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Makerspace or STEM projects for kids don't have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, some of the best projects use recycled or repurposed items like cardboard or soda bottles which means nothing to buy.

Below, we've compiled some of our favorite projects that are great for makerspaces.

Learn how to make a boat out of a soda bottle, create a car from cardboard and many more.

Get the FREE Makerspace Info Bundle

Build a simple circuit using a pizza box (no soldering required)

Create circuit tiles which are interchangeable blocks used to form different circuits.

Using a simple hobby motor and cardboard, you can make a frog robot that is very entertaining.

Learn how to make this simple foam boat with dc motor and homemade propeller.

These battery powered cars are super fun and can be made with a few basic parts.

Paper circuits are a really great way to learn the basics of circuits and electricity. Make light-up greeting card and more.

These bristlebots are a smaller version of the brushbot and use toothbrush heads and vibrating motors.

Make a flying airplane using cardboard, a coke bottle and a DC hobby motor. Really cool !

Create a vibrating and moving junkbot using everyday "junk" or items in your recycle bin.

Vibrobots are tiny robots powered by a vibrating motor. Design your own using scrap materials and spare parts.

Create this wobblebot and you will always have a best friend.

Make this super fast mini electric car using a 9v battery as the chassis. Experiment with designs to make it go faster.

Learn the basics of how a DC motor works by creating your own simple motor.

Make your own simple LED flashlight using popsicle sticks and copper tape. Learn how circuits and switches work.

Create this electric bottle car by reusing bottles and other recyclable materials.

This rubber band helicopter is simple and easy to create. Once you build one, you can experiment with other designs.

Marble runs are like an amusement park for marbles. Here are 10 marble runs you can create at your makerspace.

Create this simple hydraulic machine using a plastic syringe for the lift mechanism. Learn about a hydraulic system.

Using conductive and insulating dough, you can create squishy circuits that light-up, move and make noise.

This cardboard chair project is a great way to recycle and re-purpose cardboard into functional furniture.

These scribble bots are also known as scribble machines and are great for STEAM /Art activities.

Brushbots are a simple, fun type of robot that you can build out of arts and crafts materials.

Here are 3 simple STEM boats that don't need a DC motor. Learn how to make a putt-putt, paddle and balloon-powered boat.

Make your own cardboard hydraulic arm that focuses on the principles of hydraulic movements.

If you made one of these projects or are working on something else, tweet us at @Makerspaces_com

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25 Makerspace (STEM / STEAM) Projects For Kids | Makerspaces.com

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These STEM projects & activities for kids are perfect for the makerspace. Simple, easy and very cost effective. Make a car from cardboard or a boat from a soda bottle. Maker education is fun for all ages.

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Seville Classics UltraHD Lighted Workcenter

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Seville Classics UltraHD Lighted Workcenter

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This workcenter is incredibly well built, beautiful to look at (it even comes in multiple colors), and just plain a-ma-zing...all for a very affordable price. Our only complaint is that the wood top is rather soft and dings/scratches easily. We're choosing to see that as a sign of all the great work that's been done on it. ;)Pro tip: the granite gray (stainless steel) shows fingerprints. Go with satin graphite if that's a problem for you. Dimensions

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UltraHD Lighted Workcenter, Granite Gray

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Turn your garage, warehouse, or studio into a DIY paradise with the UltraHD Lighted Workcenter. Crafted with UltraGuard® stainless steel drawers (which are fingerprint-resistant) and a heavy-duty steel frame, this workbench is built to last for generations. For even more protection, the powder-coated finish defends your bench from corrosion.

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All you need to make a green screen video is a smartphone, a cloth, some video editing software, and a few tips and tricks.

The green screen has come a long way since Lawrence Butler won an academy award for his special effects in the 1940 film The Thief of Bagdad.

Butler was the first person who figured out how to use green screen technology (or blue screen technology) in a color film. Before the effect was only possible in black and white.

Back then, the process was quite complex. Adding green screen effect required things like optical printers and many film strips.

If throwing around terms like optical printer is making your head spin, you're not alone.

Thankfully, none of those things are necessary today. Nowadays, all it takes to make a passable green screen is about $30, your smartphone, and a video editor.

You can even get high quality results with just some poster board and a few pieces of pvc pipe. A simple green screen setup is a great way to get started.

In this post, I'll go over how to make your first green screen video on the cheap. We'll take a look at the various elements you need to consider: backdrop, software, camera, and lighting.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Before we get started on the how...let's talk about the what and the why.

What exactly is green screen, and why would you ever want to use a green screen effect in your video?

Make Your Own Green Screen Videos: You can try Camtasia for free and create your own green screen video today!

What is green screen?

Green screen is when you replace the real background of a video with a digital background. It offers the most natural-looking way to integrate your subject into your video. Instead of putting each visual element in its own frame (a la picture-in-picture), green screen lets you blend them .

Green screen, blue screen, chroma key, chroma key compositing all refer to the same idea. The green screen effect is a post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on color hues ( chroma range).

Newscasting, motion picture, and video game industries love this technique, but anyone can use the green screen effect.

Why do you use a green screen?

Most people have seen a meteorologist use a green screen to report the weather. Meteorologists stand in front of the green screen point out specific parts of the forecast. But the green screen does more than provide clarity. It also allows them to personalize their broadcast and connect to their viewers.

Although you may not be detailing cold fronts from your desk, I'd bet you still have opportunities to connect with an audience at work. Green screen is a great option for for adding a personal touch to lots of different types of videos.

Consider using it the next time you need to record:

Presentation slides

Screen video

Screenshots

Photos

Animated elements

Chroma key is a big deal for anyone who needs to connect with viewers. When done well, green screen can give your video a professional aesthetic on the cheap.

You don't need to build a fancy set or rent studio time. You can shoot your video anywhere and replace the background with a branded graphic, stock photo, or video element.

Create an online training video by superimposing yourself over the lesson. This is an instant upgrade over talking through a PowerPoint presentation.

How to create a green screen?

To pull off this technique, all you need is a few things: A green or blue piece of cloth/fabric, a camera, lights, and some video editing software.

Step 1: Get a backdrop

First, get a piece of muslin cloth that's a bright shade of green.

Blue screen backdrops are also available, but they can cause problems if the person on camera has blue eyes or clothes.

If you don't want to mess around with hanging a cloth, a collapsible green screen panel is a nice option.

Since it's not too big (5′ x 7′), it's perfect for when you need to travel for a shoot. We'll discuss shadows and more when we get into lighting. But for now, remember to stand as close to the backdrop as you can without casting a shadow on it. This is usually around two or three feet. Also, make sure to keep your hands close to your body. Any part of your arm or hand that extends past the backdrop will look cut off in your final video.

Step 2: Pick your camera

Next, you'll want to pick a camera that shoots HD quality video (720p or higher). Make sure your camera saves out files in a format your green screen software can import. We've had good success using an iPhone, but most any digital camcorder will work.

If you do choose to record on a mobile device, you can import your footage into Camtasia using our free app, TechSmith Fuse. Fuse adds your videos from your phone straight to Camtasia. You don't have to worry about getting the files from one place to another.

When you're just starting out, recording footage on your smartphone might seem daunting. We've put together some tips and advice for shooting videos on your mobile device. We cover everything you need to know about audio, shot composition, and lighting.

Step 3: Set up your lighting

The next step is optional, but recommended. One thing you should keep in mind as you shoot your green screen footage is to cut out shadows. You want a flat green background, no shadow puppets! The flatter the green, the easier it will be to remove the screen.

Don't worry too much about getting a perfectly lit set though. The remove a color effect in Camtasia is quite forgiving of background shadows. Spend a few minutes tweaking the settings a bit and you should be good.

If you're having trouble getting the background to disappear or there's a slight halo around the person, try to upgrade your lighting. The more even your lighting, the better the effect will be.

The easiest thing to try is a couple of hardware store clamp-on work lights with high-output CFL bulbs. You'll also need something to clamp them on. Aim the lights so that the green screen doesn't have dark areas and bright areas. Focus your efforts on the area directly behind the person. You'll be able to crop out the excess space around the person later.

To throw a lot of light, you need a few bulbs in each fixture. You could build your own video lighting rig for less than $100 (see video below). Or if you're not into DIY projects, you can shop around for a video softbox. CowboyStudio is a good place to start. Look for "continuous lighting" as opposed to flash or strobe lighting. Whether you buy or build, it's best to use a diffusion filter for each light. That will help keep your lights from throwing shadows.

This quick video shows you how to build your own lighting kit on the cheap.

(You can also get a few tips of the trade for making your subjects look more natural.)
Not seeing the video? Watch it on YouTube...
Step 4: Get the right software

In the Camtasia video editor you can remove your green screen with just a few clicks.

Anyone can make a green screen video

So go ahead...put yourself in your video, and tell us how it goes on our social channels!
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2012 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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All you need to make a green screen video is a smartphone, a cloth, some video editing software, and a few tips and tricks. The green screen has come a long way since Lawrence Butler won an academy award for his special effects in the 1940 film The Thief of Bagdad.

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All the Makerspace resources you could hope for (and more)

I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way. My hope is that you will consider this a go-to resource as you progress along your own Maker journey. No matter whether you're just getting started with makerspaces or are looking to grow your program, there's something here for you.

What is the Maker Movement?

The Maker Movement has been around for a lot longer than many of us realize. Really, the desire to make things with our hands has existed since the dawn of humanity and DIY culture has long played an important role. Make Magazine has been around since 2005 and the first Maker Faire was held in 2006. Check out the articles below for a great take on what the Maker Movement means for education.

Colleen Grave's first started a makerspace at Lamar Middle School and then when on to pilot a makerspace at Ryan High School. She shares all about her experiences, projects her students are making and has gathered substantial resource lists as well. Her blog is seriously awesome. (Of course, I'm biased because we wrote a book together)

Laura Fleming's blog about her library and makerspace at New Milford High School. One of the pioneers of the school library makerspace movement, Laura has shared many amazing resources (and she has an awesome book too!)

Andy Plemmons' blog; in addition to being an all-around awesome librarian, Andy does an amazing job of bringing making into Barrow Elemenntary School. He collaborates with the University of Georgia and often brings the makerspace into his curriculum collaborations with teachers. He's also amazing at fundraising and creating big, school-wide projects.

Krissy runs an amazing makerspace called the Launch Pad at her elementary school, and she is an fantastic advocate for creativity. She also creates gorgeous posters (many with maker themes) that she makes freely available on her site and she founded the #elemaker hashtag. Did I mention that her job title is Innovation Coordinator?

Gwyneth Jones is an all around awesome librarian who shares resources relentlessly on her blog. She started a makerspace in her library recently and has taken a balanced approach, starting with a few affordable centers. She also makes amazing posters and graphics and offers them for FREE on her blog.

Robert Pronovost's blog about Ravenswood Elementary Makerspace. He's documented his space since he created it and offers some great advice on procedures. Definitely an excellent example of a successful elementary space.

Blog run by public librarians who work with young adults. The write about all things YA and have quite a few posts on makerspaces and maker programs.

Blog that focuses on libraries and artists working together. More of a public library and museum focus.

The people who started it all - there's amazing project inspiration and ideas on here, as well as lots of free resources.

Co-written by me, Colleen Graves and Aaron Graves, this book is packed full of lots of practical information and real-life examples of using design challenges in makerspaces. We cover everything from building a maker culture and setting up the physical space of your makerspace to organizing global collaborations and sharing your projects through Maker Fests. We go into detail about creating design challenge prompts that can inspire your makers. The book has sections specifically focused on elementary and secondary curriculum connections and we feature interviews with a ton of amazing maker educators at all grade levels.

Available from Amazon and other book sellers now!

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I first started learning about the Maker Movement in education and makerspaces in late 2013. Since then, I've been using this page to compile and curate some of the best articles, videos, blogs, books and other resources that have helped me along the way.

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Share your Snap Circuit ideas on our Showcase or upload your designs with our Snap Circuits Designer!

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Hands on Stem Learning

Learn about electric circuits by bringing your modeling dough creations to life! The possibilities are endless!

View Squishy Kits

INVENT. CREATE. EXPLORE.

Squishy Circuits uses conductive and insulating play dough to teach the basics of electrical circuits, a perfect blend of play and learning! Our play dough kits, projects, and recipes teach problem solving and engineering concepts and inspire creativity and independent thinking.

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Play Dough Circuit Kits | Squishy Circuits

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Learn about electric circuits by bringing your modeling dough creations to life! The possibilities are endless! View Squishy Kits INVENT. CREATE. EXPLORE. Squishy Circuits uses conductive and insulating play dough to teach the basics of electrical circuits, a perfect blend of play and learning!

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Engineering For Good | PBS LearningMedia

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Engineering for Good is a three-week, project-based learning unit for middle school science classrooms focused on developing solutions for negative impacts of plastics on the environment.In this NGSS-aligned unit, students use the engineering design process to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, develop prototypes and iterate on their designs.

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Advertisement

by Chris Woodford. Last updated: October 21, 2021.

If you've ever sat watching a thunderstorm, with mighty lightning bolts darting down from the sky, you'll have some idea of the power of electricity. A bolt of lightning is a sudden, massive surge of electricity between the sky and the ground beneath. The energy in a single lightning bolt is enough to light 100 powerful lamps for a whole day or to make about twenty thousand slices of toast! [1]

Electricity is the most versatile energy source that we have; it is also one of the newest: homes and businesses have been using it for not much more than a hundred years. Electricity has played a vital part of our past. But it could play a different role in our future, with many more buildings generating their own renewable electric power using solar cells and wind turbines. Let's take a closer look at electricity and find out how it works!

What is electricity?

Electricity is a type of energy that can build up in one place or flow from one place to another. When electricity gathers in one place it is known as static electricity (the word static means something that does not move); electricity that moves from one place to another is called current electricity.

Static electricity

Photo: Lightning happens when static electricity (built up in one place) turns to current electricity (flowing from one place to another).

Static electricity often happens when you rub things together. If you rub a balloon against your pullover 20 or 30 times, you'll find the balloon sticks to you. This happens because rubbing the balloon gives it an electric charge (a small amount of electricity). The charge makes it stick to your pullover like a magnet, because your pullover gains an opposite electric charge. So your pullover and the balloon attract one another like the opposite ends of two magnets.

Have you ever walked across a nylon rug or carpet and felt a slight tingling sensation? Then touched something metal, like a door knob or a faucet (tap), and felt a sharp pain in your hand? That is an example of an electric shock. When you walk across the rug, your feet are rubbing against it. Your body gradually builds up an electric charge, which is the tingling you can sense. When you touch metal, the charge runs instantly to Earth-and that's the shock you feel.

Lightning is also caused by static electricity. As rain clouds move through the sky, ice crystals inside them sink to the bottom, while water droplets rise to the top. The crystals have one kind of charge (negative) while the water droplets have the other kind (positive). It's the separation of these charges that allows a cloud to build up its power. Eventually, when the charge is big enough, it leaps to Earth as a bolt of lightning. You can often feel the tingling in the air when a storm is brewing nearby. This is the electricity in the air around you. Read more about this in our article on capacitors.

Sponsored links

How static electricity works

Electricity is caused by electrons, the tiny particles that "orbit" around the edges of atoms, from which everything is made. Each electron has a small negative charge. An atom normally has an equal number of electrons and protons (positively charged particles in its nucleus or center), so atoms have no overall electrical charge. A piece of rubber is made from large collections of atoms called molecules. Since the atoms have no electrical charge, the molecules have no charge either-and nor does the rubber.

Suppose you rub a balloon on your pullover over and over again. As you move the balloon back and forward, you give it energy. The energy from your hand makes the balloon move. As it rubs against the wool in your pullover, some of the electrons in the rubber molecules are pulled free and gather on your body. This leaves the balloon with slightly too few electrons. Since electrons are negatively charged, having too few electrons makes the balloon slightly positively charged. Your pullover meanwhile gains these extra electrons and becomes negatively charged. Your pullover is negatively charged, and the balloon is positively charged. Opposite charges attract, so your pullover sticks to the balloon.

That's a very brief introduction to static electricity. You'll find much more about it (and why it's caused by something called triboelectricity) in our main article on static electricity.

Photo: A classic demonstration of static electricity you may have seen in your school. When you touch the metal ball of a Van de Graaff static electricity generator, you receive a huge electric charge and your hair literally stands on end! Each strand of hair gets the same static charge and like charges repel, so the hairs push away from one another. In a bit more detail: the Van de Graaff ball builds up a huge positive charge. This "sucks" electrons (e) out of your body, and from the hairs in your head, leaving each clump of hair with a positive charge that repels the other hairs. Find out how a Van de Graaff Generator works.

Current electricity

When electrons move, they carry electrical energy from one place to another. This is called current electricity or an electric current. A lightning bolt is one example of an electric current, although it does not last very long. Electric currents are also involved in powering all the electrical appliances that you use, from washing machines to flashlights and from telephones to MP3 players. These electric currents last much longer.

Photo: Appliances use wires (cables) like this to carry electric current around inside them. The electricity travels through the brown-colored copper metal on the inside. The blue plastic coating on the outside protects you from the current if you touch the wire. It also stops two wires making electrical "contact" if they happen to touch.

Have you heard of the terms potential energy and kinetic energy? Potential energy means energy that is stored somehow for use in the future. A car at the top of a hill has potential energy, because it has the potential (or ability) to roll down the hill in future. When it's rolling down the hill, its potential energy is gradually converted into kinetic energy (the energy something has because it's moving). You can read more about this in our article on energy.

Static electricity and current electricity are like potential energy and kinetic energy. When electricity gathers in one place, it has the potential to do something in the future. Electricity stored in a battery is an example of electrical potential energy. You can use the energy in the battery to power a flashlight, for example. When you switch on a flashlight, the battery inside begins to supply electrical energy to the lamp, making it give off light. All the time the light is switched on, energy is flowing from the battery to the lamp. Over time, the energy stored in the battery is gradually turned into light (and heat) in the lamp. This is why the battery runs flat.

Picture: A battery like this stores electrical potential energy in a chemical form. When the battery is flat, it means you've used up all the stored energy inside by converting it into other forms.

Electric circuits

For an electric current to happen, there must be a circuit. A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an electric current flows. A circuit is usually made by linking electrical components together with pieces of wire cable. Thus, in a flashlight, there is a simple circuit with a switch, a lamp, and a battery linked together by a few short pieces of copper wire. When you turn the switch on, electricity flows around the circuit. If there is a break anywhere in the circuit, electricity cannot flow. If one of the wires is broken, for example, the lamp will not light. Similarly, if the switch is turned off, no electricity can flow. This is why a switch is sometimes called a circuit breaker.

You don't always need wires to make a circuit, however. There is a circuit formed between a storm cloud and the Earth by the air in between. Normally air does not conduct electricity. However, if there is a big enough electrical charge in the cloud, it can create charged particles in the air called ions ( atoms that have lost or gained some electrons). The ions work like an invisible cable linking the cloud above and the air below. Lightning flows through the air between the ions.

How electricity moves in a circuit

Materials such as copper metal that conduct electricity (allow it to flow freely) are called conductors. Materials that don't allow electricity to pass through them so readily, such as rubber and plastic, are called insulators. What makes copper a conductor and rubber an insulator?

A current of electricity is a steady flow of electrons. When electrons move from one place to another, round a circuit, they carry electrical energy from place to place like marching ants carrying leaves. Instead of carrying leaves, electrons carry a tiny amount of electric charge.

Electricity can travel through something when its structure allows electrons to move through it easily. Metals like copper have "free" electrons that are not bound tightly to their parent atoms. These electrons flow freely throughout the structure of copper and this is what enables an electric current to flow. In rubber, the electrons are more tightly bound. There are no "free" electrons and, as a result, electricity does not really flow through rubber at all. Conductors that let electricity flow freely are said to have a high conductance and a low resistance; insulators that do not allow electricity to flow are the opposite: they have a low conductance and a high resistance.

For electricity to flow, there has to be something to push the electrons along. This is called an electromotive force (EMF). A battery or power outlet creates the electromotive force that makes a current of electrons flow. An electromotive force is better known as a voltage.

Direct current and alternating current

Electricity can move around a circuit in two different ways. In the big picture up above, you can see electrons racing around a loop like race cars on a track, always going in the same direction. This type of electricity is called direct current (DC) and most toys and small gadgets have circuits that work this way.

Artwork: Top: In a direct current (DC) circuit, electrons always flow in the same direction. Bottom: In an alternating current (AC) circuit, the electrons reverse direction many times each second.

The bigger appliances in your home use a different kind of electricity called alternating current (AC). Instead of always flowing the same way, the electrons constantly reverse direction-about 50-60 times every second. Although you might think that makes it impossible for energy to be carried round a circuit, it doesn't! Take the flashlight bulb in the circuit above. With direct current, new electrons keep streaming through the filament (a thin piece of wire inside the bulb), making it heat up and give off light. With alternating current, the same old electrons whiz back and forth in the filament. You can think of them running on the spot, heating up the filament so it still makes bright light we can see. So both types of current can make the lamp work even though they flow in different ways. Most other electric appliances can also work using either direct or alternating current, though some circuits do need AC to be changed to DC (or vice versa) to work correctly.

Electromagnetism

Electricity and magnetism are closely related. You might have seen giant steel electromagnets working in a scrapyard. An electromagnet is a magnet that can be switched on and off with electricity. When the current flows, it works like a magnet; when the current stops, it goes back to being an ordinary, unmagnetized piece of steel. Scrapyard cranes pick up bits of metal junk by switching the magnet on. To release the junk, they switch the magnet off again.

Electromagnets show that electricity can make magnetism, but how do they work? When electricity flows through a wire, it creates an invisible pattern of magnetism all around it. If you put a compass needle near an electric cable, and switch the electricity on or off, you can see the needle move because of the magnetism the cable generates. The magnetism is caused by the changing electricity when you switch the current on or off.

This is how an electric motor works. An electric motor is a machine that turns electricity into mechanical energy. In other words, electric power makes the motor spin around-and the motor can drive machinery. In a clothes washing machine, an electric motor spins the drum; in an electric drill, an electric motor makes the drill bit spin at high speed and bite into the material you're drilling. An electric motor is a cylinder packed with magnets around its edge. In the middle, there's a core made of iron wire wrapped around many times. When electricity flows into the iron core, it creates magnetism. The magnetism created in the core pushes against the magnetism in the outer cylinder and makes the core of the motor spin around. Read more in our main article on electric motors.

Make an electromagnet

Picture: Why not make an electromagnet? All you need is a few common household items.

You can make a small electromagnet using a battery, some insulated (plastic-covered) copper wire, and a nail. Here are a couple of websites that tell you what to do step-by-step:

Making electricity

Just as electricity can make magnetism, so magnetism can make electricity. A dynamo is a bit like an electric motor inside. When you pedal your bicycle, the dynamo clipped to the wheel spins around. Inside the dynamo, there is a heavy core made from iron wire wrapped tightly around-much like the inside of a motor. The core spins freely inside some large fixed magnets. As you pedal, the core rotates inside these outer magnets and generates electricity. The electricity flows out from the dynamo and powers your bicycle lamp.

The electric generators used in power plants work in exactly the same way, only on a much bigger scale. Instead of being powered by someone's legs, pedaling furiously, these large generators are driven by steam. The steam is made by burning fuels or by nuclear reactions. Power plants can make enormous amounts of electricity, but they waste quite a lot of the energy they produce. The energy has to flow from the plant, where it is made, to the homes, offices, and factories where it is used down many miles of electric power cable. Making electricity in a power plant and delivering it to a distant building can waste up to two thirds of the energy that was originally present in the fuel!

Another problem with power plants is that they make electricity by burning "fossil fuels" such as coal, gas, or oil. This creates pollution and adds to the problem known as global warming (the way Earth is steadily heating up because of the energy people are using). Another problem with fossil fuels is that supplies are limited and they are steadily running out.

Photo: Making clean, renewable energy from the wind. Each of these turbines contains an electricity generator in the top section, just behind the spinning rotors.

There are other ways to make energy that are more efficient, less polluting, and do not contribute to global warming. These types of energy are called renewable, because they can last indefinitely. Examples of renewable energy include wind turbines and solar power. Unlike huge electric power plants, they are often much more efficient ways of making electricity. Because they can be sited closer to where the electricity is used, less energy is wasted transmitting power down the wires.

Wind turbines are effectively just electric generators with a "propeller" on the front. The wind turns the propeller, which spins the generator inside, and makes a study current of electricity.

Unlike virtually every other way of making electricity, solar cells (like the ones on calculators and digital watches) do not work using electricity generators and magnetism. When light falls on a solar cell, the material it is made from (silicon) captures the light's energy and turns it directly into electricity. Potentially, this means solar cells are an extremely efficient way to make electricity. A home with solar electric panels on the roof might be able to make most of its own electricity, for example.

Electricity and electronics

Photo: A transistor (a typical electronic component) on a circuit board. Components like this run on electricity, just like clothes washing machines, but they use much smaller currents and voltages.

Electricity is about using relatively large currents of electrical energy to do useful jobs, like driving a washing machine or powering an electric drill. Electronics is a very different kind of electricity. It's a way of controlling things using incredibly tiny currents of electricity-sometimes even individual electrons! Suppose you have an electronic clothes washing machine. Large currents of electricity come from the power outlet (mains supply) to make the drum rotate and heat the water. Smaller currents of electricity operate the electronic components in the washing machine's programmer unit. These tiny currents control the bigger currents, making the drum rotate back and forth, starting and stopping the water supply, and so on. Read more in our main article on electronics.

The power of electricity

Before the invention of electricity, people had to make energy wherever and whenever they needed it. Thus, they had to make wood or coal fires to heat their homes or cook food. The invention of electricity changed all that. It meant energy could be made in one place then supplied over long distances to wherever it was needed. People no longer had to worry about making energy for heating or cooking: all they had to do was plug in and switch on-and the energy was there as soon as they wanted it.

Another good thing about electricity is that it's like a common "language" that all modern appliances can "speak." You can run a car using the energy in gasoline, or you can cook food on a barbecue in your garden using charcoal, though you can't run your car on charcoal or cook food with gasoline. But electricity is quite different. You can cook with it, run cars on it, heat your home with it, and charge your cellphone with it. This is the great beauty and the power of electricity: it's energy for everyone, everywhere, and always.

Measuring electricity

We can measure electricity in a number of different ways, but a few measurements are particularly important.

Photo: You can use a digital multimeter like this to measure voltage, current, and resistance.

Voltage

The voltage is a kind of electrical force that makes electricity move through a wire and we measure it in volts. The bigger the voltage, the more current will tend to flow. So a 12-volt car battery will generally produce more current than a 1.5-volt flashlight battery.

Current

Voltage does not, itself, go anywhere: it's quite wrong to talk about voltage "flowing through" things. What moves through the wire in a circuit is electrical current: a steady flow of electrons, measured in amperes (or amps).

Power

Together, voltage and current give you electrical power. The bigger the voltage and the bigger the current, the more electrical power you have. We measure electric power in units called watts. Something that uses 1 watt uses 1 joule of energy each second.

The electric power in a circuit is equal to the voltage × the current (in other words: watts = volts × amps). So if you have a 100-watt (100 W) light and you know your electricity supply is rated as 120 volts (typical household voltage in the United States), the current flowing must be 100/120 = 0.8 amps. If you're in Europe, your household voltage is more likely 230 volts. So if you use the same 100-watt light, the current flowing is 100/230 = 0.4 amps. The light burns just as brightly in both countries and uses the same amount of power in each case; in Europe it uses a higher voltage and lower current; in the States, there's a lower voltage and higher current. (One quick note: 120 volts and 230 volts are the "nominal" or standard household voltages-the voltages you're supposed to have, in theory. In practice, your home might have more or less voltage than this, for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because of how far you are from your local power plant or power supply.)

Energy

Power is a measurement of how much energy you're using each second. To find out the total amount of energy an electric appliance uses, you have to multiply the power it uses per second by the total number of seconds you use it for. The result you get is measured in units of power × time, often converted into a standard unit called the kilowatt hour (kWh). If you used an electric toaster rated at 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) for a whole hour, you'd use 1 kilowatt hour of energy; you'd use the same amount of energy burning a 2000 watt toaster for 0.5 hours or a 100-watt lamp for 10 hours. See how it works?

Electricity meters (like the one shown in the photo above, from my house) show the total number of kilowatt hours of electricity you've used. 1 kilowatt hour is equal to 3.6 million joules (J) of energy (or 3.6 megajoules if you prefer).

You can measure your energy consumption automatically with an energy monitor.

A brief history of electricity

Picture: Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) pioneered the alternating current power system most of us use today. Even so, his rival, Thomas Edison (1846-1931), is still popularly remembered as the inventor who gave the world electric power. Photograph by Sarony; engraving by T. Johnson, c.1906, courtesy of US Library of Congress.

600 BCE: Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (c.624-546 BCE) discovered static electricity.

1600 CE: English scientist William Gilbert (1544-1603) was the first person to use the word "electricity." He believed electricity was caused by a moving fluid called humor.

1733: French scientist Charles du Fay (1698-1739) found that there were two different kinds of static electric charge.

1752: American printer, journalist, scientist, and statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) carried out further experiments and named the two kinds of electric charge "positive" and "negative."

1780: Italian biologist Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) touched two pieces of metal to a dead frog's leg and made it jump. This led him to believe electricity is made inside animals' bodies.

1785: French scientist Charles Augustin de Coulomb (1736-1806) explored the mysteries of electric fields: the electrically active areas around electric charges.

1800: One of Galvani's friends, an Italian physics professor named Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), realized "animal electricity" was made by the metals Galvani had used. After further research, he found out how to make electricity by joining different metals together and invented batteries.

1827: German physicist Georg Ohm (1789-1854) found some materials carry electricity better than others and developed the idea of resistance.

1820: Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) put a compass near an electric cable and discovered that electricity can make magnetism.

1821: A French physicist called Andre-Marie Ampère (1775-1836) put two electric cables near to one another, wired them up to a power source, and watched them push one another apart. This showed electricity and magnetism can work together to make a force.

1821: Michael Faraday (1791-1867), an English chemist and physicist, developed the first, primitive electric motor.

1830s: American physicist Joseph Henry (1797-1879) and British inventor William Sturgeon (1783-1850) independently made the first practical electromagnets and electric motors.

1831: Building on his earlier discoveries, Michael Faraday invented the electric generator.

1840: Scottish physicist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889) proved that electricity is a kind of energy.

1870s: Belgian engineer Zénobe Gramme (1826-1901) made the first large-scale electric generators.

1873: James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), another British physicist, set out a detailed theory of electromagnetism (how electricity and magnetism work together).

1881: The world's first experimental electric power plant opened in Godalming, England.

1882: Thomas Edison (1846-1931) built the first large-scale electric power plants in the USA.

1890s: Edison's former employee Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) promoted alternating current (AC) electricity, a rival to the direct current (DC) system promoted by Edison. Edison and Tesla battled for supremacy and, although Edison is remembered as the pioneer of electric power, it was Tesla's AC system that ultimately triumphed.

DON'T ever play with electricity!

Electricity is amazingly useful-but it can be really dangerous as well. When electricity zaps from power plants to your home, it's at thousands of times higher voltages and massively more dangerous than the electricity in your home. If you are silly enough to touch or play near power equipment, you could die an extremely nasty and unpleasant death-electricity doesn't just shock you, it burns you alive. Heed warnings like this one and stay well away.

Electricity can also be dangerous in your home. Household electric power can kill you, so be sure to treat it with respect too. Don't play with household power sockets or push things into them. Don't take apart electrical appliances, because dangerous voltages can linger inside for a long time after they are switched off. If you want to know what something electrical looks like inside, search on the web-you'll find a safe answer that way.

It's generally okay to use small (1.5 volt) flashlight batteries for your experiments if you want to learn about electricity; they make small and safe voltages and electric currents that will do you no harm. Ask an adult for advice if you're not sure what's safe.

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Related articles on our site

Books

For younger children (ages 9-12)

The Shocking World of Electricity with Max Axiom Super Scientist by Liam O'Donnell. Capstone, 2019. A graphic-novel (comic) style introduction likely to appeal to reluctant readers. Ages 7-10.

Electricity (Science in a Flash) by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw. Hachette/Franklin Watts, 2017/2018. A clearly written 32-page guide for ages 7-9, with some basic hands-on activities and a helpful glossary.

Electricity for Young Makers: Fun and Easy Do-It-Yourself Projects by Marc de Vinck. Maker Media, 2017. A safe and friendly hands-on introduction in which you get to build a flashlight, a loudspeaker, and a couple of electric motors!

A Beginner's Guide to Electricity and Magnetism by Gill Arbuthnot. A&C Black/Bloomsbury, 2016. Another 64-page overview for ages 7-10.

Eyewitness: Electricity by Steve Parker. Dorling Kindersley, 2005. A classic glossy Eyewitness book that blends facts and history. Also worth investing in the same series:Eyewitness: Electronics by Roger Bridgman. Dorling Kindersley, 2007. This one takes a similar approach but covers electronics and electronic components.

Charged Up: The Story of Electricity by Jackie Bailey and Matthew Lilly. Picture Window Books/A & C Black, 2004. A humorous, cartoon-style tour through the history of electricity. (For some reason, it's also published under the title "Charging About.")

For older children (ages 10+)

MAKE Electronics by Charles Platt. O'Reilly, 2015. A great hands-on guide to learning about electronic components and circuits.

Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius by Roger Iannini. McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. There are quite a few "Evil Genius" books in this series that will appeal to budding young hackers keen to experiment with more advanced circuits.

Children's books by me

Scientific Pathways: Electricity by Chris Woodford. Rosen, 2013: A simple introduction to the history of electricity, from the ancient Greeks to modern times. This book aims to show how science and technology progresses from one discovery to the next, a bit like a relay race, through the work of many different people. (This is an updated version of a book originally published by Blackbirch in 2004 under the series title Routes of Science.)

Cool Science: Experiments with Electricity and Magnetism by Chris Woodford. Gareth Stevens, 2010: A 32-page, hands-on, practical approach to understanding electricity and magnetism.

History of electricity

Websites

Notes and references

↑ Calculations: A typical lightning bolt might release about 500-1000 megajoules (500-1000 million joules) of energy. A powerful, old-fashioned incandescent lamp uses 100 watts (100 joules per second). One lamp lit for 24 hours uses 24 hours × 3600 seconds × 100 joules/second = 8,640,000 joules or 8.6 megajoules. So 100 of these lamps would use 860 megajoules. If you're using energy-saving lamps, you could light up 5-10 more. What about toasters? Suppose your toaster uses 1000 watts (1000 joules per second) and takes 2 minutes to make two pieces of toast. There are 120 seconds in two minutes, so your toaster needs 1000 × 120 = 120,000 joules of energy for two pieces or 60,000 joules per piece. Dividing our 1000 million joule lightning bolt by 60,000, we get about 17,000.

Please do NOT copy our articles onto blogs and other websites

Articles from this website are registered at the US Copyright Office. Copying or otherwise using registered works without permission, removing this or other copyright notices, and/or infringing related rights could make you liable to severe civil or criminal penalties.

Text copyright © Chris Woodford 2006, 2021. All rights reserved. Full copyright notice and terms of use.

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Electricity for kids - and everyone else: A simple introduction!

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Advertisement by Chris Woodford. Last updated: October 21, 2021. If you've ever sat watching a thunderstorm, with mighty lightning bolts darting down from the sky, you'll have some idea of the power of electricity. A bolt of lightning is a sudden, massive surge of electricity between the sky and the ground beneath.

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How do I make an electromagnet?

It is fairly easy to build an electromagnet. All you need to do is wrap some insulated copper wire around an iron core. If you attach a battery to the wire, an electric current will begin to flow and the iron core will become magnetized. When the battery is disconnected, the iron core will lose its magnetism. Follow these steps if you would like to build the electromagnet described in our Magnets and Electromagnets experiment:

Step 1 - Gather the Materials

To build the electromagnet described in our Magnets and Electromagnets experiment, you will need:

One iron nail fifteen centimeters (6 in) long

Three meters (10 ft) of 22 gauge insulated, stranded copper wire

One or more D-cell batteries

A pair of wire strippers

Step 2 - Remove some Insulation

Some of the copper wire needs to be exposed so that the battery can make a good electrical connection. Use a pair of wire strippers to remove a few centimeters of insulation from each end of the wire.

Step 3 - Wrap the Wire Around the Nail

Neatly wrap the wire around the nail. The more wire you wrap around the nail, the stronger your electromagnet will be. Make certain that you leave enough of the wire unwound so that you can attach the battery.

When you wrap the wire around the nail, make certain that you wrap the wire all in one direction. You need to do this because the direction of a magnet field depends on the direction of the electric current creating it. The movement of electric charges creates a magnetic field. If you could see the magnetic field around a wire that has electricity flowing through it, it would look like a series of circles around the wire. If an electric current is flowing directly towards you, the magnetic field created by it circles around the wire in a counter-clockwise direction. If the direction of the electric current is reversed, the magnetic field reverses also and circles the wire in a clockwise direction. If you wrap some of the wire around the nail in one direction and some of the wire in the other direction, the magnetic fields from the different sections fight each other and cancel out, reducing the strength of your magnet.

Step 4 - Connect the Battery

Attach one end of the wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire to the negative terminal of the battery. If all has gone well, your electromagnet is now working!

Don't worry about which end of the wire you attach to the positive terminal of the battery and which one you attach to the negative terminal. Your magnet will work just as well either way. What will change is your magnet's polarity. One end of your magnet will be its north pole and the other end will be its south pole. Reversing the way the battery is connected will reverse the poles of your electromagnet.

Hints to Make Your Electromagnet Stronger

The more turns of wire your magnet has, the better. Keep in mind that the further the wire is from the core, the less effective it will be.

The more current that passes through the wire, the better. Caution! Too much current can be dangerous! As electricity passes through a wire, some of the electrical energy is converted to heat. The more current that flows through a wire, the more heat is generated. If you double the current passing through a wire, the heat generated will increase 4 times! If you triple the current passing through a wire, the heat generated will increase 9 times! Things can quickly become too hot to handle.

Try experimenting with different cores. A thicker core might make a more powerful magnet. Just make certain that the material you choose can be magnetized. You can test your core with a permanent magnet. If a permanent magnet is not attracted to your core, it will not make a good electromagnet. An aluminum bar, for example, is not a good choice for your magnet's core.

Related Pages:
BEAMS Activity - Magnets and Electromagnets What is a mixture? What is an electromagnet? Do you know what an electromagnet is? How do I make an electromagnet?

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How do I make an electromagnet? It is fairly easy to build an electromagnet. All you need to do is wrap some insulated copper wire around an iron core. If you attach a battery to the wire, an electric current will begin to flow and the iron core will become magnetized.

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Expressive Technology with Paper Circuits Chibitronics blends circuits and code with arts and crafts.

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Circuit Stickers tutorial 1: simple LED circuit

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STEAM Learning with Chibitronics

Educators are using paper circuits to seamlessly integrate art, STEM, social studies, and language arts.

Students can create interactive artwork, illuminate haikus and illustrate "I Am" poems, map the stars and the world around them, invent cardboard arcades and paper cities, and much more!

I love the light bulb moment for students or teachers in workshops, especially when they are or were like me - intimidated and then empowered. It makes me feel smart and powerful and accomplished and successful when I make the light light up. In fact, that is my FAVORITE part of every workshop - when people explain 'Oh! I did it!' I think doing this work is very empowering for girls and those not as confident about science.
- Molly, high school English teacher

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Professional Development

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STEAM Learning with Chibitronics Educators are using paper circuits to seamlessly integrate art, STEM, social studies, and language arts. Students can create interactive artwork, illuminate haikus...

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Paper Battery Holder Template

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This tutorial shows you how to make a paper battery holder for coin cell batteries (CR2032 and CR2016). Scroll to the bottom of this page for the video tutorial.
MATERIALS AND TOOLS

STEP 1: Cut out the battery holder template
STEP 2: Cut two pieces of copper tape, about 3 inches long each

Step 3: make the positive lead
Take one of the copper tape pieces and peel off the paper backing.

Stick the copper tape over the horizontal part of the "L" shaped line, on the front of the battery holder, and fold the tape to follow the "L" shape. See below for directions on how to fold the copper tape.

Leave the excess copper tape hanging off the battery holder. This is the + lead of the battery holder.

Folding to make the copper tape turn:
At the turn, fold the tape back over itself so that the sticky side is up.

Flip the tape over, while introducing the angle and flatten the tape.

This completes the turn.

Step 4: make the negative lead
Flip the template over. Peel the paper backing off the other piece of copper tape and match the piece of copper with the vertical printed line. Stick the copper down over the printed line and leave the excess copper dangling off the battery holder.

Flip the template over and fold the vertical flap along the top dotted line, so that the copper tape is on the outside. Then fold again along the next dotted line, as if you are rolling the flap down. This creates a springy tab which ensures good contact with the battery.

Finally, fold the entire flap once more along the third dotted line, so that the edge is even with the edge of the battery holder.

Step 5: make the battery envelope
Fold the tab on the left over to the right.

Flip the battery holder over and fold the extra bit of the tap around the back of the holder. This horizontal band holds the contacts to the battery, so make sure the band is tight to ensure a snug fit.

Tape this tab down with regular tape.
Step 6: fold down the top flap
And you're done!

ADDING AN LED
The easiest way to add an LED is to take tape the LED directly onto the copper tape leads of your battery holder. Make sure that the LED spans the gap between the + and - leads of the battery holder and that it is oriented correctly.

Once it is matched up, simply tape down the LED with regular transparent. If your LED is oriented incorrectly, it wont light up. In this case, simply peel it off and tape it back down the in the proper orientation.
BATTERY ON AND BATTERY OFF

To turn the battery holder on, tuck the top flat between the outside band and the negative lead. This ensures a tight contact between the leads and the battery

To turn the battery holder off, tuck the top flat between the negative lead and the battery. This isolates the battery from the negative lead, ensuring that the circuit is off without needing to remove the battery from the circuit.
VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Paper Battery Holder Tutorial - chibitronics

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This tutorial shows you how to make a paper battery holder for coin cell batteries (CR2032 and CR2016). Scroll to the bottom of this page for the video tutorial.

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FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

A paper circuit is a low-voltage electronic circuit that is created on paper or cardboard using conductive copper tape, LEDs and a power source such as a coin-cell battery. Creating paper circuits is a good way to teach the basics of electricity and how circuits function. In addition to being educational, they can also be a fun makerspace project that helps to bring artwork and paper craft to life. By adding sensors, buzzers and motors to your circuit, you can also add another dimension of interactivity. These simple projects are great for all ages and all makerspaces.

A paper circuit smiley for Halloween! Got inspired from the new book by @Makerspaces_com #papercircuits pic.twitter.com/366y0PxCGN

- cincoutprabu (@cincoutprabu) October 10, 2016

There are a lot of creative and imaginative ways to create a paper circuit. These examples from Jie Qi at Chibitronics are truly amazing. Take a look at her Flickr page too see even more paper circuit creations.

Creating paper circuits is a natural fit for the classroom or library. Here's a good example:

Making paper circuits to "illuminate" a concept in our course or classroom. We are #makers !!#MAETy1 pic.twitter.com/GiSF50RgCJ

- Katie Dahmer (@k_dahmer) June 23, 2016

More Friday morning fun with paper circuits! #tinkeringmooc Planning this for Maker Club @ROMS_Learning pic.twitter.com/pOEsnn76hZ

- Jill Gardy Hill (@jmgardyhill) August 5, 2016

This video shows how Milan Dahal used paper circuits to create animation.

Paper cricket #paperCircuits pic.twitter.com/4zhsZCJNs3

- सुरेश (@SuRayShG) September 11, 2016

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

There are a wide variety of paper circuit projects you can do. Shown below are most of the materials that you will need in order to complete these different projects. Later in this post, you will learn how to create a simple circuit and will only need copper tape, an LED and a coin cell battery.

Coin-cell battery (3V) CR2032

Copper tape (1/4″) with conductive adhesive

LED - 5mm, 10mm, surface mount or similiar

DC Hobby motor - 130 size

Buzzer - mechanical or piezo

LilyPad button board or slide switch

Paper clip or Binder clip

Clear tape

Double-sided foam tape

Card stock paper - 65-110 lb

Printer/copy paper

Brass brads

Circuit Stickers from Chibitronics (optional)

Circuit Scribe - conductive ink pen (optional)

Electric Paint from Bare Conductive (optional)

The great thing about paper circuits is the ability to create a circuit without the need for soldering. Having said that, you can use a soldering iron for specific reasons which will be explained later. Another optional tool is a paper trimmer which is great for when you are creating paper crafts that light up. Using a paper trimmer is also a safer option then scissors if you are doing this project with younger kids.

WARNINGS - Copper tape can have very sharp edges and is able to cut skin like a paper cut so be careful. Also, this project is low voltage 3v DC and is NOT intended to be used with your wall outlet or 120v. There are small items used in this project such as LEDs and can be a choking hazard for children under 3 years. Most importantly, have fun !

Introduction

Creating a paper circuit is a very fun and easy way to learn about circuits while being creative at the same time. In this tutorial, we are going to make a "simple circuit" which is the most basic of all circuits. To begin with, check out this introductory video from Chibitronics that gives a quick overview about working with copper tape.

Step 1 - Print Out The Template

Before we start you will need to download our Simple Circuit template and print it out on standard printer paper. Card stock is not needed for this particular paper circuit project.

You can also right-click the image below and choose "Save Link As" to save the printable template to your computer.

Step 2 - Apply Copper Tape to Trace Lines

Apply copper tape to all trace lines as marked in brown on the template. Smooth the copper down with your finger. Try to maintain a continuous strip of copper tape versus cutting it at the corners. Fold copper tape at the corners by bending it at a 45′ angle in the opposite direction of where you are going. Then fold it back at a 180′ angle and continue applying to the trace line.

Make sure to leave a gap in the copper tape so the LED can be mounted properly.

Cut the remaining copper tape once you reach the designated battery area.

Step 3 - Score and Fold

Score and then fold the corner line. A scoring tool is very helpful when making folds during a paper circuit project.

Step 4 - Mount LED to Copper Trace

Mount the LED to the copper trace using clear tape. To do this, bend both legs of the LED at a 90′ angle and then tape legs securely to the copper. Make sure that the long leg of the LED goes to the positive (+) side of the copper trace.

The image below from shows how to tell which leg of an LED is positive. If the legs have been cut, you can also determine which side is negative by looking for the flat side of the LED casing.

Step 5 - Attach Battery To Circuit

Last step is to place the coin-cell battery on the copper trace. In this example, make sure the battery (-) is facing down on the copper. The corner flap which is (+) should then be able to contact the battery (+) when folded.

At this point you can secure the corner using a paper clip or binder clip.

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

Optional - you can create a paper battery holder which securely holds your coin-cell battery. Chibitronics has a wonderful step-by-step tutorial on how to create one of these.

To create a paper circuit you don't always need to use copper tape. Another good option is to use conductive ink ( Circuit Scribe) or electric paint ( Bare Conductive) to help form the circuit. There are pros and cons however to using these products over copper tape. For example, if you choose to use electric paint you will need to wait a few minutes for the product to dry. According to the manufacturer, "the conductivity of Electric Paint increases as it dries, therefore it is important to wait until it is completely dry to test your projects". But the good thing about using paint and ink is that you are able to make very unique shapes and patterns that you wouldn't have been able to with copper tape.

Below is a great example of a paper circuit project involving conductive ink or electric paint. Make a greeting card that lights up !

#Makerspace project - make an electric greeting card w/ conductive paint via @instructables https://t.co/dtg4fQZxxk pic.twitter.com/4bpeHqqhn1

- Makerspaces.com (@Makerspaces_com) April 23, 2016

A great alternative to the standard LED are Circuit Stickers by Chibitronics. A circuit sticker is a peel-and-stick LED for creating circuits and craft projects. They can be stuck to almost any surface such as paper, plastic, fabric etc. They work with copper tape, conductive ink or even electric paint. Chibitronics also has a line of sensor and effects stickers in addition to the LED sticker. These add-ons can make your project blink, pulse or be responsive to sound.

When using these, make sure to stick the narrow side of the sticker to the negative side of the copper trace. The larger side of the circuit sticker is positive. One great advantage of circuit stickers is their low power consumption. You can light up more circuit stickers per (1) 3v battery than you could using standard LEDs.

Is your LED not lighting? Most of the time it's a very simple fix. Here is a list of the common ways to make your paper circuit functional.

1. Make sure that the LONG leg of your LED is secured to the positive (+) side of the circuit because this is easy to mix up.

2. Sometimes the LED legs are just not contacting the copper tape well enough. Rub the clear tape that secures the LED to ensure there is a solid connection with the copper tape below.

3. Inspect the battery. Make sure the negative (-) of the battery is touching the negative side of the copper tape and the same goes with the positive. Furthermore make sure there is a solid connection between the battery and copper. Sometimes you need to tape the battery down using clear tape.

4. It's highly recommended that you try to maintain a continuous strip of copper foil versus cutting it. But sometimes you just need to make a cut. Make sure you push down and rub the two pieces of copper that are taped together. There needs to be a solid connection.

5. Ensure all copper tape has been smoothed down on the paper with as few wrinkles as possible.

6. Is there a short in the circuit? A short can happen when the positive and negative copper tape make contact with each other. Check around the battery area and the LED area which are common places for this to happen.

7. If you're using a LilyPad switch make sure it is taped down firmly to the copper tape below it. Also, there needs to be a gap in the copper directly below the switch as outlined on the template.

8. Finally, are your parts even functional? At times you might just have a bad battery or bad LED. One easy way to test both of these items is to place the LED directly onto the battery. Make sure the LONG leg is touching the positive side of the battery.

LEDs are used in a ton of #makerspace projects. Here's a simple way to test one. Remember long leg is positive. https://t.co/41ZOiIW9Gb

- Makerspaces.com (@Makerspaces_com) September 15, 2016

Now that you've seen how to create the basic circuit, we're going to step it up a notch and add a switch to control the LED.

Step 1 - Print Circuit Template

Download our Simple Circuit w/ Switch template and print it out on standard printer paper. Card stock is not needed for this particular paper circuit project.

You can also right-click the image below and choose "Save Link As" to save the printable template to your computer.

Step 2 - Apply Copper Tape to Trace Lines

Apply the copper tape to all brown trace lines on the template. Try to maintain a continuous strip of copper tape versus cutting it at the corners. Fold copper tape at the corners by bending it at a 45′ angle in the opposite direction of where you are going. Then fold it back at a 180′ angle and continue applying to the trace line. Make sure to leave a gap in the copper tape so the LED can be mounted properly. Cut the remaining copper tape once you reach the designated battery area.

Step 3 - Score and Fold

Score and then fold the corner line. A scoring tool is very helpful when making folds during a paper circuit project.

Step 4 - Mount LED to Copper Trace

Mount the LED to the copper trace using clear tape. To do this, bend both legs of the LED at a 90′ angle and then tape legs securely to the copper. Make sure that long leg of the LED goes to the positive (+) side of the copper trace.

Step 5 - Attach Battery To Circuit

The next step is to place the coin-cell battery on the copper trace. In this example, make sure the battery (-) is facing down on the copper. The corner flap which is (+) should then be able to contact the battery (+) when folded. Finally, add a paperclip or binder clip to secure the corner.

Step 6 - Attach LilyPad Switch To Circuit

Finally, the LilyPad switch needs to be taped on top of the copper tape. Make sure there is a gap in the copper below the switch as outlined on the template. We love the LilyPad switch because of it's small form factor but there are other ways to create a switch. We outline this alternative method below.

These LilyPad button and slide switches are available at .

If you don't have a LilyPad switch you can always create a switch with a flap of paper with copper on it. Tape the paper switch over the gap with the copper facing down. Press down on the switch to close the circuit and turn on the LED.

We've put together a collection of 5 beautifully designed paper circuit templates that have step-by-step instructions on them. We hope you like these projects and we would love to see what you design. Follow us on Twitter @Makerspaces_com and show us your paper circuits. Have fun and keep learning !

FREE PDF Download - (5) Paper Circuit Project Templates

The internet is filled with great information on paper circuits and here are some of our favorite resources.
Paper Circuits - The Tinkering Studio
Paper Circuits with Copper Tape - High-Low Tech

The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - Sparkfun

Paper Circuit Tutorials - Chibitronics

Getting Started with Circuit Stickers - Jie Qi

Plan and Build Your Circuit - Adafruit

Simple Paper Circuit - Make

has a really great learning section on their site which covers almost every maker topic out there. If you want to dig deeper into circuits and electricity, check out their video series called Circuit Playground.

Follow @Makerspaces_com

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Paper Circuits For Makerspaces - Makerspaces.com

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5 Free Paper Circuit Templates - Paper circuits are great makerspace projects for teaching electricity & circuits. Paper Circuit Tutorial PDF

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Seville Classics Ultragraphite Wood Top Workbench

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Seville Classics Ultragraphite Wood Top Workbench

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Lesson Plans: Gr. 4-6  |  Gr. 7-12
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Getting Started with Cubelets
The Hub (Resources, lessons, activities, units, resources & more)
Cubelets Robot Recipes on Pinterest

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Grab the New Cubelets TWELVE Pack! Cubelets® Robot Blocks are a fast and easy way to inspire kids to become better thinkers.

Initiate, Imagine, Inspire.

Inspire a love of learning through play. Cubelets® Robot Blocks make it fast and easy to engage children as young as four in learning by building robots. There's no wrong way to build with Cubelets, so it is remarkably easy to transform these blocks into brilliant bundles of robotic curiosity.

Ages 4+ / Free shipping in the USA

Making with Magnets.

You don't need to know how to code or wire to construct robots with Cubelets. Snap the robot blocks together and the magnetic faces do the rest. Every unique arrangement is a new robot with novel behaviors emerging from the construction. Invention made easy.

While you don't need to know how to code to play, you can code Cubelets to exhibit new behaviors using C.

Cubelets are robot blocks that easily connect to form robots that

inspire kids to become better thinkers. Press play to learn more!

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Building with Bricks.

Builders rejoice! Cubelets Brick Adapters let you pair with Lego® and other brick-based constructions to add new levels of detail and artistry to your robots. Brick Adapters come in two different styles, "studs" and "sockets" so you can build in any direction.

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Branch Out With Bluetooth.

Ready to take your robots to the next level? Add a Bluetooth Cubelet to your construction to create responsive remote control robots or reprogram Cubelets to exhibit new behaviors.

Download the Cubelets App for iOS or Android to build with Bluetooth.

Learn to code with
Cubelets Blockly

It's never been easier to code your own Cubelets robot! Cubelets Blockly is the perfect platform to learn to program your own robots! This simple and powerful visual programming tool gives you full control over your Cubelets® robot blocks. Create countless new robots and behaviors with the power of code.

Learn More & Download

Get The NEW Cubelets Mobile App

Cubelets Twelve Kit
The Cubelets TWELVE kit contains these 12 Cubelets and is the best way to introduce robotics and programming to kids. Create thousands of thought-provoking robots that provide intuitions about the behavior of complex systems with Cubelets TWELVE!

Fast and easy!

No wrong way to build.

Proven to engage different types of learners.

$279.95
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Ages 4+ / Free shipping in the USA

Start Your Collection With These Cubelets Essentials

Cubelets for Educators

Considering Cubelets for your classroom, maker space, museum, or camp? Explore our Education section for educator specific packs and pricing! In addition, you'll find over 40 hours of free standards-aligned curricula.

Explore Cubelets for Education

Cubelets SIX Kit
The Cubelets Six kit contains these 6 Cubelets and is the best way to inspire a love of learning through robotics. With the Cubelets Six, you can create simple mobile and reactive Cubelet robots that provide intuitions about the behavior of complex systems.

Easy for kids as young as four.

Get quick results!

Not intimidating.

No wrong way to build.

Proven to keep different types of learners engaged.

No coding or wiring required.

$129.95
Buy Now
Ages 4+ / Free shipping in the USA

The Cubelets Twenty Kit has Cubelets Twenty Kit 20 blocks and contains an assortment of Sense, Action, and Think blocks. With it, you can experiment and create mobile robots and logic constructions.

Encourages self-directed learning.

Inspires a love of learning.

Builds confidence working in unfamiliar areas.

Encourages curiosity.

Integrates STEM with play.

Free and remixable lesson plans and curriculum.

Helps prepare kids to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

$499.95
Buy Now
Ages 4+ / Free shipping in the USA

Cubelets F.A.Q.

What ages are Cubelets appropriate for? +

Cubelets are designed for kids age 4 and up. Adults often enjoy building with Cubelets as well.

Do you offer an educator's discount? +

Sorry, we don't offer an educational discount or discounts to any groups.

How do I start? +

Take a look at our Getting Started Guide.

Why isn't my robot driving? +

Do you have a Battery Cubelet on your robot? Every robot needs a Battery Cubelet to supply power. Is the Battery Cubelet turned on? Do you have a Drive Cubelet? A robot needs wheels to drive. If your robot has Battery and Drive Cubelets and is just sitting there, perhaps it needs a Sense Cubelet to provide some stimulus. Maybe your robot will drive according to light levels, or maybe you'll design it with Distance Cubelets so that it can follow or avoid things.

Are magnetic toys dangerous? +

Eating or inhaling tiny magnets can be fatal. In 2006 and 2007, the Consumer Products Safety Commission ordered a recall of millions of Mega Brands' Magnetix kits, finding that the little magnets were improperly attached and could fall out.

Modular Robotics is committed to making the safest magnetic toys ever produced, and we are working with the industry to set better guidelines for using magnets in toys and to improve testing criteria and oversight. The magnets inside of Cubelets are not just glued in, they are mechanically attached so that they cannot fall out. Cubelets contain magnets, batteries, and motors. They are only for children age 4 and up, and kids should always be supervised when playing with them.

Are your kits lead-free? +

Our kits contain no lead and are independently tested by Intertek, a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Our kits are compliant with US CPSIA and ASTM standards.

What should I do if one of my Cubelets is broken? +

Cubelets come with a one year warranty against design and manufacturing defects. If you have a broken Cubelet, send it back to us (you pay postage), we'll repair or replace it and send it back to you (we pay postage).

Contact

Cubelets and the Modular Robotics logo are trademarks of Modular Robotics Incorporated. Some of our technology is licensed from Carnegie Mellon University. Patents Pending, 2012.

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Grab the New Cubelets TWELVE Pack! Cubelets® Robot Blocks are a fast and easy way to inspire kids to become better thinkers. Initiate, Imagine, Inspire. Inspire a love of learning through play. Cubelets® Robot Blocks make it fast and easy to engage children as young as four in learning by building robots.

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

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As a leading STEM learning company with interactive robotics & STEM education kits, Sphero teaches kids to code at home & in classrooms. Order online now!

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Makey Makey Guides
Simple Circuits Challenge
Hacks for Alligator Clips

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Makey Makey: An Invention Kit for Everyone. Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or Piano on Bananas? Alligator clip to start inventing the future.

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Enter the fantastic world of LEGO MINDSTORMS with links to product videos, building challenges, downloads, support pages, and lots more.

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Ozobot makes desk-friendly coding robots that come with infinite ways to create, learn, and share. Learn more about Ozobot for grades K-12.

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What is a Makerspace? Is it a Hackerspace or a Makerspace?

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A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing. Maker Education

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Welcome to the world of DIY Illumination!

Make many different paper-based projects that light-up in cool and surprising ways, as you learn circuitry basics through crafting with LEDs, copper tape, and coin cell batteries. Building on a starter paper circuits project, experiment with more advanced techniques like creating a DIY switch or making a parallel circuit with multiple lights. Explore more ideas, materials, and projects such as glowing pinwheels, light up helicopters, and pop-up cards. Have fun and get creative to light up your world however you want!

START MAKING WITH PAPER CIRCUITS

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

LED lights (one or more colors)

3V coin cell batteries (such as the CR2032)

Copper tape (conductive foil)

Paper (note cards, cardstock, construction paper, paper cups, or other paper)

Scissors

Clear tape

Binder clips (small, about 3/4- inch wide)

Colored pens, pencils, or markers

PAPER CIRCUITS STARTER PROJECT

Explore how to make a simple circuit that lights up an LED on a piece of paper. To begin, give one LED light and a battery to the campers. Encourage them to explore the look and feel of these materials and share what they notice. Then, ask them to try to make the LED light up.

Notice that the battery has a symbol on each side. One side has a plus (+) sign,which stands for the positive terminal. The other side has a minus (-) sign, which stands for the negative terminal. The LED also has positive and negative terminals. The longer leg is positive and the shorter one is negative.

To make the LED light up, connect the negative side of the battery to the negative leg of the LED and the positive side of the battery to the positive leg of the LED.

Facilitation Tip: Encourage Experimentation

You may want to try starting with very little instruction. Allow the makers to jump in and try to make it work. Moments of"failure"-when things aren't working as expected-can present you with opportunities to encourage persistence and allow makers to practice problem solving.

Introduce the circuit layout:

Once everyone is able to make their LED light up, introduce this basic layout that they can use to make their circuit on paper. You can hand out printed copies, or you can draw the diagram on a board for everyone to refer to when they are making their own.
*Safety Tip: The edges of the copper tape are sharp, so be careful not to cut your fingers!
Below are the steps for making the paper circuits, which you can use to help guide the makers.

1. Add copper tape

Take a piece of paper and on it, place copper tape so it follows the lines in the diagram. To make turns, tape until you reach the corner where you want to turn. Then, fold the tape to turn the corner.

Basic Circuit Structure

An electrical circuit is a path on which electricity flows.

Your circuit has several basic parts:

A battery , which stores electrical energy

The copper tape , which conducts electricity from the battery to the light.

An LED light , which turns on when electricity flows through it

2. Attach the LED.

Take the LED and spread the legs so that they are sticking out to each side. Place the LED on top of the copper tape, so the legs touch the tape. Then secure them in place with clear tape.

3. Add the battery

Place the battery negative (-) side down, where the circle with the (-) sign is. It should touch the copper tape. Next, fold over the corner of the paper so that the tape going to the positive (+) circle touches the battery. Your light should turn on.

4. Complete the circuit.

Use a binder clip to hold the circuit in place. If the light doesn't turn on, check that the copper tape is running to both sides of the battery and the LED with no breaks, and that the two tape lines don't touch each other.

Troubleshooting Tips

The circuit needs to be complete to turn the light on; make sure there are no breaks in the copper tape.

Check to make sure that the top of the copper tape is connected, even at the corners.

Check the direction of the LED light; make sure that the negative end is connected to the negative side of the battery and that the positive end is connected to the positive side.

Check for any loose connections.

KEEP MAKING WITH PAPER CIRCUITS

COOL PAPER CIRCUITS PROJECTS FOR OPEN MAKE

Sharing and Reflecting

How was the experience of making things light-up?

What was the favorite material that you used today to design your circuit?

What are some things that you want to change or add to your paper circuit?

Can you list three things that you want to make using the techniques you learned today?

Now that you're finished making with paper circuits, share your projects with other campers on our Google+ community and your other social media sites, always using #MakerCamp!

BROWSE MORE MAKER CAMP PROJECTS FIND EVEN MORE PROJECTS AT Make:

Please Note
Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Maker Media, Inc., disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.

Start Making!

Six great projects guaranteed to spark your imagination and get you making.

BUY NOW

Make It Glow

Explore electricity and electronics with a collection of kid-ready LED projects.

BUY NOW

Make: Paper Inventions

A colorful book to guide you in making your own paper projects.

BUY NOW

Maker's Notebook

Jot down project ideas, diagrams, and notes in this sweet notebook.

BUY NOW

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LED lights (one or more colors) 3V coin cell batteries (such as the CR2032) Copper tape (conductive foil) Paper (note cards, cardstock, construction paper, paper cups, or other paper) Scissors Clear tape Binder clips (small, about 3/4- inch wide) Colored pens, pencils, or markers Explore how to make a simple circuit that lights up an LED on a piece of paper.

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The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits - learn.sparkfun.com

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Paper circuits are becoming more and more popular in the hobby electronics world. The easy availability of craft-like materials and increasing abundance of new products has created a really unique ecosystem for crafters looking to make the leap to electronics projects. This guide is an overview of materials and techniques available to paper circuit crafters.

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Circuit Activities for Kids - Left Brain Craft Brain

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Circuit Activities for KidsCircuit activities are a great way for kids to learn about electricity. Check out Left Brain Craft Brain's intro to simple circuits, fun bots and paper circuit cards for great hands-on learning ideas.SIMPLE CIRCUIT WORKSHEETDownload a FREE printable guide to simple circuits that walks kids through the different types of circuits and how they work.

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The Green Screen Makerspace Project Book

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Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.Take your video projects to the next level with the power of green screen!This easy-to-follow guide clearly e...

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How to use litteBits to teach design thinking in the classroom (TED-Ed)

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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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At Wonder Workshop, our award-winning Dash robot and our suite of age-appropriate apps encourage hands-on play and learning to make creative problem-solving concrete and tangible. Our vision is to inspire kids of all ages by giving them tools to imagine and invent the future.

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GoldieBlox is a disruptive children's media company challenging gender stereotypes with the world's first girl engineer character.

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K'NEX provides creative building sets for kids to stimulate originality & imagination. To learn all about our innovative building toys for kids of all ages, visit our website now!

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Teach, learn, and make with the Raspberry Pi Foundation

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We are a charity with the mission to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies.

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Open-source electronic prototyping platform enabling users to create interactive electronic objects.

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Listen to my interview with John Spencer (transcript):
Sponsored by Peergrade and Microsoft Class Notebook

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

For as long as I've been aware of makerspaces, I haven't quite understood them. I have seen plenty of photos on social media, with the towers made of marshmallows and toothpicks. I've walked through exhibit halls at conferences where the coding and robotics displays cause me to stop, stare, and try to look like I have some idea of what I'm looking at. I even stumbled into a Twitter chat one night where a group of school librarians was throwing around some pretty great ideas about building makerspaces in their libraries.

And yet, I still feel like I don't get it. I have this picture in my mind of kids kind of messing around with Legos instead of, I don't know, reading primary source materials that would shed light on some period in history. Or taping together some cardboard strips to make them into a car. Or attaching some kind of wire to a banana. I don't know...the more traditional, stodgy, control-freak part of me says it looks like a bunch of hooey.

But some of the smartest people I know are pretty into makerspaces, and the part of me that's not a stodgy control freak, the part that knows there's a lot about tradition we need to question, that part of me wants to find out once and for all what's so great about makerspaces.

So I asked one of those smart people, my friend John Spencer, who was a classroom teacher for a number of years and currently teaches at the university level. He's also the co-author, with A.J. Juliani, of the books Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student, and Empower: What Happens When Students Own their Learning.

Spencer teaches online courses about Project-Based Learning, Design Thinking, and Makerspaces, and I really trust his thinking, so I knew he would be a great person to help me demystify the makerspace: What it is, why we would want one, and how to get started.

What Is a Makerspace?

Spencer's definition of a makerspace is much broader than my mental image of Legos and cardboard.

"I see a makerspace as simply a space designed and dedicated to hands-on creativity," he explains, "and the key thing there is they're actually making something. Creativity is sometimes idea generation, it's sometimes problem-solving. But (in) a makerspace, you're actually going to create some kind of product. Now it could be a digital product. It could be a physical product. But there is an actual product, so you're not going to, say, design an event or a service project. That's not what a makerspace is for, so it's a space devoted to and differentiated and set up for making."

That space would look different in different classrooms, and even within one classroom, the materials might look different throughout the year, depending on the type of learning that's happening at the time. Sometimes it might include things like cardboard and duct tape, and other times it might consist of items like laptops, microphones, and green screens. A makerspace can take the form of a mobile cart that can be shared between classrooms, a set of stations that students rotate between, or a variety of materials and equipment that live in various parts of the classroom, accessible to students when the need arises.

Why Would Teachers Want a Makerspace in Their Classrooms?

Once we understand that a makerspace isn't limited to certain materials, it gets easier to see how a makerspace could be incorporated into any classroom. Spencer explains that the value isn't subject-specific; it's more about engagement and mindset.

"We know that students learn at a deeper level and they retain more when they're engaged in creative thinking connected to the subject, right?" he says. "So to begin with, just within the content area, (making is) going to allow for deeper learning."

And more making in the classroom leads to a maker mindset, which Spencer believes is essential to living a full and successful life in the 21st century.

"There was a time when you could follow the formula: Work hard at school, go to college, and climb a corporate ladder. But because of the complex global economy, because of the creative economy, the information economy, our students are going to have to navigate a maze. The ladder is now a maze. And because it's a maze, what do they need in order to navigate that? They need to be able to engage in iterative thinking, creative thinking, critical thinking, they need to know how to pivot, how to change, how to revise, how to persevere. They need to solve complex problems. They need to think divergently. All of those are involved in that maker mindset. And so if you can embed that maker mindset inside of the curriculum, and you tap into the standards that you're teaching, then they're able to develop that maker mindset. The space is just the platform that facilitates it."

A Few Maker Project Examples

To fully understand what making can look like in action, let's look at some sample maker projects and how each one can align with academic standards.

Documentary Film
To get a deeper understanding of a particular time period or event, and to gain an appreciation for the challenges faced by historians, students could create their own documentary films. This would incorporate social studies and English language arts standards, as students would need to write a script for the documentary.

Design the Ultimate Roller Coaster
Using a marble, duct tape, cardboard, and popsicle sticks, students must design a working roller coaster. This gets them working with the science concepts of force and motion. Taken one step further, students could also create a website for their roller coaster that requires them to write ad copy and combine text and images to attract visitors, which would draw on English language arts standards.

The Tiny House Project
In this project, students design a tiny house, which gives them practice with the math concepts of volume, surface area, and proportional reasoning. More importantly, it also helps them understand math in a real-world context.

To see more examples, visit Spencer's maker challenge playlist on his YouTube channel.

Managing a Makerspace

Teaching with a makerspace presents some management issues: Popsicle sticks and styrofoam can make a mess, projects are more likely to take place over several days, and the active work has the potential to be noisy.

Before sharing his management tips, Spencer is quick to point out that classroom management can actually be easier when teachers add more making to their instruction. "(When a task is) meaningful to students, and they're engaged in creative thinking, and they're solving problems, and it's hands-on, then in those moments, there's not an incentive to rebel and act crazy."

To prevent some of the problems that can come with active making in the classroom, Spencer offers these suggestions:

Talk with students ahead of time about the expectations for the task or the makerspace. Rather than wait for problems to happen, establish procedures and guidelines ahead of time. "I need a certain level of calmness and quiet built into where I am, otherwise I personally get anxious," Spencer says. "It feels unsafe to me, even if it's not unsafe. If that's true of me, that's probably true of certain students. So for that reason, I always have some rules and procedures."

Co-construct guidelines and procedures with students. If you can get student input about how to handle breakable materials, for example, or what to do when class time is almost over but you're not finished with your work, you'll end up with a set of rules that everyone is invested in.

Build in moments of silence. To keep his own classroom focused, Spencer would provide opportunities for quiet reflection right in the middle of class. "I would have some times where I would say, 'Hey guys, we're moving into silent mode for two minutes so that you can process and think about what you're working on,' or 'I'm going to give you a prompt. You don't have to write it down, but I just want you to think through this question about what you're learning,' and that would allow them to kind of recenter. It was just two minutes of silence; enough to kind of restore certain students who were getting tired of the noise, and then they could come back in."

Starting Your Own Makerspace

Instead of trying to set up a whole makerspace, Spencer recommends that teachers who are new to making should begin with a single maker project, then gather the materials necessary for that project.

"Decide what you're going to have kids create that's hands-on. You might do multiple maker projects in different locations, or you might have the entire class do one thing. Either option works."

Once you've done a few projects, you'll start to get a better idea of what kinds of materials work well in your classroom, keeping in mind that a true makerspace is constantly evolving.

If you want something more general to get started, Spencer offers these ideas for a first-time makerspace: "I would have some kind of physical prototyping items, like duct tape, cardboard, packing tape, that type of stuff. I would have circuitry, because it's so inexpensive and easy to do...like one or two Snap Circuits. I would have a couple computers devoted specifically to using something like Hour of Code or Scratch, and then I would probably have a podcasting area and a green screen area."

The Makerspace Master Course

Teachers who are ready to get serious about adding a makerspace to their classroom should check out Spencer's Makerspace Master Course. This online course covers everything from the pedagogical foundations of makerspaces to how to set up and manage a makerspace in your classroom.

If you're not quite ready for the full course, but want to learn more from John Spencer, check out this free, on-demand webinar:

You can find John Spencer on his website at spencerauthor.com, on Twitter at @spencerideas, or on his YouTube channel at spencervideos.com.

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In a previous post, I explored this idea that every student deserves a makerspace. In this post, I look at some of the most common myths I see regarding makerspaces.

If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Makerspace-Myths.mp3

I first heard of makerspaces over a decade ago. It was a part of the do-it-yourself culture that I found intriguing. I visited a few places where people were doing high-tech fabrication and I wondered if I could somehow tie that into our economics unit where students were developing products.

But I got frustrated.

I had a vision for a really cool classroom makerspace but I simply couldn't pull it off. There were too many moving pieces that I couldn't figure out. Besides, I didn't have the money or the resources and I didn't know enough about grant writing to make it happen. I also didn't have all of the skills to teach students about high-tech prototyping. So, I kept it in a private dream space where I wouldn't have to do the real work of turning it into a reality.

But then something happened.

I met a teacher named Javi who always asked, "Why not?" When we didn't have enough computers, he said, "Let's figure out how to hack old computers and make them work." So we did. We learned Linux over the summer and transformed the space.

When I said, "I wish I had standing desks," Javi responded with, "Where would you stand if the chairs were gone?" From here, I turned our heavy bookshelves into standing centers.

Javi approached things like a hacker, turning all of these limitations into opportunities to innovate.

Over the next three years, I slowly transformed my classroom into a makerspace. It never felt like a makerspace because we didn't have a 3D printer or the fanciest gadgets. But that was just one of the many myths I had bought into around makerspaces.

Myth #1: It's About STEM or STEAM

Too often, we associate makerspaces with STEM classes. People think about coding or robotics or 3D prototyping. But I'd argue that we need a bigger definition of making. When students create blogs, podcasts, and documentaries, they are exercising a maker mindset. In fact, makerspaces can be the perfect context for informational writing and authentic research.

The truth is that makerspaces can exist in any subject. If a student is creating, designing, building, and problem-solving, then the space can be a makerspace. I used to teach photojournalism and STEM. We used the same makerspace-styled classroom space with documentaries and blogging that we used with engineering problems and coding projects. These subjects were on opposite ends of the spectrum but they often required similar needs for flexible spacing, ease of movement, collaboration, and creativity.

Similarly, when I taught self-contained, I expected to treat the class as a makerspace when we were doing STEM-related activities. However, I often found overlap between the standards in STEM with the language arts and social studies standards. For example, our Shark Tank style projects was entirely interdisciplinary.

Myth #2: It has to be high-tech

A makerspace doesn't have to be 100% high tech. For example, kids can prototype on a 3D printer. However, sometimes the best technology to develop iterative thinking is actually duct tape and cardboard. Sometimes hands-on learning really should involve our own two hands.
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I tend to think of a makerspace as having three different types of making:

High-tech: this is what we tend to think of when we hear the word "makerspace." It might be circuitry, computers (think Raspberry Pi) coding, robotics, or a green screen studio area.

Low-tech: this could be cardboard prototyping, sketch-noting (and ideating), simple machines (levers, pulleys, etc. with things like PVC pipe), toy hacking, or crocheting

Vintage Innovation: This is where you mash the high-tech and low-tech together. Here kids might do whiteboard videos that combine sketch-noting and video making. Or they might use low-tech items to build something quirky with Raspberry Pi or Arduino. It could be a Socratic Seminar that you record and turn into a podcast.

Myth #3: It has to be expensive

Years ago, I had this mental picture of what a makerspace was supposed to be. So I spent forever focusing on the funding issues. I thought up ways that we could raise money with online campaigns or grants. I researched high-tech supplies and created spreadsheets. I was so obsessed with the stuff that I missed a deeper reality: it's about the maker mindset.

Meanwhile, my students kept making stuff. We transformed our old computers into Linux machines and learned coding. We painted murals. We did cardboard prototyping. I never felt comfortable calling it a makerspace because a "real makerspace" had to look more impressive.

Eventually learned that some of the best items in a makerspace are cheap. I could create a green screen studio and kids could use their own devices to record. We could do whiteboard videos. We would use lots and lots of cardboard. Meanwhile, each year newer, less expensive options came out. Now we have options like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and low-cost circuitry.

Myth #4: It's completely unstructured

The word makerspace conjures up images of open, rapid-fire learning. However, a makerspace can be a loosely or tightly structured process. For example, when we use design thinking, we tend to follow a tighter process but when we engage in rapid prototyping, the structure is often loose.

I realize that this is an incomplete chart and that we could easily argue where items belong on both spectrums. However, it gives you a snapshot of how we kept things both loosely structured and tightly structured, working on long-term and short-term projects. However, they all have a common element: creative design.

Myth #5: It's fluff

I alluded to this in my last blog post. But I think it's a common misconception. Makerspaces aren't an escape from learning. They're not bonus activities to fill up extra time. They exist because making is vital to life on Earth.

I believe that creative thinking is as vital as math or reading or writing. There's power in problem-solving and experimenting and taking things from questions to ideas to authentic products that you launch to the world. Something happens in students when they define themselves as makers and inventors and creators.

When kids embrace a maker mindset, they learn to think divergently and solve problems by connecting seemingly disconnected ideas. They learn to take creative risks and try new things. They learn to embrace iterative thinking as they move through the creative process. In the process, they experience failure and develop a growth mindset.

They develop grit. Not a no-nonsense, compliance-driven, "we make no excuses" grit but rather a hands-are-dirty, learning is messy kind of grit. Instead, it's the idea of loving your work so much that you don't give up. It's the byproduct of being so excited about the work you are doing that you choose to push through the frustration and finish your design.

Myth #6: The space doesn't matter

I used to get really frustrated when people would focus on the space and not the learning. So, I would say things like, "It's about the making and not the space." I would get frustrated when people visited a makerspace and honed in on the fancy furniture (yes, it's a standing table but the real difference here is that kids are actually allowed to stand) or the 3D printer or the robotics set.

But the truth is that the space still matters a ton - partly because a space is more than simply a collection of times. My kitchen is more than an assortment of beaters and spatulas and pots and pans. It's a family hub where we gravitate toward to hang out and eat. It's where community happens. A home is more than a frame and some drywall. A museum is more than a holding spot for painted boxes. A classroom is more than an assortment of desks and books. We infuse these spaces with meaning when we interact in community. And the physical design and layout matter here. We could have school desks in our kitchen. It would be crowded and uncomfortable and we would struggle to have the same community that we have when we meet at a table.

Okay, but in the case of makerspaces . . . can't making happen anywhere? Absolutely. Think of it this way, many kids can buy books on Amazon. They can access books at home as well. But there's something powerful about entering a library and falling in love with reading. Here, the librarian is a guide that takes them to an amazing world. A great library inspires kids to think and dream and wonder. You can have a drama class anywhere but there is something powerful that happens when kids get to be up on stage in an auditorium. The same is true of a makerspace. It's an entirely new world of building and tinkering and designing. Kids leave the space inspired to take the making mindset back into their homes and neighborhoods.

In the Makerspace in a Week webinar, we explore how you can create a stand-alone permanent makerspace, a temporary makerspace, or a mobile makerspace. You can use the differentiation model or the station rotation model.

Myth #7: You have to be an expert in each maker-related endeavor

You don't have to know how to do everything in the makerspace. You might be thinking, "I don't know how to do Scratch" or "I don't know how to do circuitry." However, this is actually a chance for you to model the learning process with your class. They get the chance to see you struggle and take creative risks. When this happens, you are modeling creative courage. But you're also empowering them to own their own learning. Certain students will emerge from the group and you'll watch them teach one another - and you - certain maker-related skills that you didn't previously have.

At the same time, you can take a part of the summer to learn something different. Go make something. Get on Scratch and learn the beginning parts of coding. Learn how to do circuitry. Create your own cardboard challenge and then make something awesome with cardboard and duct tape.

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The Seven Myths Keeping Teachers from Designing Makerspaces

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In a previous post, I explored this idea that every student deserves a makerspace. In this post, I look at some of the most common myths I see regarding makerspaces. Listen to the Podcast If you enjoy

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They can also be suspicious of ready-made lesson plans. (We are, too.) So, our toolbox is a collection of provocations and resources for teachers who are looking for a spark. They are subject- and age-agnostic, because we believe that they can be adapted for any context: we've used them ourselves in classrooms across the country. These ingredients are meant to be mixed up and combined in ways that are as unique as the folks who use them.

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They can also be suspicious of ready-made lesson plans. (We are, too.) So, our toolbox is a collection of provocations and resources for teachers who are looking for a spark. They are subject- and age-agnostic, because we believe that they can be adapted for any context: we've used them ourselves in classrooms across the country.

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Show Me the Money: Tips and Resources for Successful Grant Writing

7 Ways To Get Funding And Grants For Technology In Your Classroom

Getting a grant doesn’t require a Ph.D. A solid idea and a simple plan can go a long way.

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If You Build It Documentary

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Emily Pilloton: Teaching design for change

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Designer Emily Pilloton moved to rural Bertie County, in North Carolina, to engage in a bold experiment of design-led community transformation. She's teaching a design-build class called Studio H that engages high schoolers' minds and bodies while bringing smart design and new opportunities to the poorest county in the state.

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Design thinking resources for students (LaxEdTech)

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Design thinking resources for students (LaxEdTech)

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No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.

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If you're interested in designing your own makerspace, check out the Makerspace Master Course. It's a self-paced, week-long course that you can do from anywhere at any time.

Making Can Happen in Every Subject

Recently a friend of mine said, "When I think of makerspaces, I don't think of history classes. I picture areas where kids are playing with toys and stuff."

This comment resonated with my own experience. The first time I heard about makerspaces, I thought, "That's awesome and I'd love to have something like that, but I teach social studies." I had a mental block that kept me from seeing the bigger picture around makerspaces.

So, I started with the most natural tie-in. We did an economics unit where students used design thinking to build a product. After redesigning the space, I realized something:

A makerspace isn't just about engineering.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned that every classroom should be a makerspace. Creativity isn't limited to STEM or STEAM or even the arts. Every time a student is designing, building, tinkering, and problem-solving, it becomes a chance to develop a maker mindset. And any time a teacher creates a space that cultivates this maker mindset, he or she is designing a makerspace.

Every makerspace has the following components:

Hands-on activities. Even if there are digital processes going on, students should be engaged in some kind of hands-on fabrication.

Student ownership over the creative process

Differentiated space, so that students can sit, stand, and move around

This can be lower-tech or higher-tech. Kids might make things with duct tape and cardboard or create greenscreen videos or play around with circuitry. It might look more math-related or more history-related. But the common idea is that students are engaged in meaningful projects where they are designing, building, tinkering, and problem-solving.

The Power of Student-Centered Learning

Maker projects can be short-term or long-term and they vary between being more structured or more open. The following visual can be helpful in thinking about the potential learning activities:

Loosely Structured and Short-Term

Sometimes this involves rapid prototyping, where students have the freedom to select their own materials and create whatever they want. This is often what we imagine when we think of a makerspace. Students walk in simply play around with the items at the table. In some cases, they might know what they want to make. In other cases, the design emerges from constant iterations.

Other times, though, students will engage in rapid prototyping with a twist. Here, the teacher selects the materials and the students must create something new on the spot. This is the idea behind divergent thinking challenges. The constraint pushes students to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas and ultimately think differently about the supplies.

Here's an example of a divergent thinking prompt:

Loosely Structured and Long-Term

Imagine you have a longer amount of time in a makerspace - perhaps weeks or even a month. Or maybe your students will be visiting the library makerspace on a weekly basis. Here you might decide to go with a Genius Hour approach. With a Genius Hour, students will experience some structure (often with project requirements, deadlines, or frameworks) but the goal is as much ownership as possible. Students decide the topics, the approach, the research sources, and the learning goals, and ultimately the creative work.

This is how it works:

Tightly Structured and Short-Term:

Imagine you have only a day in the maker space. You're not sure when you'll get a chance to be there again and you want students to start making stuff quickly. At this point, you want to engage in quick hands-on making, where they develop iterative thinking skills. You can keep it loosely structured and say, "make whatever you want" (the rapid prototyping process) or you can say, "I want you to work within this creative constraint." Here, students have the freedom to iterate and make mistakes as they move closer and closer to solving a problem.

With a maker challenge, the teacher typically provides a prompt and students have to work within those confines to create something new. They jump straight into the hands-on making as they work within the confines of creative constraint. Here's an example of a maker challenge:

Tightly Structured and Long-Term:

We often think of creativity as something loose and free-flowing. Structure can seem, at first, to stifle creativity. However, structure isn't a bad thing if the students get to own the creative process from the original idea to the final launch.

This is why I love design thinking. I've been using design thinking for over a decade. As a teacher, I used it for everything from coding projects to service projects to documentaries to engineering challenges.

Design thinking is a flexible process for getting the most out of the creative process. It is used in the arts, in engineering, in the corporate world, at universities, and in social and civic spaces. You can use it in every subject with every age group. It works when creating digital content or when building things with duct tape and cardboard. It can even be used in planning events or in designing services.

Here's a snapshot of the LAUNCH Cycle, the design thinking framework A.J. Juliani and I developed together and shared in the book Launch: Using Creativity to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student.

What Does This Look Like in Each Subject?

So, let's dig a little deeper. Let's take a look at how people might use a makerspace in each subject area:

Language Arts: For specific projects, you can do documentaries (with the green screen area), podcasts (you could do inquiry-based Curiositycasts or thematic podcasts), blogging, immersive world building (such as Minecraft in storytelling). But you can also align the Common Core ELA standards to design thinking projects. Every time they are doing research, going through ideation, and launching to the world, they are hitting specific standards. You can also integrate informational reading within maker projects by using multimedia informational text to learn how to do a beginner's level challenge with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or circuitry.

Social Studies: Documentaries, whiteboard videos (similar to RSA Animate or Common Craft), thematic blogs, thematic podcasts, history-themed theater production (using the makerspace to do everything from set design to costume creation to multimedia elements). In economics, you can use the makersapce to do Shark Tank style projects, going through the LAUNCH Cycle to design a full project.

Math: Create a board game or arcade game (probability standards), the tiny house project (proportional reasoning, volume, surface area), creating a Scratch game (reinforcing x-y access, learning logic)

Science: There are tons of STEM-related ideas, like solar energy designs, engineering projects, building lunar colonies, etc.

PE: Design a sport, invent a way to get people to naturally want to exercise (there's a whole field of design-based methods for inspiring movement) - in other words, develop a partnership between P.E. classes and the design-based activity in a makerspace

Art: There's such a natural connection between what students do in art class and what they do in makerspaces that I can't even begin to add the ideas. One maker-related thing that our former art teacher did was a steam-punk sculpture project. That could easily have an engineering and robotics element integrated into it

Music: Music video projects, multimedia projects, designing an ideal studio

Foreign Language: Design-oriented tutorial partnerships (where students work with refugees to create video tutorials for aspects of American life and then learn and practice the language as a result)

FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences): I'd argue that FACS classes have been makerspaces before we developed makerspaces. The goal here, though, is to allow students to have more creative control in what they are making.

Wood Shop: My friend A.J. helped his school redefine their woodshop to be a makerspace. They kept some of the best elements of the subject but they added additional levels of fabrication and had students use design thinking as an entrepreneurial framework.

Computers: Scratch project (designing a video game), multimedia composition projects, circuitry projects, robotics

This is by no means an exhaustive list because making is everywhere. You can't tie it down to a specific subject. In every profession and in every discipline, you will find people engaging in creative work. The beauty of a makerspace is that it is inherently both/and. It is both vintage and futuristic. It requires both STEM and Humanities. It is both deeply mechanical and deeply human. That's the bold, beautiful thing that makes it so magical. You don't have to choose one or the other.

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What do maker projects look like in each subject area?

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If you're interested in designing your own makerspace, check out the Makerspace Master Course. It's a self-paced, week-long course that you can do from anywhere at any time. Recently a friend of mine said, "When I think of makerspaces, I don't think of history classes.

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What happens when you give students exemplars? Do they simply copy the pre-existing examples? Do they fail to take creative risks? Do they internalize the idea that their work must fit a previous model? Does it implicitly tell students "this is what it should look like?"

These were the questions swirling around my head a few years ago before doing a student-centered blogging project. I decided to check out the research on risk-aversion, creativity, and self-efficacy before planning out a simple experiment. With the first two classes, I had students look at exemplars from previous years and analyze what made the work outstanding and what areas might need improvement.

With the next two classes, we used blog examples from "the real world" (food blogs, sports blogs, fashion blogs) and created lists of things we liked and didn't like. Then, with the last two classes, students simply began blogging without looking at examples.

The results were counterintuitive. I expected the students who had looked at exemplars to be more risk-averse. I assumed they would copy the color, style, topic, and tone of the previous year's students. But that's not what happened. Students reported the highest blogging self-efficacy and the lowest risk-aversion when they saw both the "real world" and previous student examples, but they had the highest results with student samples.

When I interviewed students, I found that seeing a diverse set of examples freed them up to take things in their own direction. They needed to see proof that student choice really meant student choice. But it also gave them something concrete to look at - a starting point that they would deviate from and it was a reminder that we often move from consuming to creating in our creative work.

It left me with tons of questions. Did the types of exemplars make a difference? Would they have done better if they simply left comments on student work rather than analyzing the strengths and weaknesses? Why were the results better when they looked at student work rather than the "real world blogs?" And what did that mean in terms of the implied messages of mentor texts?

Years later, I'm still asking those questions and every time I get closer to an answer, more questions arise and more monkey wrenches are thrown into my previous theories and observations. But that's the beauty of discovery. It is inherently messy and human and nuanced.

Teaching doesn't come with an instruction manual. It's something you learn through tons of tiny experiments.
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When my ELL students struggled with word problems in math, I started with front-loading vocabulary and teaching academic language. When the results were disappointing, I began teaching verb tenses and realized that students struggled with passive voice and the past perfect progressive (something I had never heard of before).

Teachers are natural researchers. We are always asking questions, trying out new strategies, and then seeing what works. It isn't formal research. We aren't sitting back with a clipboard observing subjects, worrying about control groups, or questioning the p-score. We are participating in the process. That's why I love action research.

What is Action Research?

Teaching is a craft. It's both an art and a science, which is why great teachers always experiment and make tons of mistakes. But how do you know what's actually working?

One option is action research.

Here you can identify a question or problem, test out a strategy, gather data, and determine if it works. The end result is something dynamic, innovative, and tied directly to your classroom. Action research dissolves the barrier between participants and researchers. In other words, the teacher actively participates in the situation while conducting the research. There are many action research frameworks, but they generally follow a similar process:
Phase One: Planning for Research
It starts with an inquiry process, where you define a specific research question. It needs to be something you can actually test. Next, you conduct a literature review to gain a deeper understanding of the related research. Finally, you move into the design process, where you determine your data methods, consider ethical issues, get required permissions, create deadlines and set up systems.
Phase Two: Action
This is where you engage in multiple cycles of experimentation and data collection. Your data collection might include qualitative data, like observations, artifacts, and interviews or quantitative data like rubric scores, surveys, or achievement data.
Phase Three: Analysis
You will often start by organizing data with charts or graphs and looking for trends. You might also discuss it with peers, free write in a journal, or create a cluster map before eventually writing out your results.
Phase Four: Conclusion
This is often where you share your research with the world and reflect on your own practice. This will ultimately lead to new questions . . . and the cycle will continue again as you refine your craft as a better, more creative teacher.

How Action Research Sparks Innovation

It's easy to think of innovation as the result of bold visionaries who are doing drastically different work, but often there is another type of innovation that happens in the classroom. It's humble. It's messy. But it's what happens when you start with a question and then begin experimenting. It's what happens when you are open to new information and willing to take a creative risk.

Action research sparks this type of innovation in the following ways:

Action research starts with your own observations, experiences, and inquiry and continues through a process of discovery. The process encourages you to challenge the status quo.

Action research respects the agency of the teacher by treating him or her like an expert who can figure out what works. This is a contrast to compliance-based systems where you wait to be told what to do. The result is an empowered teacher who is ready to do something innovative and creative.

Action research encourages you to investigate other research (a literature review) in a way that is rooted in your context. But as you move along, you share your results with trusted colleagues and share your work with the world. This leads to creative breakthroughs that you can share with the larger teacher community. When it works best, you see the transformation occurring at both the local level and at a global level.

Action research helps develop iterative thinking as you continue through the cycle. Ultimately, these small iterations lead to innovation.

In my experience, fear is one of the greatest barriers to creativity. However, the action research process allows for mistakes, which means teachers grow less averse to creative risk-taking.

Ultimately, action research has the potential to spark innovation, boost creativity, and empower teachers to transform their classrooms.

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How Action Research Sparks Innovation and Boosts Creativity in the Classroom

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What happens when you give students exemplars? Do they simply copy the pre-existing examples? Do they fail to take creative risks? Do they internalize the idea that their work must fit a previous model? Does it implicitly tell students "this is what it should look like?"

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The world is unpredictable. The corporate ladder is now a maze, which means our students will need to think divergently. In this article, we explore how to integrate divergent thinking into our everyday classroom practices. This is an updated version of an article that was originally created in March 2018.
If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Divergent-Thinking.mp3

When I was a kid, my twin brother and I loved watching American Gladiators. You remember, Lace, Zap, Blaze, Ice, and all the other characters whose names either sounded like street drugs or onomatopoeia. But over time, we became more and more inspired to create our own American Gladiators show at home. We spent a whole day sketching out our plans for how we would make it happen. Unfortunately, we didn't have the wood, pipes, and padding we needed to make a true gladiator course. We did, however, have a baseball bat, some old puffy slippers, and duct tape, which proved to be perfect for recreating the jousting game. Next, we discussed the ideal location for building a platform. Initially, we decided to use the swingset and then build a foam pit. Unfortunately, we didn't have foam. So, we jotted down ideas until we finally landed on the idea of the bunk bed. We stacked the two box springs and mattresses on the floor and stood on the top bunk of our bed next to a hand-painted American Gladiators sign we had created.

It was epic.

We spent hours playing our game, adding slight variations on it and eventually hacking the rules to make it less and less like American Gladiators and more and more like The Spencer Twin Gladiators. Looking back on it, I'm not sure if we ever asked permission. My parents were never really the helicopter type anyway. And we did have one moment where my brother took a cheap shot and I busted the light bulb on our ceiling fan. Or maybe I was the one who took the cheap shot. My memory is a little fuzzy on the incident.

Although we didn't realize it at the time, something powerful was happening when we invented our American Gladiators game. We were developing divergent thinking skills. It's the same thing that happened when we grabbed whatever random household objects we could find as apart of a competition to see who could come up with the best set of musical instruments. In both cases, we started with a bold idea and a lack of supplies. However, this creative constraint pushed us to "hack" the objects around us until we solved the problem and created something original. At the time, it wasn't a big deal. We were just playing. However, this type of divergent thinking has turned out to be a vital skill that my brother and I both use as adults. Apparently, that's what happens when you try to be Nitro from American Gladiators.

In the past, students could depend on a simple formula. Do well in school, get the right degree from a university, and climb a corporate ladder. That was the formula that worked well for my dad when he was younger. But the ladder is gone and in its place is a maze. Our students will walk into a tumultuous global economy. Automation and artificial intelligence will continue to replace analytical jobs. All of those things will make it harder to climb a ladder. Our students will need to think like entrepreneurs. They will need to be creative thinkers and innovators:
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In the future, students will need to be nimble. They will need to know how to experiment, iterate, and pivot. This is where divergent thinking becomes so critical. Divergent thinking is what allows students to make connections between seemingly random ideas. In the process, they find innovative solutions by looking at things from different angles, often finding inspiration from surprising contexts. Here, students learn how to "hack" items by using them in unexpected ways. They figure out how to mash-up two seemingly unrelated ideas.

If you're curious about divergent thinking, here's a quick sketchnote video:
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As we move further into automation and artificial intelligence, our students will need to think divergently. They may or may not enter the Creative Economy. However, they will all need to think creatively and find unique solutions for complex problems.

We, as educators, can boost divergent thinking for our students by integrating it into our daily practice. The following are specific strategies you can use as you inspire your students to think divergently.

#1: Use multiple types of divergent thinking.

You can use divergent thinking activities as quick warm-ups to activate creativity or as a brain-break in the middle of a more analytical task. These activities take five minutes, tops. In some cases, you might do a visual divergent thinking activity. You can show students a semi-abstract drawing and ask them to generate a list of possible ideas for what that picture might represent. Other times, you might present students with two or three items and then ask them to generate a list of possible things they could make with those items. One of my favorite language-oriented challenges is to ask students to change one letter in a sports team to make something new (so you end up with the Pittsburgh Pilates, the Phoenix Nuns or the L.A. Fakers). So, again, this divergent thinking might be more visual, spatial, or language-based.

If you have 60-90 minutes, you can do a longer divergent thinking challenge. Here's an example:
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If this is something you'd like to try out, you can download it by typing in your email address and clicking the yellow "submit" button. I will also send you a weekly email with free, members-only access to my latest blog posts, videos, podcasts and resources to help you boost creativity and spark innovation in your classroom.

#2: Embrace Creative Constraint

Although you can do divergent thinking exercises, it helps to integrate divergent thinking into the entire PBL process. One of the key areas is through creative constraint.

Divergent thinking thrives in when we are faced with limitations. This is the core idea of creative constraint. When you have fewer resources, you have to find new ways to use the existing resources you have. I remember a time when we went to the beach without any lawn chairs or toys. Our kids started inventing their own games. When they got tired, they created their own "sand chairs" with cup holders. Suddenly, the environment shifted from a location to a design element.

As educators, we can incorporate creative constraint in a few different ways. One option is to limit the time through rapid prototyping. This might involve a quick, timed maker challenge, where they have to move through iterations quickly. Or it might be a timed free write, where students get their words out without doing any planning in advance. When this happens, students grow less risk-averse in their creativity. They also develop creative fluency, where they are able to plan, implement, and revise a creative work quickly and with a sense of agency and control.

Other times, you might limit options or materials. I remember when I did whiteboard videos with students. They had to use the whiteboard and they had to sketch it out. Their end product had to be within 30 seconds. Instead of limiting creativity, these constraints actually pushed students to think divergently. We often hear the term "think inside the box," but divergent thinking says, "think differently about the box." Here's what I mean:
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#3: Incorporate play.

According to a longitudinal study, 90% of kindergartners rank in the "genius" level for divergent thinking. Within five years, the number drops to 50% and has a steep decline afterward. While some of this might be the result of human development, I think there's something else at work. Divergent thinking thrives when people play. It turns out there's a fascinating link between playfulness and divergent thinking. The researchers defined this as "physical, social and cognitive spontaneity; manifest joy; and sense of humor."

I remember last year when we had a huge snow storm and they canceled school. Okay, by a huge snow storm, I actually mean a few inches. This is Western Oregon, after all. Our kids made snow angels and snowmen and snow werewolves and snow ninjas. But eventually, these hours in the snow led to curiosity. My oldest son asked, "What will melt the snow the fastest?" From there, he tested every chemical imaginable and eventually designed his own de-icer. What began as play eventually led to divergent thinking.

This can be tricky in school, where we have tight curriculum maps and limited time. However, when teachers find ways to incorporate play and humor and joy into their curriculum, they create moments when students are able to think divergently. Take humor. It takes no extra time or effort but it's a simple way to model creative risk-taking and divergent thinking. But if you want to spend a little more time, you might do a play-oriented Maker Monday challenge, where you have students solve problems by playing with items to design something new.

#4: Use divergent thinking to get unstuck.

This is a simple idea but it's one of my favorites. Pixar's Rule #9 in their Rules of Storytelling states, "#9: When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up." By generating a list of "bad ideas," you end up thinking divergently. You come up with random ideas that get you past your initial mental block, which can often lead to innovation. Going back to my American Gladiators story, my brother and I took an inventory of every single item we had that might be used to knock someone down. Our initial bad idea was the baseball bat (way too dangerous) but then we thought about adding pillows and this shifted into fluffy slippers. Divergent thinking was exactly what we needed in order to get unstuck.

You probably notice times in the classroom when students seem to hit a creative wall. They might seem disengaged or even off-task but when you look a little closer, they are scared. Scared of doing things the wrong way. Scared that people won't like their work. Or maybe it's less about fear and more of a general uncertainty and a sense that they can't solve a problem. When you ask them to list "bad ideas," you reduce the fear and help them to turn off the over-analytical mind and just get their ideas out.

#5: Celebrate creative risk-taking.

Our educational system tends to focus on getting the right answer and getting it quickly. But divergent thinking is different. It's all about taking creative risks. Every time you choose to use an object in a different way or connect ideas that seem disconnected, you are taking a creative risk. As the leader of your classroom, you can develop a culture that embraces creative risk-taking. I used to work with a teacher who would ask students to share their "epic fails" with their classmates. Students would say, "I took a creative risk by ________. It didn't work but I learned ________." Then the class would cheer afterward. His students were unafraid and, as a result, they were more likely to think divergently.

But this also requires changes in how we assess. We can't say, "I want you to think divergently," but then use a high-stakes approach to assessment and grading. This will make students risk-averse. Instead, we can take a mastery-based approach where students know they'll have the chance to resubmit their work for a higher grade. When they know that they can revise their work and ultimately create something that is worth putting in a portfolio they see mistakes and revision as a natural part of the creative process. You might even add a survey or self-reflection that asks students to examine whether or not they took creative risks in their projects.

I actually think creative risk-taking is important for us to do in our own practice. When we choose to design projects despite tight curriculum maps, limited time frames, and a lack of adequate technology, we are modeling divergent thinking for our students. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that this will work. It might work. It could fail. And in a system that focuses on "best practices," this can be tricky. However, this uncertainty is at the heart of innovation.

But when we choose to say, "I'm going to try a different method" or "I'm going to hack the curriculum map," we end up modeling the kind of creative risk-taking we want to see in our students. The thing is, they're watching. They see the constraints we are faced with and they know when we are choosing to be divergent thinkers.

#6: Chase your curiosity.

Dyson vacuum cleaners had a huge creative breakthrough when they studied sawmills. A conference struggling to get people to sessions on time reconfigured their approach after looking at train schedules. An automotive company created a user-friendly console after applying design principals from gaming systems. These are all examples of cross-industry innovation found in a short book called Not Invented Here. And it's an example of how divergent thinking often works. Often when people leave the echo chambers of their own industries or disciplines, they become inspired by seemingly unrelated fields. It's no wonder, for example, that Darwin was a geologist rather than a biologist. He needed an outside perspective to transform the understanding of the origins of life.

This is at the heart of divergent thinking. You apply ideas and approaches from one domain into a seemingly unrelated context. In the process, you develop creative solutions. This feels counterintuitive but in a world where people are becoming specialists in really narrow domains, there is value in being able to ping-pong back and forth between tons of unrelated ideas, skillsets, and approaches. It's hard to predict ahead of time. When Eiji Nakatsu got into bird-watching, he probably didn't realize that he would apply that knowledge to a total redesign of Japan's bullet trains. But his geeky interest in something that initially seemed impractical is exactly the type of divergent thinking they needed for their redesign.

This requires an almost nonsensical curiosity where you geek out on anything that you find fascinating. It's all about chasing your questions and seeing where they lead you. One small example of this is the Wonder Day project:

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If you're interested in getting the Wonder Day project, you can download it by typing in your email address and clicking the yellow "submit" button. I will also send you a weekly email with free, members-only access to my latest blog posts, videos, podcasts and resources to help you boost creativity and spark innovation in your classroom.

#7: Get really bored.

I'm not entirely sure what this means for schools, but here it goes:

In a study conducted by Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman, participants had to copy names from a phonebook. It wasn't even a cool phonebook with fantasy names like Dumbledore or Flitwick. It was a standard phonebook that nobody uses anymore. After participants copied the names from the phonebook, they engaged in divergent thinking exercises where they had to come up with multiple uses for an object. This bored group scored higher in divergent thinking than the control group. They later modified this study by having participants read the phone book instead of writing out the names. This group reported higher levels of boredom and proved more successful in the divergent thinking exercise of naming multiple uses for an object.

Similarly, Neil Gaiman begins his writing process by setting aside all distractions and deliberately making himself bore d. Here's how he describes the process:

I think it's about where ideas come from, they come from daydreaming, from drifting, that moment when you're just sitting there... The trouble with these days is that it's really hard to get bored. I have 2.4 million people on Twitter who will entertain me at any moment... it's really hard to get bored. I'm much better at putting my phone away, going for boring walks, actually trying to find the space to get bored in. That's what I've started saying to people who say 'I want to be a writer," I say 'great, get bored.'

As a professor, I have a hard time with boredom. I want my class to be fascinating. I pride myself on keeping things interesting. But what if boredom is actually a gift? Or maybe not a gift. What if it's more like a discipline that you have to cultivate? It's no accident that great ideas happen when you're while you're taking a shower or while you're doing the dishes (note that preferably you shouldn't be doing both of these at the same time). We need boredom in order to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas.

For what it's worth, I don't want students to be bored in school all the time. However, I think there are ways we can incorporate elements of boredom in order to boost divergent thinking. For example, at the elementary level, we can have moments in a project where the whole class takes a walk. This might sound like a waste of time but there's an interesting Stanford study demonstrating how 30-minute walks increased performance on divergent thinking tasks. Another option might be to create moments when students work for a longer amount of time on a task, completely free of distraction. But it also means there are moments when you push through the boredom of creative work; when you help students engage in deep work and hit a state of creative flow, even when it gets tedious. I'm not advocating for boredom so much as a willingness to develop creative endurance and to voluntarily choose to be undistracted in a culture that is always vying for your attention.

So, there you have it. These are seven ways you can inspire students to think divergently. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these and perhaps even other strategies that I might be missing. Chime in and leave a comment below.

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7 Ways to Inspire Divergent Thinking in the Classroom

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The world is unpredictable. The corporate ladder is now a maze, which means our students will need to think divergently. In this article, we explore how to integrate divergent thinking into our everyday classroom practices. This is an updated version of an article that was originally created in March 2018.

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This list was the inspiration for a lot of the materials you will find on this Padlet. It's an outstanding resource, especially if you are just getting started.

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FREE Download- Makerspace Materials Supply List

One of the most common questions we get is in regards to buying makerspace materials. There are a ton of products and supplies out there and it can be overwhelming to pick the right ones especially if you are just starting out. One of the first steps you should do before spending any money is to talk with the people who will be using your makerspace. Some schools and libraries have done formal or informal surveys to capture this data. These surveys can help to determine what projects and areas of interest people are most excited about. But always remember that one of the best parts of maker education is discovery. It's good to have items that people know they like but always make sure to include projects and products they've never used before. Makerspaces are a great way to help students discover new interests and potential career paths.

The list below contains a lot of great products that are makerspace friendly. They are ranked in no particular order and are all worth checking out.

Products

Makey Makey - an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple invention kit for beginners and experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between.

littleBits - These are electronic building blocks that connect using magnets. These blocks allow you to create inventions large and small. Each bit is color-coded and has a distinct function. Great for developing critical thinking and fostering teamwork.

- Robot blocks that are connected together using magnets. No coding experience is needed. Snap the robot blocks together and the magnetic faces do the rest. Every unique arrangement creates a new robot with different behaviors.

Circuit Stickers (Chibitronics) - Build circuits without soldering. Circuit stickers are reusable LED stickers that allow you to create paper circuits with any material that is conductive such as copper tape or electric paint. There are a variety of sensors and add-ons available.

- An app-controlled robotic ball that can be programmed. The SPRK Lighting Lab app empowers anyone to program their robot. The visual block-based building interface makes learning the basics of programming easy and fun.

Squishy Circuits - Create circuits safely and easily by using conductive and insulating play dough. Fun way to teach the basics of electrical circuits. Bring creations to life by adding LEDs, buzzers and motors. The dough can be made using everyday ingredients.

- Great for all ages especially those students in preschool, elementary and middle school. Lego blocks can be integrated in a variety of subjects and are great hands-on learning tools. Lego Education has curriculum for all grades. Perfect for engineering units.

Snap Circuits - As the name implies, Snap Circuit parts are modular based and snap together to form a variety of circuits and projects. Use the provided guide to make items such as FM radios, voice recorders, alarms, doorbells and more. Fun and easy way to learn about electronics and circuits.

- This material is great for prototyping structures or for use in making squishy circuits. Making squishy circuits with Play-Doh is an easy and safe way to learn about circuits and electricity. This is also a perfect way to incorporate the Arts or STEAM into projects.

Goldie Blox - Award-winning construction toys designed for girls. Through the integration of storytelling and STEM principles these products help to encourage more females to choose an engineering career path. Kits for all ages from preschool to adult.

- This is an open source construction platform where you can make a variety of robotic units ranging from a rover to a drone using modular parts. These kits provide hands-on learning for all ages and skills levels.

- Robots that make learning to code fun and easy. These are real robots that teach kids programming while they play. Make the robots sing, dance and navigate obstacles using the free apps via a tablet or smartphone. Great for robotics competitions.

- An easy to assemble, snap together toy that teaches students about modular design and geometric shapes. This is a great construction toy alternative that provides a fun way to create small and large structures. Great for developing engineering skills.

Lego Mindstorms - Programmable robotics construction set that enables you to build, program and control custom built LEGO robots. Kits contain software, hardware sensors and motors. The latest system is called the Mindstorms EV3 which allows you to create 17 robots.

- Snap together rod and connector building system. Sets include wheels, gears, pulleys, rods and K'NEX connectors that allow for unlimited creative construction. You can design and build everything from roller coasters to vehicles.

- Education edition is an open-world game that promotes creativity, collaboration and problem solving in an immersive environment. The virtual game enables players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D generated world.

- A free educational programming language that was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scratch is designed to be fun, educational and easy to learn. Create interactive stories, games, art, simulations and more using block-based programming.

Raspberry Pi - A low cost, high-performance computer that was developed for computer science education. It plugs into a computer monitor and uses a standard keyboard. It enables people to program in languages such as Scratch or Python.

- Is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive projects. Arduino senses the environment by receiving inputs from sensors and can control lights, motors and actuators.

VEX Robotics - A classroom robotics platform for middle school, high school and beyond. Used in robotics competitions, students can design and build a robot to play against other teams. It's a great way to incorporate game-based engineering education.

- Snap together 3D toy system invented by a former teacher and engineer. Kits includes snap-fit components such as gears, pulleys, motors, solar panels and more. Also included is a series of activity books and software.

- Smart, small programmable robot that operates with autonomous behavior using a photo sensor array. Robot is controlled via an app and can detect colors, lights and patterns. Other sensors on the robot include infrared proximity sensing.

Keva Planks - Wooden planks designed to allow students to design and build structures such as towers, bridges, catapults and more. Keva planks are a great solo or teamwork STEAM activity and help to encourage critical thinking skills.

Bee-Bot / Blue-Bot - Robot designed for use by young children. Colorfully designed, easy to operate and friendly looking little robot was designed to teaching sequencing, estimation and problem solving. Includes a robot docking station for charging and curriculum for school.

- A hands-on platform for kids to build, collaborate and tell stories through video game creation. This is a video game development platform with easy-to-use physical and digital tools. Students decide what the game looks like and how it is played.

- Is an open source, Arduino based Nanosatellite based on the CubeSat standard. It contains a set of Arduino boards and sensors. It is the first open source satellite which provides access to space. Choose from a number of projects to perform on their Experiment Hub.

Hummingbird Robotics - Turn anything into a light-up, moving, sensing robot. Kits allow for the creation of everything from kinetic sculptures to animatronic robots. Included in some kits are LEDs, motors, servos and sensors.

HyperDuino - This kit has everything needed to make interactive maker projects. Add lights and sensors to school projects, models and art installations. The HyperDuino can control a maximum of 12 LEDs and 12 touch sensors.

- Cardboard construction system for 21st century thinking,making and play. Recycle cardboard into amazing creations. Makedo is a simple to use system of tools and connectors for re-purposing cardboard into everything from costumes to vehicles.

Intel Edison - An ultra small computing platform that will allow you to work with embedded electronics. High speed processor with WiFi and Bluetooth on board. It's low power and small footprint make it ideal for maker projects.

Magformers - Geometric magnetic building toys for children. Building blocks contain neodymium magnets and have a patented "always attracting" contact point. Create complex or simple structures or vehicles using specific kits. Durable construction.

- Sells educational kits and class packs that range from solar walking robot to a robotic arm to a salt water fuel cell vehicle. Kits contain step by step directions with no solder assembly and some have class curriculum included.

Kinetic Sand - Great medium for creating and molding incredible sand art. Kinetic Sand sticks to itself and not to your hands and is easily cleaned up. Helps to stimulate creative skills by allowing makers to create anything they can imagine. It's reusable and doesn't dry out.

- Prototyping toy for makers of all ages. Strawbees allows you to connect straws to each other and build small to large mechanical objects. You can always modify projects as you go because connectors are not permanent and can be adjusted.

Electric Paint - Bare Conductive - Electrically conductive paint and sensor hardware that allows makers to create circuits on almost any material including paper, wood, plastic and glass. Perfect for small scale projects, prototyping, interactive art and more.

Circuit Scribe - Draw circuits on paper using circuit scribe conductive ink pen. Explore basic circuit concepts by drawing conductive drawings and creating paper-based switches. You are able to connect a variety of outputs to these circuits such as LEDs, motors and buzzers.

- Modular building system of oversized plastic blocks that facilitates the construction of all types of objects. Anything constructed can be easily taken apart and re-assembled again. No tools are required to install or disassemble blocks.

- Green screen software that makes it easy to create incredible videos and images on your smartphone or tablet. The app lets you combine photos and videos with an easy to use interface. Tell a story or creation a school production.

- World's first mouldable glue that sticks permanently to materials like ceramics, glass, metal, wood and most plastics. Sugru turns into a durable, flexible silicone rubber that stays in place. Cures in 24 hours into durable rubber. Waterproof, flexible, heat and cold resistant.

LilyPad Switch - A simple push button or slide switch that can be soldered, sewn or taped to circuits. Use as a on/off switch to control LEDs, buzzers, sensors and more. Switch is small enough to be integrated into wearable maker projects. It is even washable.

Google Cardboard - VR - A virtual reality platform developed by Google. The cardboard display works with your smartphone and utilizes the cardboard app to help you put VR content in your hands. There are videos and content created to work with this VR display.

Hobby Motor - DC - These 130 size hobby motors can be used in a variety of interactive makerspace projects. They have a low voltage and generally operate in the 4.5 to 9VDC range. This range makes them perfect for using with Arduino

Finch Robot - The Finch is a small robot designed for learning computer science and coding. It provides students with a physical representation of their code. On-board features include accelerometers, light and obstacle sensors.

- Educational robots with the goal of making learning robotics easy, fun and open source. They offer a few different types of robots including Hexy the Hexapod and Sparki which was designed for use in classrooms. Learn about advanced robotics and servo operation.

LEGO Wall Baseplate - Build a LEGO wall in your makerspace by utilizing baseplates and connectors. These can also be used on horizontal surfaces such as custom LEGO tables. These baseplates are usually glued in place

- Educational toy that teaches kids how to build circuits, learn to code and be inventive. Kits include magnetic circuit blocks that snap together. Use the drag and drop programming interface to control your creations and creative projects.

- The PLY90 is a connector that is a faster, better looking alternative to drilling and screwing projects together. These brackets are made from high strength aluminum alloy and can be quickly disassembled for moving or recycling projects.

Vibration Motor - These vibrating motors are great for creating bristlebots. These bots are super fun to build and then race in your makerspace. You can also take apart an electric toothbrush to find one of these motors.

Piezo Buzzer - These buzzers can be added to a wide range of projects. Piezo elements convert vibration to voltage or voltage to vibration. This means you can use this buzzer for making beeps or use it as a sensor.

Plastic Syringe w Tubing - This is a great material to help with the study of hydraulics in action. Using a syringe and tubing you can create a hydraulic arm that operates with just air or liquids under pressure. This is a great way to help visualize how the system works.

Sewable Battery Holder - If you are working on wearable maker projects, this sewable battery holder is one of the easiest ways to help power your project. This holder is meant to be used with (1) CR2032 coin cell battery

- A building kit for hands-on free play and learning. It's a collection of solid wooden planks, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and rope designed to engage the creative spirit in children. There is no wrong way to assemble the parts.

Alligator Clips - Double-ended alligator clips are very useful in a variety of applications. You can use them for testing and prototyping.

Consumable Materials

Painter's Tape

Transparent Tape

Wood Craft Sticks

Plastic Drinking Straws

Paper Clips

Binder Clips

Hook & Loop (Velcro)

Paper Cups & Plates

EVA Foam Sheets

Foam Board

Batteries

Rubber Bands

LEDs

Conductive Copper Tape

Double-Sided Tape

Fishing Line

Bamboo Skewers

Balsa Wood

Altoids Tins

80/20 Aluminum Extrusion

Solder ( Lead Free)

Super Glue

Gorilla Glue

Hot Glue Sticks

Spray Adhesive

Toothpicks

Instamorph - (Moldable Plastic)

PVC Pipe

Acrylic Paint

Zip Ties

String / Yarn

Fabric

Brass Fasteners

Paper ( Craft/Construction)

Chipboard

Get The FREE Makerspace Materials Supply List

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100+ Makerspace Materials & Products w/ Supply List - Makerspaces.com

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FREE Download- Makerspace Materials Supply List One of the most common questions we get is in regards to buying makerspace materials. There are a ton of products and supplies out there and it can be overwhelming to pick the right ones especially if you are just starting out.

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Finding quality storage that accommodates devices ranging from iPads/tablets to Chromebooks & laptops can be a huge challenge. If you want that storage to also help you organize cords effectively, you've moved into mythical unicorn territory. Enter the Tech Tub2...

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Our Products Giving Back Where to Buy Contact Us Dealer Login

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Pay no attention to the picture of the lone plastic tub...this cart is wonderful.

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Products | Copernicus Educational Products

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Our Products Giving Back Where to Buy Contact Us Dealer Login

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Products | Copernicus Educational Products

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Our Products Giving Back Where to Buy Contact Us Dealer Login

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This cart is the absolute best utility cart for a very reasonable price.

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IKEA - RÅSKOG, Utility cart, The sturdy construction and four casters make it easy for you to move the cart and use it wherever you like. It even fits in tight spaces because of its small size.The kitchen cart also stands evenly on uneven floors since the casters are adjustable.Perfect as extra storage in your kitchen, hall, bedroom or home office.The adjustable middle section is easy to move to adapt to different storage needs.

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A quick intro to the difference between Maker Projects and Design Challenges

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STEAM projects searchable by age or project type. Cool, easy to make projects that use materials you're likely to already have on hand. Best part? Clear, straightforward directions that include text and video. (From the folks at Instructables)

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Engineering Projects For Kids | Made for STEAM

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Fun and original STEM projects! Over 25 detailed science and engineering activities created by experts in project-based education, including lesson plans & science fair exhibition guides. Create cool inventions like catapults or more complex contraptions like hydraulic bridges. Explore Made for STEAM!

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Looking for a super creative way to use all that extra cardboard you've collected? Look no further... If you need some inspiration, check out their project gallery.

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The Mission? to inspire the making of awesome handmade cardboard costumes.

Take the first step:

1. Take a look at our Pinterest Board of inspiring cardboard costumes from all over the web. Last year's costumes HERE and HERE.

2. Peruse the cardboard costume tutorials here and at the bottom of the page.

3. Upload pictures of your sketches, your costume in progress, your failed attempts, and your final results here in the Flickr pool. If you don't have a Flickr account, just send pictures via email to adohrenwend@gmail.com with permission to upload them to the Flickr group pool and/or post on the blog.

4. Share your results. Help drum up excitement for all things creative and cardboard! Twitter #cdbdcostume, email, and Pinterest.

5. Check back on Nov. 2nd to see the complete collection of amazing cardboard costumes that were made.

Here's a collection of some of the costume from 2012:

That's it! We'd love to hear how your cardboard costume experience is going, please drop us a comment on any page or post.

Costume Tutorials. Click on a picture to be taken to the tutorial.
Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Cardboard Wolf

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The Mission? to inspire the making of awesome handmade cardboard costumes. Take the first step: 1. Take a look at our Pinterest Board of inspiring cardboard costumes from all over the web. Last year's costumes HERE and HERE. 2. Peruse the cardboard costume tutorials here and at the bottom of the page.

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Regardless of what you fill it with, I love the idea of creating mobile carts like these. One quick point of dispute with the author...please don't buy your cart (or anything else for that matter) at Walmart. IKEA's RÅSKOG Utility cart is affordable, well built, and perfect for the job!

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubMyWay #TeamSponge #CollectiveBias

Do you have a child who likes to create? Or maybe want to encourage them to? Is something holding you back? I know for me, it's sometimes the mess. Or maybe the effort of pulling it all together. Today's post is all about making creating easy in your house with easy to access supplies. This Mini Maker Space Cart for Kids will inspire kids to create, and not just your average art projects. It will inspire them to build, explore electric circuits, and learn with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math).

Mini Maker Space Must Haves Cart

So I've dug alllll through Pinterest to find ways to organize my world. And I keep coming back to the cart idea. Because in our house, we do our projects allll over the house. In the kitchen, in the dining room, in the office. So I wanted our supplies to be mobile. And I wanted it to fit our STEAM-inspired life too, with some more advanced making supplies.

So what do you include in your cart? First, start with what you have... Grab all the craft supplies hiding in the kitchen or the closet or the kids' rooms and put them all together. It helps to know what you have to pull it all together.

Then you'll need a cart. Walmart, IKEA, and Michaels have some good ones.

Then think through the type of projects you want to do with the kids.

All about art? Stock this with paint, paper, palettes, and pastels :)

All about engineering? Stock the cart of recyclables, connectors, LEGO bricks, and more.

All about tech? Bring in the electrics.

We're all about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) so we did a mixture of all of those.

To make pulling together your mini maker space super easy, I've pulled together this handy free printable for you. It's a checklist with everything you need to start a killer maker space for your kids.

To have this helpful checklist emailed to you, simply fill out the form below.

Then think about the containers. You want cups to hold tall skinny stuff like pencils, rulers, and pipe cleaners. And you'll want some of those magazine boxes to hold paper and scraps. And a couple of lengths of PVC pipe and some ribbon to hang your tape and art paper roll on.

Clean-up Made Easy

One of the things people often mention when they talk about creative projects with kids is the mess. Like as in Capital M MESS. And I'll be honest, there is mess, but if you plan ahead for how to contain it and how to clean it, mess becomes WAY more manageable. So first, make sure your cart has some super functional containment items like a tray, bowls for small parts, and palettes for paint.

And definitely include some cleanup tools. So one of the critical parts of the cart is the clean-up side because I like to keep my cleaning tools right nearby where the messes happen so I'm ready when the paint starts flying. And sponges are my go-to clean-up trick. Call me #TeamSponge :) In my cart are a Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge, Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge, and some soap. Non-scratch blue for my table, and green for those heavy-duty messes.

How We Use Our Mini Maker Space Cart

Now that you know how to pull together a Mini Maker Space Cart, what do you do with it? Here are some of our favorite activities:

Invitations to Create

Invitations to Create are just open-ended setups that allow kids to explore the process of art, not just the final product. I like to lay out a tray before school pickup with paper and whichever art supplies I think my daughter will love that day. That way it's ready when things get chaotic after school and during dinner prep. And she gets to be as creative as she wants.

Circuit Activities for Kids

We do a lot of electric projects around our house. So I made sure to include a couple of smaller boxes in the cart for things like wire, electrical and copper tape, motors, and LEDs. These little drawers are perfect for containing these parts, but a quick safety note. If you have littles around, don't leave batteries out for them to access without parental supervision.

Want to learn about some of the cool circuit projects we do? Think bots and paper circuits and fruit. Yes, fruit :) Click on over here to see them all, plus a cool introduction to circuits for kids.

Tinkering Activities for Kids

Tinkering is huge in our house!! All you have to do is grab some trash (i.e. recycled cartons, rolls, toy parts...) and start designing and building. And don't stress about the outcome! I asked my daughter yesterday what she was building. She said "I dunno. But it's cool." So stock the bottom shelf of your cart full of recyclables and wheel it over to the table to get the creativity brewing. And try this Tinkering Station for Young Engineers.

One of our favorite parts of the cart is the tape roll. It's super easy to put together. Hop over to the hardware store and get a length of PVC pipe. Cut it just narrower than the width of the cart. Then grab some ribbon or string 2.5 times the length of the pipe and feed it through. Add your tape rolls to the pipe and tie the ribbon onto the cart, cutting off any extra ribbon. You can also use this message to hang a roll of art paper, too.

More Ways to Inspire Your Creative Kids

Looking for some more STEAM inspiration that you can use right now? Instant gratification style? Check out STEAM Explorers!! The coolest creative experience for kids is here! It's a digital book of the month club filled with tons of fun stuff for the kids to do and learn. All engineer, teacher, and mom-approved. And most definitely KID APPROVED!⁣

What's included?⁣

A monthly digital magazine with cool themes that are fun to read

Hands-on, exciting projects the kids will love.⁣

Science, tech, engineering, art, and math learning YOU'LL love.⁣

Delicious recipes the kids can make.⁣

Fun printables and games⁣

Get ready to have fun with hands-on STEAM this Halloween! Join us this October as we investigate bats, brains, spiders, candy, and pumpkins through hands-on STEAM!The kids will love building a spider bot, getting grossed out by delicious spider egg cookies, and learning about the brain with hands-on play.

We've split the issue into four weekly themes:

WEEK 1: SENSATIONAL SPIDERS

WEEK 2: PUMPKIN PROJECTS

WEEK 3: SPOOKY STEAM

WEEK 4: TRICK OR TREAT

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Use this helpful checklist to create a Mini Maker Space Cart for Kids filled with STEM & STEAM projects like circuits, art, and tinkering.

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Background & cover photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash.