I am on a journey to
create a makerspace at my school in the preschool through 8th grade
Technology classroom. This room has been off to a rocky start this year since
new Technology classes were introduced, two teachers utilize the room (one
being me), and all ages and sizes of students filter through the space. Of
special note, the creation of the makerspace is being completed on a “dime” as
there is no real budget allocation towards it.
Step 2: Lego Corner
The second step taken
to transform the space to makerspace was to revamp our Lego corner. Last summer
we decided that the room needed a Lego wall, and, after ordering the baseplates
and assembling the wall, it stopped there. The students utilizing the room knew
the wall existed, but, to an outsider visiting the room, it wasn’t apparent
that the green thing on the far wall was for Lego building.
For starters, the
blank wall next to the Lego wall was ripe for decoration and a title to denote
its use. After searching around, I found an example of a Lego wall title in a
blog post by Matthew Arend about his makerspace and modeled mine after his. After
a quick Google search, a Lego font was located and high quality images of
bricks were ready for printing.
The other problem to
be solved was Lego storage. The white cardboard box Lego bricks were stored in
was unlabeled and difficult for numerous students to access at one time. Having
the bricks separated between several bins was the answer. I chose to go with a
storage option from IKEA – the TROFAST frame and bins. This creates clean-looking
storage and easy access to the blocks.
To finish the corner
off, I purchased an inexpensive IKEA rug to help invite students to the corner.
I liked a rug that is a more sophisticated version of children’s road-patterned
rugs. With older students using the space, I didn’t want to make it feel too
childish. Within the first week of redoing the corner and adding the rug, two 8th
grade students made a Lego stop animation that followed the roadways.
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