Some Recent Lessons with Elementary Maker Sessions

In my current role as an technology integrator I share the spaces I work in from day to day. This includes the space that hosts Tinker Lab, a before school session with a Maker theme. Each themed session is biweekly for two weeks. The space that I share is best described as "cozy" or "intimate" compared to other classrooms. The challenge for me was finding space and organization tools to store supplies and student projects.  I thought I'd share some of the tools, both in space and practice, that have been helpful.

Clear Drawers and a Label Maker  Masking or Painter's Tape and a Sharpie work just as well as a substitute for the latter. For some mysterious reason, if it's not labeled students don't look in it. I make it a habit to point students in the direction of the object they are looking for instead of the specific location. This communicates to students that guidance not answers are given, even when looking for supplies. I am also lucky to have a huge cabinet that I can store student projects in and empty shelves to put out supplies.

Self-Made Organizers I started my sewing and circuits session with students making their own supplies envelope out of paper, duct tape and markers. I did not give them clear, step by step instructions on how to make their envelope in hopes that this would set the tone for the next three classes. These envelopes were perfect for quick clean-up and I am going to use them again.

Key points in this was giving students a set amount of time for the building. Having students write their name on both sides helped with management of supplies and clean-up.

The Power of the Introduction At the start of Stop Motion Animation we talked about story structure, at the start of soft circuits we reviewed supplies and circuitry with a visual and at the start of game design students were given a handout to help guide their design and we talked about the important layers of games. As sessions went on we would stop and have a "check in" to discuss next steps and the direction of the session for the day. I found it powerful to show students that it's ok to stop and think in the design process. I make it a habit to respond to students with the question, "How might we...". It's a question that is a fitting response to many scenarios.

Paper is Design's Best Friend With soft circuits I had students draw out their design of what they wanted to make. This was incredibly handy when they went to the fabric because their paper design could be cut out and used as a pattern on the felt. Designing on paper was incredibly helpful with game design when students were thinking through the layout of their board game and other added features. It's been incredibly helpful to have scrap paper laying around or if preferred, a drawing App such as Explain Everything for students to record their thinking process.

Ratio With each session thus far, I have learned that a 10:1 ratio of third to fifth graders has been a lot to manage as it is quite a developmental range. With some of the sewing projects students needed help with more complex fine motor skills, such as curling LED legs and threading needles. I also found it helpful for students to draw the circuit on the fabric and then sew over it. During the Game Design session, I encouraged students to figure it out and look around the room for resource solutions. I've also learned to be vocal with students about the scale of their projects. Students come in to Tinker Lab with these amazing visions in their head of what they will be making. It's my job to guide that vision to a reality of what needs to be built in school and what can be finished at home. It's a conversation I have frequently in each session.

I have been amazed with our student projects! I just ordered shirt boxes to store the board games students made and I'm looking forward to our next session, Build Challenge. In this session students will build their prototype in 123Design and then build their prototype by hand using cardboard and whatever else we can find in the room. Wish us luck!

A HUGE thank you to my leadership who has been a huge support of Tinker Lab, helping me formulate my ideas to a realistic reality and give us the supplies we need to keep going.