Ready to create a school makerspace? Use this manual to decide what items you need, what you don’t, and how to get your space up and running.
After receiving criticism that my space was not a "real makerspace", I decided to draft my own definition & take a look at how research defines makerspaces.
45 PROJECTS w/ Templates - Learn about electricity while creating interactive circuits in your makerspace. LEDs, copper tape, coin cell batteries, PDF
Note: Since this post was first published, Aurasma has become HP Reveal. However, all trigger images created with Aurasma should still work with the new HP Reveal app. In my last post I told you that I was doing some Aurasma activities with my kiddos. A few weeks ago, I did a Book Hunt with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to help them review the different fiction sections of the Media Center and I used Aurasma to make it more fun. It was a BIG hit! I wanted a new way to teach the fiction sections of the media center and this was it. For the Book Hunt clues I created, I used Aurasma Studio rather than the Aurasma app. Aurasma Studio is the online version of the app and it offers tons more options for what you can do...like creating an aura with multiple overlays and actions. I had not used Aurasma Studio before. I did all my previous auras with the Aurasma app, but I found Aurasma Studio much easier to use for what I was doing. NOTE: Auramsa Studio is now HP Reveal Studio. BTW, you can learn all about using Aursma with my free How To Guide ( Just click on the picture or click HERE to download your copy. Note: Since this post was first published, Aurasma has become HP Reveal. The app works in much the same way, but parts may have a different look. The How to Guide has been updated to reflect that change. For the Book Hunt lesson, I first reviewed the different sections of the Media Center, how to read a call number and how to look up books in our online catalog, Destiny. Then we started our Book Hunt. I used book covers as the trigger images. I gave the students their first clue printed out. They did not have to scan it. It looked something like this: They would then go and locate that book on the shelf, practicing their skills in reading call numbers and locating materials. Once they found the book, they would scan the book cover with the Aurasma app (now HP Reveal app) and their next clue would appear as an aura. They would then go and find the next book shown in that clue, repeating the process until they found all 4 or 5 books. Their final clue looked like this: I created six groups for this Book Hunt with 4 or 5 books to be found per group. (Each group had a different color frame around their clue.) Third grade had 4 books to find and fourth and fifth grade had five books to find. Below are some pictures of the books they had to locate. If you follow my HP Reveal channel you can scan each book separately to see the clues that the students saw when they scanned the book covers. (To follow my HP Reveal channel, type in this URL in the browser of your device that has the HP Reveal app on it: http://bit.ly/MESMCAC Once you are following my HP Reveal channel, you will be able to scan the books below and see the auras I've created.) They had such a great time on this Book Hunt. I am hoping to use HP Reveal (formerly Aurasma) with my first grade classes this week...but that is for another post. Stay tuned! Do you have any great ideas for using HP Reveal in the classroom or media center?
In my article for AASL Knowledge Quest, I reflect on my school's first makerspace year, including what went well and what we could improve.
The House That She Built [Elkman, Mollie, Castellano, Georgia] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The House That She Built
Learning about Indigenous artists in Canada is one of many ways to learn about the different cultures in Canada. Come read more!
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Grant Thomas, of Making Visual Narratives, pointed us to this free, printable papercraft Zoetrope, featuring the famous motion photos of Eadweard
Explore library_mistress' 6072 photos on Flickr!
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"It was a tough case. Plenty of witnesses, but no one was talking" (c) Mike Baldwin
Can you place the numbers 1 to 7 in the correct places to solve this fun Magic H Puzzle?
Hello to everyone at Inspiration Café! I love being a monthly contributor! My name is Marci and I blog at Stone Cottage Adventures. Normally, you see me sewing, gardening and crafting. Not today! When our clocks "Fall Back" and the evenings are dark so early, something changes for me. Some folks call it Winter Blues. Once home from work after cooking and eating, I do absolutely nothing! This year I challenged myself to fight this strange behavior with reading! My goal is to read one book per week until the clocks "Spring Forward". With my schedule, that's been working out about right. It has been a GREAT battle plan and my Winter Blues have not been so bad! BTW... I am so very grateful to live in a society where girls are allowed to read! In the comments, please answer at least one of the following questions: 1. What are currently reading? I'd love to hear about it! 2. Tell us your favorite line from a book. 3. How many books have you read this year? Do you set reading goals for yourself? 4. What do you think are the best or worst book to movie adaptations? If you are curious about the books I've been reading, just click on the title to see my review! Here they are in no particular order: One Summer in Arkansas by Marcia Kemp Sterling The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussman Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford I Want to be Her by Andrea Linett The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan My favorite line from a book is: "She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain." Louisa May Alcott. I am frequently disappointed with book to movie adaptations, but must admit I love Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. OK! It's your turn! Let's hear your thoughts about books! ;-) -Marci
This would be a teacher that, rather than distributing content and assessing, actually leads the learning experience from ground-zero.
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Looking for a good book to share with dear old dad this Father’s Day? The UW-Madison Libraries’ Father’s Day Reads board on Pinterest has lots of good ideas: Picture books that c…
- Le 10 regole del metodo montessori
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
If only I had a quarter, a dime, no, a nickel for every time I've heard someone say "That's a great idea!" I really feel like I'd have a small fortune in the bank. My sister tells me the same thing. You see, we're idea people. Sometimes the ideas are small and ordinary. Other times they're ginormous and outlandish. So, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this treasure on the shelves at Barnes & Noble yesterday. It addresses that very gift: ideas. Ideas that intrigue. Ideas that influence. Ideas that inspire. Ideas that irritate? {Sometimes ...} Ideas that initiate. Ideas that innovate. Ideas that improve. What Do You Do With An Idea? Masterfully written by Kobi Yamada Creatively illustrated by Mae Besom The little one in this whimsical tale gets an idea. But at first, "It seemed kind of strange and fragile." So the child ignores it, walks away from it, and acts as if "it didn't belong to me." You can probably predict with certainly that the idea follows our narrator, and you'd be right. So that's all I'm going to tell you ... to whet your appetite ... because I think you'll want to learn what to do with an idea by reading this gem aloud with your next class family. A few things you might want your idea magnets to notice: *The feeling words, like fragile, magical, silly Why is it sometimes hard to own our feelings? What makes it difficult to share those feelings with others? *The color change from start to finish When does it subtly start to happen? What makes its intensity increase? Why? *The idea's values like purpose, persistence and perseverance The perfect place to talk about personification. *When the idea bursts opened and takes flight Where's it going? What must that feel like for the idea? For the child? What's the end result? Does that seem pie-in-the-sky? Or possible? Hey, I have an idea ... I think I'll use this one in my opening peace class when school's back in session. I cannot wait to see where my peacemakers take this creative metaphor. Then I just might suggest that they draw one of their ideas. To give it a size, a shape, some sizzle. Or paint its picture with sparkle words. Or write it out as a limerick or riddle. Is that a great idea, or what? {And, just to be clear, I wouldn't take a nickel for that one, because it was me saying it ... }
Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.
Bee Bots have been used in Key Stage 1 for a long time and are a great introduction to control technology. They can also be used to teach the computer science strand of the computing curricu…
Can you make paper hold up books? How many books do you think 4 pieces of paper hold up? Come see this paper tower, you will surely be amazed!
An Introduction to Coding Lesson for Kindergarten
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Makerspace Activities and Apps that Help Preschoolers Develop Fine Motor Skills
Product design is one of the most commonly discussed topics. There have been many discussions going around regarding user experience design, psychology and emotion when coming to product design…
After reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio, students worked in small collaborative groups to create character posters about each of the characte...
Save $ and purchase all 5 Ozobot products in this growing Ozobot BundleStudents will practice coding their Ozobot using markers to get their ozobot through spring themed tasks from start to finish! Courses include a finished line course, a partially lined courses, and an advanced challenge where stu...
Use this comic book template for kids for lots of fun and creative comic book making.
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
