District Guide: District Library Guide: MakerSpace for K-12

Maker Sites To Check Out!

Exploratorium
You will want to bookmark this amazing resource and visit it often! The Exploratorium isn't just a museum; it's an ongoing exploration of science, art, and human perception. Explore its vast collection of online experiences, activities and education resources supporting online teaching and learning.
Howtoons
Howtoons are instructional comics that teach kids how to build projects and toys using everyday household goods.
Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM
These free arts integration lessons are a perfect way for you to get started with arts integration and STEAM, or to enhance a program you already have in place. Available for Grades K-12.
Instructables
Instructables is a community for people who like to make things. Explore, share, and make your next project with this great resource
Kidsburg.org: Maker Mondays
Maker Mondays is a regular feature on this site that offers clever making ideas. HINT: click on the Maker Monday tag at the bottom of the page for MORE Great Projects!

Made by Joel
Made by Joel is a space to share art, craft, and handmade education projects for children and their care givers.
Stay In Play In Youtube Channel
Join Top STEM youth from all over the world sharing boredom busters with stuff on hand at home, so we never stop playing and learning.
The Kitchen Pantry Scientist
Science-making activities you can do with stuff in the kitchen
The Maker Studio
The Maker Studio is a museum makerspace that offers a number of cool making projects through Instructables
Tinkerlab
Art and Science Making activities AND challenges - includes a monthly guide for art, maker, and science inspiration (free for a limited time)

Sock Monkey Tutorials

A series of Youtube videos where Argyle Secondary Youth Worker, J. Lambkin, demonstrates how to make sock monkeys.

STEM Projects and Activities

Exploratorium's Science Snacks
Hungry for fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena? Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap, available materials.
NASA Stem@Home grades K-12
NASA Stem@Home Includes building and making projects along with other activities for K-12 students
Science World Resources
Science World has hundreds of free resources that can easily be done at home, using common household materials.
Stuck at Home Science
The California Science Center offers science learning with easy to follow activities. This resource is designed for families to explore, investigate and have fun learning together without leaving home. All activities use household supplies, and are appropriate for a variety of ages.

Ms. Parker's Maker Youtube Channel

Ms. Parker is an Art teacher at Carson Graham Secondary. Check out this Amazing Playlist of her Maker Video Series!

Tinkering and Take Apart

Tinkering and taking things apart (with permission and guidance, of course) are great ways to solve problems and figure out how things work. Check out the resources below for ideas. Special thanks to Ms. Parker @ Carson Graham!

First Grade Tinkering - a 10 Session Curriculum
This collection is a 10 week Tinkering series offered to first grade students. Using everyday materials in open-ended projects, transform the ordinary to the extraordinary while nurturing problem solving skills, building creative confidence, encouraging collaboration, and empowering students as agents of their own success.
Reverse Engineering Project
This project is from TeachEngineering - a digital library of engineering curricula for K-12 educators to make applied science and math come alive through engineering design.
Science World Take-Apart Guide
Science World's Educational Take-Apart Guide includes downloadable Gadgets & Contraptions Activities
Things Come Apart
Popular Mechanics article that explores "What it looks like when you tear down gadgets into every individual part"
Toy Take Apart
A Project from The Tinkering Studio, with activity guide

EARTH DAY and EVERYDAY Activities that promote Recycling, Making and Getting Outdoors!

10 Easy Recycled Crafts for Earth Day
Dive into the recycling box to celebrate Earth Day. CBC Parents offers projects that use up shoeboxes, egg cartons, styrofoam, toilet-paper rolls, cardboard and more!
30 Earth Day Crafts and Activities Using Recycled Materials
"We Are Teachers" invites you to "Save the earth:make art" and try one of these eco-savvy Earth Day crafts that is sure to excite kids of all ages.
Tinkerlab: 50 Earth Day Activities
Earth Day is our annual reminder to slow down and appreciate the bounty of the earth.
These 50 Earth Day Activities for kids will encourage children to create objects from natural and recycled materials and spend more time outdoors.

Fun DIY OUTDOOR GAMES & ACTIVITIES to Make for Warmer Weather!

Bubble Wands - Make your own Giant Ones!
These giant bubble wands are easy to make with just a few items you can find at your local hardware store. A great weekend project for families.
DIY Tic Tac Toe Game
An easy to make project for kids that's portable too!
Five Fun Outdoor Things to do with Tin Cans
Ever tried lawn bowling with tin cans? Try these easy outdoor tin can ideas for backyard fun.
Flamingo Ring Toss
A DIY Lawn Game for Kids (and Adults)!
Giant Kerplunk Game
Make a giant outdoor Kerplunk game from tomato cages!
Giant Lawn Dominos
Mix games and outdoors time with these giant wood lawn dominos
Hand Painted Giant Outdoor Scrabble Tiles
Think " Bananagrams or Scrabble" this is a giant version to play on your lawn or take with you on your next outdoor adventure!
Homemade Bean Toss Game
Use the pockets of old jeans and garden terra cotta saucers to make a Bean Toss Game for all ages!
Lawn Twister
Paint a “twister board” onto your lawn with a pizza box and contractor's marking spray paint.
Life Sized Angry Birds Game
It turns out creating a life-size Angry Birds game is actually easier than you might think.
Pool Noodle Frisbee Toss
Only 4 supplies needed to create a fun, all-ages backyard game!
Squirt Gun (and other squirt tools) Painting
Everything you need to know about squirt painting: tips, tools, tutorials
Squirt Gun Water Races
Ready for warmer weather? This is a fun, easy to setup game to play outdoors with your water squirter of choice.

Drawing/Writing/Comics Making

Art for Kids Hub
A drawing lessons for kids site
Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages
A Library of Congress Exhibition: Welcome to the world of comic art, where a wide variety of visual and narrative storytelling styles have evolved from panels in early newspapers to contemporary comic images.
Dav Pilkey at Home
A video series with Dav Pilkey drawing, reading aloud, and following his mantra—Always Be Creative!
Jarrett Lerner Activities
This site offers: Blank Comic Book Pages, Special Activities, “Finish This Comic!” Comics, and Drawing/Writing Prompts.
Make a Mini Book & Write a Story
The Library of Congress offers this video on Making a Mini Book

Cardboard and Paper Mache Making

Cardboard Automata
Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple mechanical elements such as cams, levers, and linkages, while creating a moving sculpture.
Global Cardboard Challenge
"We invite kids of all ages around the world to build something amazing out of cardboard, recycled materials and imagination".
Learn How to Paper Mache
The Spruce Crafts brings you paper mache recipes and project ideas

Fun Starter Projects

Cranky Contraptions
Cranky Contraptions are moving toys created with simple materials such as wooden blocks, wire, and foamies
Marble Machines
A Marble Machine is a creative ball-run contraption, made from familiar materials, designed to send a rolling marble through tubes and funnels, across tracks and bumpers, and into a catch at the end.
Scribbling Machines
Scribbling machines are motorized contraptions that move in unusual ways and leave a mark to trace their paths.

Weaving Loom & Other Weaving Projects
This guide introduces weaving using a basic wooden loom (that you build) and a plain weave - includes links to other weaving and loom creation projects
Windtubes
Wind tubes explore the effect that moving air has on objects, including constructions made from everyday materials. (Advanced)

Music and Making

Chrome Music Lab
Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.
Make a Pegboard Instrument
The National Music Centre offers video examples and ideas for creating pegboard instruments
Make Musical Instruments
This is a step by step guide to making musical instruments

Makerspace Resources for Educators

E-Book: Making Space for New Library Learning
This e-book documents a teacher-librarian’s firsthand experience of investigating, planning, developing and implementing an elementary school library makerspace.
Education Makerspaces
The University of Calgary offers an excellent resource: All About Makerspaces and More!
Edutopia & Makerspace Articles
A wealth of articles on Makerspaces (161 in total): everything from getting started, makerspace ideas and stories, to the benefits of making and these spaces.

District Library Guide: MakerSpace for K-12

Welcome to the NVSD Makerspace!