Hello Teachers, For anyone interested in having a maker space in their school, I just completed a grant project based around designing an affordable maker space. We spent around eight thousand for the year, and using an entrepreneurship challenge we were able to earn back enough money to make the space self-sustaining. If you are interested in reading more about it, I have a website but apparently links are not allowed on posts so message me for it if you're interested. Please reach out if you have any specific questions! Thanks, Steve
It's pretty cool! Unfortunately, I cannot explain makerspaces without using the one local to me as an example, so I'm hoping OP can do so.
$8,000 per year doesn’t seem affordable on my budget, but I’m glad you found a way to make it work for you.
A Maker Space is a room dedicated to creation by students. For us that means 3d printers, sewing machine, laser engraver, t-shirt heat press, and a few other tools along with a bunch of materials they can use.
A makerspace is a collection of materials and/or tech that students can use to design, build, and be creative. It can be technology-forward like 3D printers and robotics, or low-tech like knitting supplies and construction paper. A makerspace can include legos, art supplies, button makers, honestly whatever. A makerspace can be anywhere, but I’ve seen them most often in school libraries. Usually students are given a specific task, like build a structure that can prevent an egg from cracking when it is dropped from 6 feet or make a floating structure that can hold the most marbles without sinking. You can tie them to any content and grade level.
