Classroom MakerSpace

My box of stuff was getting very messy.

I suppose it was inevitable. Once I started tinkering with 3D printers in my classroom I would need a more purposeful MakerSpace than a box in a cabinet. That box in the cabinet that was becoming quite unruly. It was full of soldering irons, LEDs, pipe cleaners, glue guns, and a hodge podge of leftover parts. The corner with our 3D printers had tools all over the place and left over filament scattered around. The classroom needed some organization.

The new maker space is coming along nicely.

I’m a believer in messy classrooms. I think they are a testament to the work that is in progress. A shrine to the process so to speak. However, there comes a point when  items need a place to belong, and a classroom needs to be tidied up in order for learning to be most effective. A quick order from Amazon and I had a solution to the problem. A nice hardware and craft cabinet that mounts to the wall where I can store LEDs, batteries, tools, switches, and anything else that a classroom that makes things needs.

My students are currently in the process of making insects, a light box with numbers (like the DEFCON system in many movies from the 80’s), robots, and microscopes. I’m not sure what else they will come up with this year, but I’m pleased to know that we have a space to keep our supplies and to do our work. I’m sure that as my students grow this space will as well.