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Teacher Feature: Tips for creating maker spaces in your classroom

7/26/2019

In this series, we will feature teachers who are infusing sustainability lessons and practices into their classrooms. In our first story, we interviewed Ms. Stacie Watson, an elementary educator from Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida.

Last Summer, Stacie Watson attended a professional development session on how to create a maker space in your classroom. The problems with traditional maker spaces is that they can get expensive, especially if you buy some of the pre-made kits. How can you do this without breaking the bank? Stacie was able to protect her pocketbook and the environment at the same time, and it was amazing. Think about it. You have a lot of resources in your house. What do you normally throw in the garbage or recycling that can be used again?

Once she got it started, the kids took over. They would regularly come in with piles of beautiful junque (that's fancy for junk). If you buy it, it usually gets thrown away. But when when they bring something in, they start thinking about how they can reuse things again and again. Much of what Stacie does is based in grade-level standards in science. In addition, she provides activities that review previous standards.

They created an instrument for Jack (the beanstalk guy) that changes pitch and volume from our workshop Once Upon a Design 2.
They designed a spider web that would catch a spider launched by the Spidey-pult (catapult for spiders).
They designed a maze that used only gravity to get a ball from the start to the end.

To begin, Stacie provided a message to parents about materials they could use: fabric, cereal boxes, water bottles, bottle caps (good for wheels). Within a week she had enough to get her started! Stacie also received materials like: scraps of paper, sea shells, beads, stickers, etc. In addition, she provided some fastener materials. While she used recycled elastic bands, you might also need tape, string, glue, and a stapler (try a staple-less stapler).

This is how the materials are organized in the maker spaces.

Designing the maze.

During this activity, Stacie instructed the students to create a maze for Students used a yard stick to make their grids for measuring. The requirement for the mouse to go in the maze was 5X5 inches. Science, they were including the food chain: predators of the mouse and food that the mouse would eat. They used cereal boxes and paper towel rolls to create their mazes.

How can you feature recycled items in your maker space?
1) for student use
2) once they create or invent a good, how can you use it in your classroom?

Reusing materials like lego and snap cubes, etc. Plastics and long term vs short term use. Reusable plastics vs single use plastics.

The mouse found its way through this team's maze. After the mouse got through the maze, the students started talking about how they could redesign the maze to make it more challenging. BTW, the light blue t-shirt was designed by fifth grade students.

The light blue t-shirt was designed by fifth grade students!

This team put it on hypermode, which makes it go faster, but it didn't seem to follow the steps you programmed. It definitely ran over some of the barriers along the way! Time for some redesign!

In addition to challenges that Ms. Watson provides for her students, based on standards, sometimes students still have their own questions so she inspires them to design something to solve the problem. For example, this student built a contraption that used gravity to toss a ball. This was part of an investigation that had to do with gravity and the height of the object and the gravitational force it would have and how it would cause an object to move. She allowed them to conduct experiments at home and brought them back to school. The ball is on the kitchen spoon (where her hand is). She dropped something over to the side that would lift up the spoon and toss the ball.

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5 Easy Activities for Students to Go Green in the Classroom

7/18/2019

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One of the most important things about creating a sustainable planet is teaching the little ones that will inhabit it for many years to come. Educators have the responsibility, power and knowledge to teach students environmentally friendly habits and practices. Being creative and finding ways to ingrain these lessons are easier than you think. Here are five easy class activities to teach your students how to go green in the classroom.

1. Room Check

At the end of the day, have your students make sure that all faucets and lights are turned off, trash is picked up, technology is shut down, blinds are closed and other necessary items are recycled. You can split up your class into a few groups with each one having a checklist for a specific area. This activity teaches kids the responsibility and importance of saving energy and cleaning up, and it only takes a few minutes. You could even make it a contest to see which group is able to find the most classroom mishaps.

2. Class Garden

Growing a school garden with your students will give them an opportunity to be outdoors and learn about the environment. There’s so much to teach about growing a garden, and you don’t need any fancy tools or supplies to do it. This activity can also help build important skills like responsibility, teamwork and social skills.

3. Recycling Contest

A recycling contest is the perfect way to get your students excited about making a difference for the planet. Let your students compete for first, second and third place in collecting the most recyclable items in a week or month. There are several ways to do this, but you could split your class into teams or compete with other classrooms. Teams can mark their items then place them into the appropriate bins. Count them at the end to find out who wins!

4. Building and Creating with Reusable Materials

Part of being sustainable is using less and reusing more. Ask students to look for reusable items from home and bring them in for a fun and crafty project. This teaches students to be more resourceful and creative because they get a chance to see everyday objects from a different perspective. They can make super hero cuffs from toilet paper rolls, build characters using soda cans, or create their own flowers out of paper scraps.

5. Plant a Tree

This could be another option aside from having a class garden. Getting your students to plant a tree and caring for it together makes for a great Earth Day activity. This teaches kids the importance of taking care of our planet and the responsibility to take action.

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