MakerNight!!

In a nutshell...it was AWESOME! 

The MakerClub student did an amazing job preparing, manning, explaining, and inspiring others at their Maker station. As you walked from space to space you could see the enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge shine through each MakerClub students. 

What was just as great was to see all the adults and children creating together. Strong community and positive culture can be difficult to build in a school. This event brought the two together. I think the video below says it all...

Stay tuned for student reflections and ideas for our school MakerSpace! 

The Final Prep

"Tinkering is a powerful form of learning by doing...One of the most endearing things about the maker movement is how many children are celebrated as heroes, leaders, and innovators." ~Invent to Learn

I am SO proud of these kiddos. So many times we do not trust what our students are capable of. We are afraid that if we give them too much freedom they will not accomplish what we expect, or they will not "meet the standard". Over the past few week's I have watched these kids go from a bit lost and confused when told to "go make" to complete concentration, innovation, and playfulness. No one is telling them what is right and what is wrong. We just say, "try it". We trust that they will figure it out on their own. And 99% of the time their ideas were better than what the adult was thinking. 

MakerNight Prep

Over the past few week's students have been preparing their space for the MakerNight. 
Students have picked what they would like to showcase at MakerNight and are in charge of preparing the space. They need to decide what materials they need, where they will set up the space and what visitors will do in their space. It was great to see the students working so well together. It makes a huge difference when students have an authentic purpose and audience. 

Students playing and testing materials for their MakerSpace activity. 

The weather in late October has been amazing. Students were able to do planning in the outdoor classroom. 

#CardboardChallenge

"The hands are the instrument of a man's intelligence" ~ Maria Montessori

This past week the MakerClub had some fun with cardboard in honor of the Imagination Foundations Global Cardboard Challenge Day. We started out the afternoon watching a short film about Caine and his cardboard arcade that started a "worldwide movement celebrating creativity, play and the power of imagination."

After the student watched the film they were extremely inspired to get to work on their own cardboard project. We had students building a cardboard version of their own favorite arcade game, some making up their own game, and some building the Eiffel Tower out of cardboard. What was even cooler than their creations, was the way students naturally worked together to make their imaginations come to life. When you look at the pictures posted below you will notice that all the kids are working with someone, or parallel playing/building. Activities like these allow kids to learn so much more than just how to build or create. You see and hear collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, innovation, perseverance, self-direction, leadership, teamwork along with many others. 

In the top picture, you notice the younger kids in the club working
parallel to one another, which is common at this age. 

The older members are working together to build their,
games and other creations. 

Elliott's and Abe

Jeffery's Play with Sphero

Carson and littleBits

Carson took home the littleBits circuits this week. To find out more how littleBits work 

go here: http://littlebits.cc/how-it-works