Five new things for the makerspace

I’m always on the lookout for new, creative ways to solve needs or address challenges in our space. This year we’ve been fortunate to be able to add some amazing items to the library’s makerspace. Each item has been very purposeful in its selection, designed to solve an issue or fill a specific need. From assisting students with their prototyping to both structured and open-ended activities to engage students in engineering, here are five awesome items we’ve added to our space

Magnetic Click blocks (Minecraft blocks)

Did someone say sensory nostalgia? These magnetic Minecraft blocks have been a massive hit in our space. They are little cubes designed to look like the different types of Minecraft blocks and they click together with magnets. I knew younger students would be keen on them, but I had no idea just how popular they’d be with high school students and even staff. We have them in two boxes on a table in the hallway and they constantly have a group of students around them, creating mini structures. From Year 11 girls to Prep boys and seriously everyone in between, parents and staff, honestly everyone loves them. And what’s not to love? They remind people of their love of Minecraft but they are super tactile. They lock together seamlessly and make the most wonderful sound as they do. Seriously I’m so impressed with these. While I initially purchased them for geography classes as an alternative to building worlds in Minecraft and to support students as we started to move to not allowing laptop gaming in our space, their major benefit has been in bringing people together, stopping people on their way through the space and capturing their attention. So many conversations are happening across year levels with these little bricks. I’ve just ordered more.

Chompsaw

This has to be my favourite tool and item in my makerspace right now. I am seriously impressed with this tool. The Chompsaw is designed to safely and quickly cut through cardboard. It uses a process similar to a hole punch, very quickly taking little chuncks out of the cardboard. The punch tool is entirely concealed, so it’s safe for students to use without any risk of them cutting themselves. And the way it cuts through cardboard so quickly and easily is amazing. It is neat and so much safer than many of the alternatives. Students can also achieve the cuts they want for their designs much more quickly. The tool can also cut paper, cardstock, fabric, felt and leather. Replacement blades are available, which is great, as our machines are getting a big workout. They are also very resilient, and our students have been putting them to the test, cutting everything from wood sticks to googly eyes. Our two Chompsaws have been an incredible addition to our makerspace and have done exactly what I wanted in extending the quality of prototyping and building and models in our space. The timing of their arrival couldn’t have been better as it’s been amazing to have them for Term 1 so our Year 8 science classes could use them to prototype their cell and neuron 3d models andRube Goldberg machines.

Card games

We have lots of card games in the library, but this year to aid in making the transition to stop laptop gaming completely, we added a lot more. I purchased little clear plastic containers from Big W, because there is nothing more useless than the cardboard boxes the cards come in that never ever fit the cards back in. These boxes have helped us keep track of the cards and reduce loss. I purchased extra sets of Uno and every new edition of Uno available, like Uno Liars, Uno Team, Uno No Mercy (the favourite) and Uno Flip. I’ve also purchased multiple sets of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, which has been so popular. We’ve added a few more sets of Exploding Kittens. Playing card sets are popular and a few games like Sleeping Queens has appealed to the students who love storytelling. We leave these boxes of cards scattered around the building on the ground floor, as well as in our dedicated games shelf, so there is always a set on hand for a game and at lunch, before and after school, the library is full of students chatting, laughing and being extremely competitive as they play – with no a device in sight.

Kiwi Co Engineering Kits

Last year we noticed some students struggled with the open-ended nature of our space. Students have access to a massive range of resources and can create anything they want to. They are also challenged and inspired with open-ended design prompts. But some students needed a little more structure. So we have tried out the Kiwi Co Engineering Kits Eureka Crate. It’s a subscription based model that delivers a project to us every month. It comes with all the parts and instructions to build the project. So far we’ve had a robotic snake and a pinball machine, Rube Goldberg kit and Tashketball kit. Great for supporting STEM. While these don’t appeal to all students and are a little more challenge to manage in our space, as so much of what we have is designed to be accessed by all and on an on-going basis, putting the materials into a clear box and giving a group of students ownership of each project has helped some students engage in more productive ways. It’s also a great way to extend the learning and interaction of students who are looking for more of a challenge. I honestly think once we have a few more finished kits, the interest will spike, but these haven’t been as popular and unless that changes in the next few months, this is a subscription I won’t renew. It might be better for an after-school engineering club, but for our lunchtime regulars, there’s just too much to take on. I’ll need to think about how I market these next term.

Extra 3D printers

Our 3D printers are so incredibly popular. There is always a crowd of students around them. While they are incredible workhorses and pump out the prints, I never get a chance to print anything they are so busy. Fortunately, thanks to a budget increase and collaboration with the incredible Technologies department, we’ve been able to increase our printer bank to five 3D printers now. We have the Bambu Lab Carbon X1s, which are not longer available but you can purchase the Bambu Lab P2S. We are looking forward to being able to better support all the students who want to engage in 3D printing as well as printing items for curriculum, such as the ancient civilisation prints for our Year 7 students.

So, there’s a few items we’ve added and the successes and challenges we’ve faced. What have you got in your makerspace?