Makerspaces (Blog #8)
One of Dr. Moorefield Lang’s (2021) most important points from her video lecture about makerspaces was that we need to tailor our space to our users. Kristin Fontichiaro (2019) also echoed this sentiment and added that we need to think about the goals we have for the space and the students as well. A lot of what we read about makerspaces in general is geared towards middle and high school. However, I plan to be a librarian in an elementary school, so I started searching for resources more focused on those ages because they will be my users.
Many middle school maker space activities can be tailored for upper elementary, but our littlest ones seem to get frequently left out of the conversation. This strikes me for two reasons. My son, who is almost five, is obsessed with building blocks, especially making vehicles. The things he makes are much more sophisticated and creative than anything I would make and he would love an outlet like this. Also, I used to teach first grade and that age is sometimes left out of things in the school realm because they’re “not old enough.” To that end, I went searching for early childhood makerspace ideas and found this blog from Kelly Hincks (2016): “Maker Stations in Early Childhood.” This is an older post, but several of the newer resources I found were journal articles or too surface level.
Hincks talks about really having to work through the idea of a makerspace because she works at a school that only serves students up to second grade. One of the great things about her post is that her stations are low tech, but they're not upcycling stations, which seems to be the common thread with a lot of elementary spaces I see. She includes photographs of each station and talks about the storage she uses.
This gave me some ideas of my own. One of her stations is something she calls “White Board Words.” In the photograph, it appears that students have just stuck random words on the board, but it would be awesome to gear it towards something like magnetic poetry. Students could add lines and phrases over time to create a collaborative piece. Once it’s finished, it could be posted on the library’s social media page!
Hincks mentioned not being able to have a dedicated space in her library, thus the language change to stations. She discovered that the bottom of her bookshelves had an empty space that could not be used for books. This is where she stores her stations. I think many library shelves are built that way, so that is an efficient use of space if needed. One thing I would change is that she has open baskets. I would switch to clear storage with lids, as Fontichiaro recommends. I think the Sterilite clip boxes would fit perfectly in a space like that.
I also came across a couple of other things I wanted to share that complement young makerspaces.
*Makerspace in Preschool- great toy project idea
*StickTogether- mosaic sticker by number posters
*Google search “read alouds for elementary makerspace” and you will find some great picks!
Makerspaces for younger kids can be considered an extension and update of learning centers. Think of things that were used before and modify them to fit into this new mindset. The littlest learners are the most curious learners many times, so makerspaces are a perfect source of inquiry for them!
References
Fontichiaro, K. (2019). What I’ve learned from 7 years of the maker movement in schools and libraries. Teacher Librarian, 46(4), 51-53.
Hincks, K. (2016, February 3). Maker stations in early childhood. Knowledge Quest. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/maker-stations-early-childhood/
Moorefield-Lang, H. (2021, May 17). Makerspaces Summer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWQ6B4UnZaA
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteGetting minds trained for creativity and critical thinking at a young age is critical in long-term exploration and interest in STEM careers. I love the ideas you have shared. If librarians think about the toys and gadgets that are purchased for infants and younger kids, I think those things would make great makerspace activities - larger items (blocks) for safety reasons; magnetic alphabets, numbers, colors, and sight words; pictures of animals and common animals. Also, if space is limited, I agree, the bottom shelf would be a great place so long as they are properly labeled. Your ideas would be a great addition to school and public libraries.
I explored StickTogether. It is a good site to lose a few hours on. 😂 Great for kids and adult alike. Thank you for sharing.
- Wendy -
Hi Wendy!
DeleteI completely agree that things we already use for littles would be great for makerspaces. They are so good at exploring materials on their own without any direction!
Labels are definitely key to keeping makerspaces organized. My mom used to say "There's a place for everything, and everything is in it's place." She was also a librarian :-)
That's so funny about getting "lost" in StickTogether. I feel like I do that for a lot of the things we explore in this class LOL.
This was a really helpful post, Tiffany. I am planning on working in an elementary school library and it was sad to see so few makerspace ideas geared towards the little humans! I liked all of the examples the blog offered and I think it is a great starting point to get creative in ways to have makerspaces in the library and I like that the areas could be mobile and moved from place to place.
ReplyDeleteHi Becca!
DeleteSo comforting to hear you had the same reaction. If you start to think of ideas for your own litles, I'd love to hear them!
I found this really helpful as well, since I'm also working with elementary students, and mostly Kindergarten and 1st grades. I like your suggestions for storage and agree that the closed lid containers would work much better for me as well. Coincidentally, I just learned about the StickTogether Mosaic Stickers, and I love that idea. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey Mary!
DeleteIf you use the StickTogether model, please share how it works out for you. It seems really cool, just trying to wrap my head around the logistics of it!
Hey Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteYou did an amazing job curating a great list of resources for your readers to explore and I am thankful for that! I have been leaning towards the middle school/ high school side of school librarianship so I did not even think to consider how these spaces should be adjusted to incorporate the littlest learners. I often see safety as an issue in makerspaces since there are so many different pieces of technology and tools accessible to students, but your idea of having closed off storage makes me feel much better about safe access for younger students.
I also personally love the collaborative sticker posters, like the one in your first photograph, but wonder how different students might approach that. For example, I have some students who would have a melt down if a sticker was not placed *just* right on the image or, heaven forbid, accidently placed in the wrong spot. For these students, a lesson on working with others and not everything being perfect would be needed, or an individual sticker poster offered.
Thank you for your insight,
Samantha Howard
Hi Sam!
DeleteI agree that the sticker posters are a perfect teaching opportunity for collaboration and working in groups. Collaborative learning is such an integral part of school and life now and students are going to have to learn how to work with others who may have different approaches than them. (I'm talking to myself here too LOL!!!)
Tiffany, you included a lot of really fun and low-tech ideas for younger students! I can definitely see how many younger students in grades k-2 may be overlooked when designing stations, so I love that you included stations specifically for them. I have seen the mosaic tile poster on a music teacher's account I follow, and it always looks like so much fun! Utilizing the extra storage space on the bottom of the shelves is also a brilliant idea. I like that you included low-tech options as most makerspaces include high dollar technology, which is great for those schools that can afford it, but many cannot.
ReplyDeleteHey Megan!
DeleteI'm so excited to hear that you have seen the mosaic posters being used to good effect. What account is that? I'll have to check it out!
Low-tech ideas were important to me because we have no idea what we will be walking into as future librarians. As you said, budgets vary wildly and I want to have options!!
Hi Tiffany!
ReplyDeleteMy children enjoyed playing with Legos and different building materials when they were younger as well. My youngest daughter still enjoys building with Legos and has several books that she uses as guides with her creativity. She would definitely love to have a builder makerspace in her library. I like your idea to create magnetic poetry! I think the students would love to work together to create poems.
The idea to use the bottom shelf to store items that can be used for makerspaces is a good one. It is definitely wasted space and plastic containers would fit perfectly there. That would allow for more creative materials to be neatly stored for students to have easy access to them. Thank you for sharing your resources!
Linda Sage
Hi Linda!
DeleteI think giving children opportunities to work with different materials is so important. Just the exposure and exploration of them can lead to great things.
I thought that shelf idea was genius!
Hi Tiffany-
ReplyDeleteI'm also planning to be an elementary librarian and also had some difficulty finding quality information on makers spaces for primary age students. The librarian at my school does something similar with the maker stations. She uses them mainly during summer library hours, but she pulls a few out at a time during the school year. She has lego stations, a magnetic word station, other types of building materials, she has the sticker posters you have in your photograph (the kids LOVE them), and a few other things that she trades out. It sounds like you have some good resources and ideas for your future library. Good luck!
Kim
Hi Kim!
DeleteI'm so excited to hear that the sticker posters work well in real life LOL :-) Summer library hours sounds cool. I'd love to hear more!