A Parent's Guide to Makerspaces

This resource was created by Sharona Ginsberg, Learning Technologies Librarian at SUNY Oswego. It contains a brief explanation of what makerspaces are and lists a variety of other resources on the topic. These resources include blog posts, journal articles, and periodicals that can help bring clarity to the term “makerspace.” Click on the picture above to be taken to the web page.

This resource is a blog created by Andy Plemmons who serves as a media specialist at the David C. Barrow Elementary Media Center. In this blog, Andy posts about types of makerspaces he uses in his media center and his experience with them. This resource gives real-life examples of how makerspaces are implemented in school libraries/media centers. Click on the picture above to check out this blog.

This resource is a 4-minute video created by Edutopia. It shows education professionals as they discuss the benefits of makerspaces, as well as young students working in makerspaces. The young students talk through what they are creating, which illustrates the benefits mentioned by the education professionals. Read more here.

In this blog post, Cristel Hutchinson (VP of Sales for Haskell Education), identifies the benefits makerspaces have on student learning in today's society. Click on the photo above to read the post.

This is a blog post, written as a research paper, by a graduate student taking a course on "Makerspaces and Participatory Learning in Libraries." The author highlights studies that have been conducted to examine the benefits of makerspaces on student learning and development. Click on the photo above to read about this research.

Hear from William McCoy, an Educational Technologist with over 20 years of experience teaching students of all grade levels, as he discusses the importance of makerspaces and how they prepare students for the future.

In this article, you will read the firsthand account of a school librarian who created makerspaces from scratch. She also gives a stunning and elaborate depiction of what makerspaces look like when they are being used in the school library setting. Click on the picture above to read the full article.

This webpage, created by teacher-librarian Collette J., includes a list of resources that showcase the different ways in which makerspaces can be implemented in an elementary school library. Click on the photo above to view this list of resources.

This book provides the perspectives, written in narrative, of librarians around the world as they have implemented makerspaces in libraries serving a range of ages. Click on the photo above to view the details of this book on Amazon.

This article, published by NAEYC, provides a list of materials you can find around your house to get started with a makerspace at home. There is also a link to another page that provides project ideas to get your child's creativity flowing. Click on the picture above to view this article.

Makerspaces come in all shapes and sizes. You can dedicate an entire area in your house to making or you can have something small and simple like toolbox containing making materials. This article gives ideas for different forms of makerspaces and materials that you can have on hand to make your at-home makerspace successful. Click on the picture above to read the article.

This article, published on the ParentToday website, is written from the parent's perspective. It includes an interview with a school librarian who has implemented makerspaces, as well as what household items can be used to successfully implement makerspaces at home.

This article by makerspace.com provides you with 25 projects that can be created using mostly household materials. Some projects even have step-by-step videos on how to complete the project. Click on the picture above to be taken to this article.

Design Squad Global is a video series and website created by PBS Kids to encourage kids to solve real-world problems with engineering. Hosts, Deysi and Nate and guest kid engineers walk through makerspace projects that can be done at home. Click on the picture above to be taken to the channel where you can find ideas for maker projects to do with your child.

This web page lists 10 makerspace projects that can be completed using materials that can be found around the house. Each project includes a brief video showing how you can accomplish each project. Click on the photo above to view these makerspace project ideas.

This Pinterest board lists close to 100 makerspace project ideas that can mostly be completed at home with easy-to-access household materials. Some projects involve batteries and paper circuits. Click on the photo above to view these pins.

This web page lists 9 projects that can be done by those just starting out with makerspaces. Each project description provides a list of materials needed to complete the project. Click on the image above to view these projects.

This book provides easy-to-follow guides for low-cost makerspace projects. Click on the image above to view more details about this book on Google Books.