Thursday, August 8, 2019

Putting on a School-Wide Maker Faire!



School Maker Faire Fun!

I wanted to host a school maker faire so that my students could come together and share their creations with each other. Students signed up for time slots to teach a skill, craft, or activity OR they could simply bring something they created to share in our gallery of creativity. 

We had other stations and activities set up throughout the library and front entrance so that ALL students could cycle through and choose something to make. Teachers could bring their classes in at any time during the faire--I just had them sign up for a start time--to help with congestion. This worked beautifully! 

The whole school filtered through and had some quality making time! Even teachers got in the mix.



Recycled construction and moto-saw


Slime!
Perler beads, wind tunnel, magnets, and MINECRAFT heads!


Flower crowns and kit construction.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Highlights from 2016-2017

Time Flies When You're Being Creative!

The last year was spent doing our thing in the Wooldridge Library Makerspace. There were lots of stories and connecting making to literacy. We had time to tinker and create freely--and, we even took a field trip to the Thinkery! Authors came to visit us--and we did what we do best--we made them cool stuff! We had fun sharing the book Wonder with Lanier High School students and creating a representation of a precept in the makerspace. At the end of the year we had an amazing surprise--we were awarded a grant of $6000 from Austin Ed Fund to spend on new tools and materials for our makerspace! So, take a walk down memory lane--the best is yet to be made here at Wooldridge!

Structures, Ozobots, Legos, and BeeBots!



Perler bead fun.

Our Maker Mornings were quite the hit! Always a full house. 

Students enjoying our annual Maker Mania literacy event at Lanier HS.

Duncan Tonatiuh shared his work with us!



3rd Grade created stop motion movies using 3D figures for a math connection.

Nikki Loftin visited us and shared wonderful stories!

MakeyMakey fun!

Texas Regions map making


Wonder party with 5th graders and Lanier HS students




Making Things Happen in the Wooldridge Library Makerspace!




See what we have been up to in the Wooldridge Library Makerspace!

*Family Maker Night--with help from MakerReady! https://www.makerready.com/



*Fun with MakeyMakey and musical fruit!
http://makeymakey.com/





*Building cars to race down a ramp!



*Parents and kiddos working together to build and create!




 *The creativity was flowing!


*Students tried out the wind tunnel with all sorts of parachutes.


*Construction and more MakeyMakey music!

The Lego table was a hit!

Teachers, students, and parents working together!

*Students created stop motion movies.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Wooldridge Library Makerspace: Update Fall 2015

Our new Lego "tree"

Making Continues in the Wooldridge Library

Over the past year, Wooldridge Quails, have continued making, exploring, creating , and learning from their experiences in the library makerspace. During the summer, our library program set up shop in a portable building (the inside of our school was having ac renovations). So, we hauled ALL of the makerpsace materials and four carts of library books out to the portable! Students had three weeks to work on projects, tinker, and READ in the space. There was a great turn out--close to 80 students moved through and worked in the space each day.
Have makerspace--will travel!
Patrick Benfield  stops by to do a Little Bits demo!

Summer 2015

School Wide Makerspace Night

In October, I helped 5th grade teachers host a makerspace night for our Wooldridge students and their families. It was a huge success! Students were teaching their parents what they had learned over the summer and the year before. Everyone was engaged and there was a great buzz in the air! I'm looking forward to hosting another maker night in the future!

Legos!
Take apart station


Paper crafts
Little Bits


Makey Makey
Bee-bots

Literacy Inspired Making

Makerspace weeks have continued in the library, as well as, literacy inspired challenges. Fourth and fifth graders read the story Iggy Peck, Architect, and constructed bridges or towers out of spaghetti and clay. They had great fun with this project and showed problem solving skills when things didn't go quite as planned. I really enjoyed watching students go back to the drawing board when they needed to make adjustments.

I also collaborated with our wonderful art teacher, Deborah Parkansky, on an Eric Carle reading and art piece. After reading many Carle book, first grade students began working on a painting that would later be deconstructed and used in the makerspace to create a colorful mosaic of a sea horse--inspired from Eric Carle's Mister Sea Horse.



Bridges by 5th graders
Some students planned out their bridges and towers with drawings first.

Students worked together. 


Austin Mini Makerfaire 2015

Four Wooldridge students were able to join me at our makerspace booth in the education tent area of the Austin Mini Makerfaire. They demonstrated how to make stop animation movies with HUE cameras and with the iPad ap--Lego Movie Maker. My goal this year, is to take a bus load of students to the Makerfaire to experience and participate in all the amazing activities.

Makerspace Weeks in the Library

One week out of the month is set aside for makerspace time in the library. Students are able to choose from a growing list of stations. Some of the staples are: Legos, paper crafts, building with recycled materials, Makeymakey, take apart station, and Minecraft. Newer stations that have been added this year include: Bee-bots, Little Bits, Lego We-do, and practicing coding with code.org. I am always open to new and exciting things to add to our makerspace. I also let the students help guide me in the development of our space. 



These guys were measuring and estimating how long it would take Bee-bot to get around their track. Math in the library!


Continuing Maker Education

To continue my maker education, I have been participating in a program through the Thinkery called Ed Exchange. Twenty educators, from all across Austin, come together twice a month to learn more about making in education. We have had amazing speakers and tons of hands-on time with the latest and greatest ed tech gadgets. It has also been a place to share what has worked in our own makerspaces and gather new ideas. The things I have learned over this semester have been so valuable and inspiring! The topics covered include: Digital Fabrication, Tinkering and Making, Design Thinking, Coding, and Best Practices for STEAM Education. For more information about the Thinkery or the Ed Exchange program, click on the link below. 
http://thinkeryaustin.org/programs-events/edexchange/

One of the ideas that came from this group was creating Puff Mobiles--students get 3 straws, 2 paperclips, 1 piece of paper, 4 lifesaver mints, and tape. The object is to create a vehicle that moves with your breath. My 3rd graders rocked this challenge! Their fearlessness allowed them to create unique vehicles that really moved!

To be continued! I look forward to using what I've learned over the last year with my wonderful Woodridge Quails! Yay, library makerspaces!