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The LEGO "Six-Brick" Technique | TeachOntario Makerspace Course

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The LEGO "Six-Brick" Technique | TeachOntario Makerspace Course

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The LEGO "Six-Brick" Technique | TeachOntario Makerspace Course

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Teacher-Librarian Melanie Mulcaster from the Peel District School Board takes us through a short tutorial of the lessons you can teach your students using just six bricks! Visit TeachOntario: http://www.tvo.org/teachontario

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4th grade STEM Makerspace Plastic Cup Stacking Challenge - easy and CHEAP

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4th grade STEM Makerspace Plastic Cup Stacking Challenge - easy and CHEAP

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4th grade STEM Makerspace Plastic Cup Stacking Challenge

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In the plastic cup stacking challenge, each group of students receives 15 plastic cups and 10 popsicle stickers. They work together to build the tallest tower. The challenge encourages teamwork, problem solving, a basic understanding of the laws of gravity, and flexibility in finding a solution.

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Introduction: Create a Maker Space for Kids

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Step 1: Choose a Space and Worktable

Find a space that you don't mind getting messy!

I've staked out a spot in the bedroom and placed a small rolling desk that I found at a garage sale for $25. The keyboard tray rolls out which makes a nice active workspace while the desktop will be useful for placing tools and materials that are useful to keep on hand.

Cut a sheet of cardboard and use blue painter's tape to attach it to the working surface to protect it from markers, glue, etc. The painter's tape won't leave a sticky residue, and it will make it easier to change the cardboard later on.

Step 2: Get the Right Tools

The age and interests of your young maker will determine what the right tools are. One who delights in decorative arts and crafts could use glue sticks, rubber cement, or crazy craft scissors. Electronics and light metal work require a soldering iron. This section is really up to you to decide what's best to suit the individual interests of your child.

However there are three things that every young maker should have at their disposal: Scissors, masking tape and hot glue with an insulated nozzle.

Scissors are obvious. Materials don't always come in the right size. Another cutting tool to consider (for adult hands only) is a woodcutting tool, like this one.

Why masking tape? Clear tape is not adhesive or pliable enough; it comes undone too easily. Duct tape, though awesome and should definitely be a consideration, is more difficult for young children to cut, tear, and manipulate (and it's more expensive). Masking tape is great because it's easy to tear and apply, and with some basic techniques, it can attach just about any two crafting materials together.

Hot glue is even more essential. With a hot glue gun, a pile of craft sticks can become a usable doll house within minutes. No waiting overnight for glue to dry, or getting frustrated over weak adhesives. Hot glue is just awesome.

You can buy very cheap glue guns at Micheal's. In my area, the Dollar Tree chain sells really cheap glue guns (20 for $1!) Or buy this one online.

Young children (age 6 or so) can effectively and safely use a hot glue gun with careful introduction, guided practice, and having the right mindset. Rather than focusing on the dangers of hot glue, focus on it's benefits. Try introducing hot glue as follows:

1. Hot glue is great because it is easy to use and it dries very quickly.

2. This means that you can build something, test it out, add onto it, play with it, and build some more all in one making session.

3. However, hot glue is hot! The glue gun needs to get hot enough to melt the solid glue. The tip of the glue gun is the hottest part, and the glue when it first comes out is also very hot. Keep your fingers away from these.

4. Demonstrate how to hold a glue gun and how to assemble things without getting your fingers too close.

5. As a rule of thumb, always try to put hot glue on the bigger of two objects. Putting hot glue on a small object that's being held with your fingertips is risky.

6. If you do get burned, run your hand under cold water and count to 50. Repeat if necessary.

7. Burns that persist can be treated by applying and removing an ice pack as needed.

In my experience as an educator for elementary school-aged children, the vast majority of them love using a hot glue gun, and the benefits far outweigh the risks. Additionally, allowing young children to use a glue gun builds self confidence as a person and as a maker. Not many kids get to independently use a glue gun!

Step 3: Gather Materials

Your material choice will depend on many factors: child's age, budget, space, and availability. This guide is designed with children of elementary school age, and with a modest budget and space efficiency in mind.

For a list of all the materials I've used in my projects, click here.

Limited materials can limit the imagination, so it's important to find a variety of interesting supplies. Great places to find inspiring materials include:

Reuse stores. These are stores that accept material donations and resell them at a low cost. Search Google Maps or Yelp in your area for "reuse store." The content of these stores can range from discounted crafting goods to wholesale hardware.

Thrift stores. Cheap appliances and toys can be disassembled for a bevy of interesting parts.

Local recycling center. Call ahead of time and ask if they'll allow you to take cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and more.

If you have the budget, big box crafting stores also offer an array of materials to work with.

There are a couple of online resources that are great for specialty woodcraft and science components as well:

Step 4: Get Organized

There is something delightful about rummaging through a bin of random materials, however it can be discouraging when you need to find 50 craft sticks at the bottom.

Shop around for something to keep your materials organized. Keep in mind that your young maker might not keep things as organized as you, so it may be prudent to use 3-10 containers that keep things organized by a general material type versus individual materials. (Ex: A container for all recyclables instead of a container for toilet paper tubes, another container for cereal boxes, and a third for cardboard boxes)

For my maker space, I selected a set of craft storage drawers since I intend to store woodcraft and small plastic components. The clear plastic also makes it easy to select the right material without labels. It cost less than $30 on Amazon.

Step 5: Provide Inspiration

You're ready to Make! But wait - how exactly do you begin that huge marble roller coaster that you saw on Youtube once, like, a month ago?

Once you have a great idea, the next step is to search the web to find out if anyone else has tried something similar, and if so, what great ideas are out there for you to build on. Yes, it's very gratifying to come up with a totally unique project idea, and it's just as gratifying to take existing ideas and combine them in new ways. Creating projects that are inspired by others also helps build skills and experiences that your young maker can draw upon later.

Here are some resources to start with:

http://makerfaire.com/bay-area-2014/maker-info/ (particularly the kids section)

https://www.instructables.com/id/Project-Based-Engi... (The collection of Young Engineers projects)
http://thecardboardcollective.com/project-gallery-...
Here are some tips for finding inspiration to match your young maker's vision:

Search Google images vs. Google web search - it's much faster to find what you're looking for. Try changing one word at a time in your search until you find a rich phrase (Ex: marble roller coaster vs. ball roller coaster vs. ball Rube Goldberg). If you find an image that you like, follow it to it's source.

Search Pinterest using words like "kids" "art" "craft" "engineering" "stem" "make" "fun." There are a lot of dedicated parents who've collected pages and pages of inspiring images and project ideas.

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

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Create an Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge for Kids

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Create an Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge for Kids

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This is a sponsored post.
If you are a fan of the hit TV reality competition, Masterchef, then you would be familiar with the concept of the mystery box challenge - it's actually my favourite part of the show! For those who don't know, the contestants are each presented with a box of identical, mystery ingredients from which they are required to create a mouthwatering dish. They don't have to use every ingredient in the box but apart from a few, very basic pantry staples, what they discover in the box is pretty much it. It's fun to see the dishes created by the talented and very creative contestants.

Taking this concept and applying it to children, learning and the great ideas children have, I recently put together two MYSTERY BAG engineering challenges for a group of great kids (aged between 6 and 12 years of age) to get creative with. The children all had lots of fun and it was fascinating to see how each approached their challenge and the use of materials.

CHALLENGE ONE: The Pom Pom Launcher

Mystery bag #1 challenged the children to make a Pom Pom Launcher;

MATERIALS
The materials available in the mystery bag were;
THE RESULTS

CHALLENGE TWO: The Free Standing Marble Run

Mystery bag #2 challenged the children to make a Marble Run;

MATERIALS
The materials available in the mystery bag were;
THE RESULTS

Didn't they all do well!

As they were completing their mystery bag task the children were all developing and applying skills and knowledge associated with;

Creative thinking

Planning

Problem solving

Spatial relationships

Measurement

Kinetic energyTrial and error

Task perseverance

Emotional control

A sense of achievement

Fine and gross motor skills

All while they were having great fun!

With this type of challenge, you can adapt each task by simplifying or extending the difficulty of the challenge - see the extension idea on the Marble Run task card above as an example. If you have never tried this type of activity with your children before, you might find the tips from this post - 5 Construction Challenges for Kids with Big Ideas, helpful.
Do you have a child who would love a Mystery Bag challenge?
You may also like:
About the littleBIGidea Competition for Kids - THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED
If you are in Australia you have just under a month left to enter Origin Energy's littleBIGidea competition. Twelve finalists will be flown to Sydney for the first ever littleBIGideas forum and win prizes for themselves, their teachers and their schools and three Aussie kids will win a trip to visit some of the most innovative attractions in the United States - everything from the Epcot Centre at Walt Disney World Florida to the Kennedy Space Centre. Children in grades three to eight are invited to enter their most innovative or original idea for an invention, an energy-saving technology or a simple way to make life easier; it really can be anything at all. You can find out more and enter your child'slittleBIGidea here.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

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Create an Engineering Mystery Bag Challenge for Kids | Childhood101

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This is a sponsored post. If you are a fan of the hit TV reality competition, Masterchef, then you would be familiar with the concept of the mystery box challenge - it's actually my favourite part of the show!

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Makerspaces Without a Space: Circulating Maker Kits for the School Library

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Makerspaces Without a Space: Circulating Maker Kits for the School Library December 21, 2014

Posted by Mrs. J in the Library in How to Be Brave, Makerspace!.
Tags:library, library management, makerspace, paper circuits, school libraries
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This fall in our school library, I tried something new: I decided to make some circulating craft or maker kits for students in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to check out and take home.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item after clicking on the link, I will receive a small commission. See Disclosures & Disclaimers for more information.

I started with because they are already sold as a "kit," much like our book/audiobook bundle kits. Instead of an audiobook on CD, however, GoldieBlox™ sets, the maker kits include a bag of building materials. Admittedly, GoldieBlox™ has been ridiculously over-hyped, and to put it nicely, the books aren't exactly quality literature. Still, the read-and-build format can make engineering more accessible to students who may not think that they like STEM subjects.

Then, I did the same thing with Q-BA-MAZE™ marble run blocks . I used 1 "cool colors" set and 1 "warm colors" set to create 4 circulating maker kits. These aren't as well-known and might be considered more of a "toy," but there is still potential for learning about physics when using the blocks to create marble mazes. Every maze created is different, and there are endless possibilities even within the same design.

Both GoldieBlox™ and Q-BA-MAZE™ sets are affordable (around $25.00), which I think makes them particularly suited for school libraries. Most hardcover picture books are in that price range, so it's not going to break a school library's budget. Additionally, it isn't difficult or expensive to get parts to replace lost or broken pieces. GoldieBlox™ sells more parts separately , and the Q-BA-MAZE™ set has extra marbles. If a few Q-BA-MAZE™ blocks go missing, that won't hinder maze creation, and a teacher-librarian could keep a few in the library office specifically for replacing lost parts.

Those features, combined with the sad fact that many elementary schools share a librarian between buildings, make circulating kits a practical way for busy, overwhelmed librarians to inspire "maker thinking." By circulating maker kits, the time and space needed for creating is moved from the school space to the home. Potentially, a maker kit could not only connect learning at school with learning at home, but it could also advocate the library program to parents and caregivers. In each kit, I included a small card inviting parents to send in photos of what students create. With permission, I could then post those pictures on our library's Facebook or Twitter pages.

So far, the students are enjoying the kits, and GoldieBlox™ is the clear favorite . I've been wondering if that's because they are more familiar to students from library centers last year. The Q-BA-MAZE™ maker kits are still getting checked out, but just not as much. I'm interested to see if they become more popular as more students try them out.

From a library management perspective, an essential part of circulating anything is a MARC record, or chine eadable atalog record. MARC records make any item searchable in the online library catalog. Creating MARC records from scratch, however, is time-consuming and tedious, so I'm sharing the ones I created for our library's maker kits. If you are interested in circulating maker kits in your school or public library, you can download them through the link below.

Also, if you would like to add circulating maker kits to your school library, you can check out my GoldieBlox™ Circulating Maker Kit product at the Mrs. J in the Library TpT store. The paper circuits and Q-BA-MAZE™ kits will be coming soon. Update June 2015: The Paper Circuits Maker Kits with Interactive Nursery Rhymes and Q-BA-MAZE™ Marble Run or Maze Kits are now available!!
Update September 2017: I'm adding Electric Sewing Maker Kits to our collection, and they are now available in the Mrs. J in the Library TpT store as well.

Later this year, I plan to expand the circulating maker kits to include new kits with consumable materials. Paper circuits and e-textile projects will be my first attempts with this model. While these kits will be more expensive to support, I want to extend students' creation opportunities during library centers to create and making at home. I'm excited to see how it plays out as the school year continues.

Also, if you've ever tried circulating objects or artifacts for student learning, I'd love to hear about how it's going in the comments. Let's learn from each others' experiences!

UPDATE May 2015 - I've added Paper Circuits circulating maker kits to my TpT store, and a blackline version to save printer ink/toner.

UPDATE June 2015 - Thanks to Teen Librarian Toolbox and The Daring Librarian for the shout-outs about my circulating maker kits in their recent blog posts! I've also just added Q-BA-MAZE™ marble run or maze circulating maker kits to my TpT store.

UPDATE September 2017 - I just added Electric Sewing maker kits including a Bookmark Book Light kit, an Advanced Electric Sewing kit, and a Project Finishing kit for students who don't finish their project during library centers. Here's some photos of what they look like:

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Makerspaces Without a Space: Circulating Maker Kits for the School Library

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This fall in our school library, I tried something new: I decided to make some circulating craft or maker kits for students in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to check out and take home. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item after clicking on the link, I will...

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Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace  (and organization tips)

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Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace  (and organization tips)

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Unless you live under a rock or are completely off the grid when it comes to technology, you're probably aware of the maker movement. However, if you need a refresher, I made an infographic. The maker movement is such an exciting time for students and teachers alike! Yet, while a part of you is excited, the other part of you is flooded with the reasons why you just can't start a makerspace right now.

"I have no money."

"I'm just not super comfortable with technology."

"We don't have devices at my school."

"I don't have the space."

"I don't have the schedule that allows me to teach the kids how to do the stuff."

I find this to be incredibly unfortunate. Not unfortunate in that I wish you had more money and were more comfortable with technology (although I sympathize), but unfortunate in that you think you need both of those to start a makerspace. With the massive amount of information out there about makerspaces, somewhere along the way, the term "maker" became synonymous with words like "3-D printing" and "robots."

My husband loves woodworking and I like building computers. Am I more of a "maker" than he is? Am I being less of a maker when I use zip-ties and soda caps to fix my son's toy car rather than 3-D printing a replacement part? Absolutely not!

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Create an Amazing Low-tech Library Makerspace

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Unless you live under a rock or are completely off the grid when it comes to technology, you're probably aware of the maker movement. However, if you need a refresher, I made an infographic. The maker movement is such an exciting time for students and teachers alike!

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4 Super Easy Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace

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4 Super Easy Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace

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Yes - budget friendly and makerspace can happen in the same sentence. A common misconception about makerspaces is that you have to spend a lot of money to give your students creative, hands-on learning. But you can absolutely do a lot of makerspace projects with little to no money. It might not be as easy as buying some fancy ready made kit, but it's definitely rewarding.

You can absolutely do a lot of awesome #makerspace projects with little to no money. Click To Tweet

Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace

Here's some of my favorite budget friendly projects for makerspaces. Note that while I am in a middle school, I've seen all four of these projects done at both the elementary and high school levels. It might take some scaffolding and adjustment, but they can definitely be done at any level.

Recycled Book Crafts

Books get worn out all the time - I'm constantly weeding books with the spines falling apart and ripped out pages. And you can find cheap books at thrift stores as well. These books can easily be given new life by turning them into makerspace projects such as:

Here's some great resources to check out:

Tech take apart

This is a classic and with good reason. It can be super fun to break out the screwdrivers and open up technology to see how it works. I recommend some supervision for this activity - I left my students alone during this once while I was helping a couple of others across the room. The next thing I knew, they were going at an alarm clock with a hammer.

All you need for this is some old, non-working technology like clocks, stereos or old computers. I recommend cutting the power cable so that students don't try to plug it in halfway through.

Places to look for free tech to take apart:

Appliance and stereo stores

Computer recycling companies

Your storage room!

Parent donations

Another variation that's super budget friendly: toy take apart!

Cardboard. Period.

Yes, I blog a lot about cardboard in our makerspace. There's a reason for that - when my students are asked what their favorite makerspace supply or project is, cardboard comes up over and over again. While I have spent money on some supplies like hot glue guns and Skil cutters, overall the amount spent is really low. I save up cardboard throughout the year as well as recycled materials. Super cheap, and my students absolutely coming up with amazing, creative ideas for things to create with it.

Perler beads

These aren't free, but require a pretty small investment. If you buy non-brand name beads (hello IKEA Pyslla!) you can easily set up a Perler bead station for under $20. Even if you get the brand name version, there's still a lot of bang for your buck. See this post for more tips on using Perler beads in your makerspace.
What's your favorite budget friendly makerspace project?
Diana Rendina, MLIS, is the media specialist at Tampa Preparatory School, an independent 6-12 in Tampa, FL. Previously, she was the media specialist at Stewart Middle Magnet School for seven years, where she founded their library makerspace. She is the creator of the blog RenovatedLearning.com. She was a monthly contributor to AASL Knowledge Quest from 2015-2018. Diana is the winner of the 2016 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award, the 2015 ISTE Librarians Network Secondary Award, the 2015 AASL Frances Henne Award & the 2015 SLJ Build Something Bold Award. She is an international speaker on the Maker Movement and has presented at conferences including AASL, FETC & ISTE. Diana co-authored Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace with Colleen and Aaron Graves and is also the author Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget.

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4 Super Easy Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yes - budget friendly and makerspace can happen in the same sentence. A common misconception about makerspaces is that you have to spend a lot of money to give your students creative, hands-on learning. But you can absolutely do a lot of makerspace projects with little to no money.