Dragster - Middle School Maker Project (W43154)

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Why Perler Beads are Awesome for Makerspaces

Perler Beads were one of the earliest elements of my makerspace. I originally added them as a pop-up station during Teen Tech Week in 2014. They ended up being such a surprise hit that they became a permanent part of our makerspace. They're one of my students favorite Make & Take activities, and they're pretty affordable to buy in bulk as well (see my recommended shopping list at the bottom of this post).

In case you haven't heard of them or used them before, here's the basic low-down on Perler beads. Perler beads, also called Hama beads (in Japan) or melty beads, are small, plastic beads. You arrange them on a special pegboard to form a design. Then, using an iron and wax paper, you melt the beads together. When they cool off, you have a solid piece of plastic in your design.

Here's why Perler beads are awesome for makerspaces:

Pixel Art for the win!

Video games and pixel art are HUGE with todays students. Since you use individual beads to form patterns on a grid, Perler beads are perfect for creating pixel art. They're an excellent way for students to create something that expresses their love for their favorite video game, cartoon character or sports team.

Gender Neutral

People often assume that arts and crafts activities will primarily appeal to girls. But I've found in my makerspace that students of all genders use the Perler beads equally. There isn't really much of a social stigma attached to things like this that would keep some students from using them. Even some of my toughest kids think they're pretty cool.

Open ended for creative expression

While lots of students tend to use Perler beads to recreate their favorite pixel art, they also lend themselves beautifully to creative expression. I've seen students reinterpret other non-pixel images, create abstract art designs and more. One of my favorites is in the image above. This student decided to leave some pegs empty to see what would happen. Once we melted the beads, it created a really interesting pattern.

Advice on bringing Perler beads into your space:

There is no one set way of incorporating Perler Beads into your space. As with all things in makerspaces, it's about what works best for your school and your students. But here's some tips that can help keep things running smoothly.

Use tackle boxes! It's easier for students to find the beads they're looking for if they're in a relatively flat container that they can sift through. Whether or not you want to organize them by color is up to you. We did that for awhile at Stewart, but eventually it became too much work to resort the beads all the time. My favorite tackle boxes are these ones by Plano, but any shallow tackle box can work well.

Buy some Perler tweezers: I cannot emphasize this one enough. Perler tweezers allow students to pick up and precisely place individual beads. My students use them constantly.

Have a cheap iron and set up procedures for ironing and picking up items: I just bought my iron at a thrift store, but any iron will do. I set it to a dry hot temperature and iron the beads with some wax paper in between the iron and the design. At Stewart, I've set up a specific area where students can place finished projects to have them iron. I usually iron projects about once a day.

Shopping List:
Do you have Perler beads in your makerspace? What are some of the kinds of projects that your students have made with them?

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3 Reasons Why Perler Beads are Awesome for Makerspace

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In this post, I explain why Perler Beads are an awesome addition to any makerspace, and offer some advice on incorporating them into your space.

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We built a Makerspace in our elementary school! And it has been such a transformative space for our students. I wrote a Fractus post on our journey earlier this year, and since then, the space has been buzzing with excitement.

Most days, the Makerspace is open in the morning as students arrive to school, and I simply monitor the making, creating, tinkering with the many materials and technology available during the time we have together. Teachers have been taking their classes into the space, not only for free exploration and making, but also for design challenges aligned to standards.

We held a Family Makerspace Night, bringing families into our Makerspace to see what the space is all about, making and creating together as a family.

After that evening, donations have come in from families and the community. Our Makerspace was featured in our local newspaper and presented to our school board, and we even built a Google site to share our story, highlighting student work.

It has been a very successful few months for our Makerspace! And while change is not always easy, we have supported each other and our students through this new way of thinking about learning and making. We have begun to recognize the importance of students figuring out solutions on their own, not being fed content all day, but becoming a part of the content filling their minds.

We built a Makerspace in our elementary school. And it has been transformative!

Yet, the beauty of a Makerspace is that the space is never "done". This space should grow with our students, always pulling in new materials and technology so that our students can continually be pushed in their making abilities. The Learning Lab Makerspace team is continually finding ways to integrate the space into our daily instruction. Even more than that, we are always looking for new materials and technology for our students to explore.

So, in order to model the importance of continually changing and adapting to our students' needs, we began with a dream of mine - building a Lego wall.

Legos are a timeless classic for creativity, building, and fun. Kids of all ages enjoy this magnificent toy. For many, Legos come with a set of instructions and a product to build. Other times, kids have free reign on their creativity in order to build something new and different.

In our school's Makerspace, Legos are a staple in our building station. Kids can create whatever they wish with Legos and even integrate those Legos with other materials for their project. With the inspiration of others online and on TV, we decided to put our Legos on the wall. Putting Legos on the wall not only is something new and different for our kids to experience, but it is also a space saver. Students can build on the wall, creating interesting artwork, simply creating anything new with Legos.

We made a HUGE Lego wall! And here is how we did it.

With the inspiration of Diana Redina's Renovated Learning site and amazing how-to blog post, we began with the vision of where to build our own Lego wall. First, we needed to measure how much space and how large we wanted to create our wall. Since we are an elementary school, I wanted to make sure even our youngest students could enjoy the full expanse of the wall. We kept the wall about a foot from the ground for our youngest students. Then, even our oldest students could enjoy all areas of the wall as well. Our wall is a little over 8 feet in length, and 5 feet in height. Our wall is wider, rather than taller, ensuring many students could be working at the wall at one particular time.

Once we had the concept of where we would build our Lego wall and how large we were going to make it, we had to order our materials.

Our materials are:

With my vision and the handyman skills of our maintenance director, we used the half-inch floor grade plywood and bolted it to the wall, of course making sure it was level. Beginning with our first sheet of wood, we placed the Lego plates on the board with either liquid nails or a strong construction adhesive. A small gap in between each Lego plate was needed in order to ensure Legos would connect between the plates. So, as plates were placed on the wall, the classic Lego pieces were used to make sure spacing was just right.

Once the first sheet of wood was nearly full, we measured and cut another sheet of wood, filling in the rest of the space according to the number of Lego plates we planned to use. After bolting those additional pieces to the wall, the rest of the Lego plates were put into place, again using the Lego pieces to ensure proper spacing in between each plate.

Once all the plates were in place, a small wood trim was nailed around the board to frame the Lego wall, finishing the wall nicely. After about 24 to 36 hours of drying the Lego wall was ready to use.

And it is just that simple.

The students' first encounter with the Lego wall has been interesting to watch, as many of them did not know what to start creating as their minds were swirling around the concept of building vertically. However, with a few days under our belt, more ideas have been discussed, starting the creation of pictures and words.

Our Makerspace will continue to evolve with our students. It is an exciting adventure to see it unfold!
Feature image courtesy of Flickr, qrevolution.

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A Vertical Build - How We Constructed Our Makerspace Lego Wall

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We built a Makerspace in our elementary school! And it has been such a transformative space for our students. I wrote a Fractus post on our journey earlier this year, and since then, the space has been buzzing with excitement.

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Completely. The 3Doodler Start Pen and Eco-Plastics are specially designed to be completely safe for kids aged 6 years and above. There are no hot parts on the pen and our Eco-Plastic is made from food-safe materials, is non-toxic, BPA-free, and completely biodegradable in your household compost.

The plastic is warm, but completely safe to touch when it emerges from the tip of your 3Doodler Start. You can safely use your hands to shape your Doodles to perfection.

One plastic strand stretches to ten times its original length once extruded by the pen; that means for every 3Doodler Start Eco-Plastic Strand (6 inches / 15 cm), you get 60 inches / 150cm of Doodling, allowing for hours of play in each pack!

You can refer to our our Gallery to see details of how many Eco-Plastic strands were used to complete various Doodles and Projects.

Used (extruded) 3Doodler plastic cannot be reinserted into the pen.

Our Eco-Plastic is made entirely from food-safe materials, is non-toxic, BPA-free, and completely biodegradable in your household compost. Try it!

The 3Doodler Start Eco-Plastic will break down in around 45 days when in contact with soil, so perhaps the one thing we can't recommend you make with your 3Doodler Start is a real flower pot!

Once fully charged, your 3Doodler Start will run wirelessly for 45 -60 minutes. If you want to keep Doodling, you can continue to use it when it's plugged in and charging too.

Like any focussed activity it's good to give yourself (and the pen) a break now and then. We suggest taking a break after two hours of continuous Doodling.

You need to start by "anchoring" your Doodle to a surface, we find any sheet of paper works well for this. When Doodling, we recommend pressing down into the paper until you can see a little blob of plastic come out, making sure the plastic is sticking firmly to the paper. Then you can freely lift off the page or move around. Once you have reached the height you want, stop the pen, and hold the plastic in place for a few seconds to allow it to harden. Start slow and don't Doodle too high, and then gradually work your way to the stars!

If you are having trouble you may need to press the pen more firmly into the paper.

No, the 3Doodler Start is not compatible with any of the 3Doodler 1.0 or 2.0 products or accessories, including Plastic Strands, DoodlePad, Nozzle Set, JetPack, Doodlestand, or pedal.

The only exception is the Project Book, which we encourage using for 3Doodler Start projects too.

Yes, the 3Doodler is covered by a Limited Warranty in certain countries. Please see the terms of the Limited Warranty here.

As we are in pre-order stage for 3Doodler Start, this site cannot authorize any discounts or tax exemptions. Please keep an eye on the3doodler.com/edu or sign up here for important updates on EDU discounts and a special EDU Bundle for the 3Doodler Start.

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The 3Doodler Start - The Pen That Draws in the Air

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Completely. The 3Doodler Start Pen and Eco-Plastics are specially designed to be completely safe for kids aged 6 years and above. There are no hot parts on the pen and our Eco-Plastic is made from food-safe materials, is non-toxic, BPA-free, and completely biodegradable in your household compost.

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Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision.
STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs.
Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration.
Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts.
Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision.
STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs.
Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor?
Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration.
Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts.
Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision.
STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs.
Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor?
Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration.

Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts.

Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs. Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration. Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs. Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration. Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs. Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration. Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs. Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration. Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs. Risk-taking, leaping, trying again, and failing are part of our genetic material. Without it, humans would not have inhabited every corner of this planet. Oftentimes we can see failure, particularly in exams, as negative - one of the worst things we can allow students to experience. But what if we allow students to fail in a safe space and make learning a personal endeavor? Go #BeyondCode and enrich your learning experience with engaging STEAM activities that foster creativity and collaboration. Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking. Critical thinkers can solve problems by keeping a clear mind and rational thoughts that will help you analyze a situation and make a sound decision. STEM teaching is the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts, and it's becoming an increasingly important part of modern-day education. STEM skills grant students the 21st-century abilities needed to perform a wide range of both essential and highly-skilled jobs.

Cybersecurity Lessons Named Best of STEM!

Check out our award-winning lessons developed to make it easy to teach cybersecurity principles to students.

Learn More

STEAM Learning Solutions

We offer coding robots and STEAM (STEM + Art) educational tools that transform the way kids and teens learn, create, and invent through coding, science, engineering, and the arts. Looking to inspire your whole class? Shop our education packs.

STEAM Activities & Resources

The Sphero ecosystem of tools and the Sphero Edu platform gives kids, teachers, and parents of all learning and coding abilities a blank canvas to solve challenges at home, in school, and beyond.

September 2022 marks one year of Sphero indi bringing play-based learning to the classroom for the earliest learners. A lot has happened during indi's first year-it was named one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2021 , made its way into thousands of Pre-K and elementary classrooms across the world, and filled our feed with kiddos having so much fun learning! We'd love to celebrate this milestone with all of you, so here's a free printable activity for indi's first birthday party!

Universal Design for Learning is a teaching framework developed by Massachusetts-based education nonprofit CAST that caters to all students regardless of their personality type or academic ability. Based on scientific insights into the learning process, UDL provides guidelines for all forms of learning, both inside and outside the classroom.

Inquiry-based learning is a method of learning where students are asked questions based on real-life experiences. By contextualizing the questions, students explore how they think, rather than simply being told what to think. At its core, inquiry-based learning encourages students to be more curious about their learning and to reflect deeply on how they arrive at conclusions.

Looking to Bring Sphero to your Classroom?

Our team of education experts is here to help. Contact us today and get a demo.

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STEM Kits & Robotics for Kids | Inspire STEM Education with Sphero

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Sphero makes remarkably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform the way kids learn, create and invent through coding, science, music, and the arts. Using information available, combined with skills acquired, can help make good decisions. That's the basic process of critical thinking.

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In-stock now! Ships immediately! Makey Makey GO allows today's tinkerers, dreamers, and makers the mobility to invent anytime, anywhere. Makey Makey GO enables you to invent on the go - and change the world - with the snap of an alligator clip, transforming everyday objects into Internet touchpads.

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Empowering teachers

We talk a lot about how Strawbees boosts creativity across all age groups and educational needs. Here, you can hear from the teachers instead. Why their students love Strawbees and the many ways they benefit, with some great anecdotes on how Strawbees helps teachers too. Press play!

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Strawbees - Make STEAM easy for you and your class

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Strawbees is the teacher's choice, building, coding & robotics STEAM solution, with proven hands-on methodology and high student engagement. Creative confidence and problem-solving skills!

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KEVAplanks.com is the most complete collection of everything related to KEVA Planks - including all KEVA products, custom KEVA products, Teacher resources, games and activities for children and families, STEM activities, project ideas, impressive builds, expert advice. An advocate for makerspaces and creativity.