Newsletter
Autumn 2022

In this issue

Opportunities for schools

CPD Training for educators

News and highlights from 2022

Coming up...

Maker{Difference}

The Maker{Futures} Annual report

Welcome

It’s been an exciting year so far. The team has been busy with lots of projects and collaborations to demonstrate the value of makerspaces to young children’s learning. Between September 2021 and July 2022 we ran a total of 141 makerspace workshops; 121 of these in schools! We can’t wait to tell you about some of our highlights.

Educators, we want to build partnerships with you to grow maker education provision in early years settings, schools, libraries, museums and community spaces. We offer training, continuing professional development resources, downloadable guides and the opportunity to book a visit from our mobile makerspace - Maker{Move}! All of this will enable you to set up makerspaces or run maker sessions in a range of spaces, providing playful and creative ways to develop digital and STEM skills through a STEAM approach (integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the arts).

Read on to hear some amazing opportunities to get involved...

Opportunities for schools

Book a visit from Maker{Move} - our mobile pop-up makerspace

Maker{Move} activity day

A fun and fast paced introduction to makerspaces, book a day with Maker{Move} and we will bring three fully trained assistants and all of the resources and materials to you. Pupils will engage in STEAM challenges covering electronics, woodwork, robotics and digital creativity. Complete the booking enquiry form on our website and we will contact you to arrange a date and next steps.

Bespoke Maker{Move} workshop

Book a themed day to fit in with the topics you’re covering in school. Our usual varied Maker{Move} workshop but with activities and STEAM challenges tailored to you. Think ‘Natural Disasters’, ’Traditional Tales’ or ‘Connections’, which is the theme for British Science Week 2023.

A typical Maker{Move} day set up in the hall

The Maker{Move} van and activities on the school field

Pupils playing with Cubetto

Free Digital Leader Training for 9-13 year olds! - from Adobe

Dominic Traynor from Adobe is running some fantastic FREE Adobe Express DIGITAL LEADER TRAINING sessions between now and Christmas. He will train pupils in 90 minutes during school time to produce graphics, videos and web pages using Adobe Express. It would be a certificated course with swag for those pupils that complete it. Digital leaders would then be in a great place to give training to other classes on Adobe Express and could also help with producing digital and printed assets for displays or even the school newsletter. If you’re interested, please sign up to a session here.

Maker{Futures} YouTube channel

Looking for skill builders in class or at home? Why don't you check out our YouTube channel to find video resources for children and educators on animation, cardboard construction, TinkerCad and much more.

CPD Training for educators

Our cutting-edge suite of training provision for educators who want to get started with makerspaces. There is something for everyone...

FutureLearn: Makerspaces for Creative Learning

A course for educators and parents interested in learning more about makerspaces and how to get started in your setting.

Duration: 3 Weeks (learn at your own pace)

Delivery: Online

Cost: Free

CPD for staff: ‘Getting started with makerspaces in primary schools’

A full day CPD to establish the basics of setting up classroom makerspaces and projects

Duration: 5-6 hrs

Delivery: Face to face (at your school)

Cost: Contact us to discuss your requirements and we will provide a quote.

FutureLearn: Teaching Digital Literacy: Videogames in Education

Dive into the fascinating world of videogames in education and discover the positive impact games can have on children’s learning.

Duration: 4 Weeks (Learn at your own pace)

Delivery: Online

Cost: Free

Library Educator Training

From maker clubs to story inspired making, libraries are a great place for a makerspace.

Duration: half or full day

Delivery: Face to face at your library

Cost: From £300

Museum Educator Training

Museums can provide inspiration for family fun and creative sessions with making

Duration: half or full day

Delivery: Face to face at your museum

Cost: From £300

News and highlights from 2022

This year we have embraced the concept of whole family engagement in STEAM, facilitating several pop-up makerspaces such as the Maker{Home} workshops and our ‘Gadgets & Gizmos’ library sessions. We placed a lens on the humble material cardboard and even facilitated a nature-inspired makerspace for families to share their languages and words associated with nature, for the Migration Matters Festival! Click here to visit our website news pages for more information.

One of the library creations ready for the drive home...

Maker{School} Arbourthorne

In 2021, we formed a partnership with Arbourthorne Community Primary School to help develop the Maker{School} initiative and support them in becoming Sheffield’s first Maker{School}. Our partnership has introduced teachers to a training programme encompassing five core areas of making; Materials & Tools, Electronics, Computing, Coding & Robotics, Digital Literacies and Digital Design & Fabrication. What’s more, all classrooms at Arbourthorne now have their very own makerspace. How cool is that? We’re expecting to see lots of child-led maker projects and skill building sessions using tools, electronics and 3D computer aided design. Watch our video for a snapshot of what's been happening at Arbourthorne during 2022!

The Maker{School} programme is set to grow. Teachers from this school will be able to mentor and support other schools as they embark on their own Maker{School} journey. Read about how you can become a Maker{School} here.

Research project: ‘Reimagining trustworthy autonomous systems (TAS) with disabled young people’

A collaborative maker project between Greenacre School and researchers from The University of Sheffield.

Have you ever considered how much you trust the technologies we use in our everyday lives to assist us? This was one of the big questions discussed with seven young co-researchers from Greenacre School. Driverless cars, drones and robots - these are all technologies called Trustworthy Autonomous Systems or TAS and disabled young people are key end-users and potential co-designers of these. In our makerspace we explored how to build and adapt trustworthy robots and the creations were beautifully wacky. Our co-researchers were absolutely phenomenal, and we hope we can explore more big questions with Greenacre School again soon. Thank you @DanGoodley and @laurenewhite184 from the University of Sheffield for bringing us into this ground-breaking research which focuses on equity and equality in the studies of TAS.

Gadgets & Gizmos Library workshops

Educators will know that thousands of school children take part in the Summer Reading Challenge every year. In August we teamed up with Sheffield Libraries to bring the theme - Gadgeteers - to life! We set up 12 pop-up makerspaces in libraries from Stocksbridge to Hillsborough and families joined us to turn their most inventive ideas into 3D, using cardboard and simple electronics. Read more about our summer workshops here and contact us to find out more about booking a holiday workshop for your library, community centre or museum.

Festival of the Mind

Festival of the Mind is a celebration of ideas, culture and collaboration from The University of Sheffield and we were part of two exciting collaborations at this year's event.

Videogames capture the creative imagination of children as an exciting source of storytelling, character creation and animation. In September, Maker{Futures} in collaboration with Dr Alison Buxton and Dr Becky Parry, School of Education and the National Videogame Museum, ran an interactive playful ‘worldbuilding’ workshop which explored this through cardboard crafting. Families brought their video gaming memories to life with Stop Motion Animation and they also got the chance to pose in our crafty cardboard photo booth!

Thanks to Jon for running a brilliant Stop Motion station. Jon explores digital art and creativity, check him out on Twitter @lovebytes

Maker{Home}, part of the Make a Maker{School} Project

Thank you to the eight amazing Maker schools (Arbourthourne, Brockwell, Tinsley, Acres Hill, High Hazels, Bentley New Village, Crags, and Pipworth) who co-ran their first Maker{Home} workshop with us to start engaging the whole family in STEAM through making at home.

Each Maker{Home} workshop introduced 10 families to the concept of ‘making’ using cardboard, cardboard construction tools and simple electronics. It was brilliant to have the involvement of school staff who read a story and participated in the session, as well as pupils, siblings and guardians who showed us just how much enthusiasm they have for tinkering together. We hope families are enjoying their Maker{Home} kits and that schools are continuing their making journey too. Thanks to our wonderful funders - The University of Sheffield, Garfield Weston Foundation, CIVA, Erase All Kittens, and Arbourthorne Community Primary School for their involvement.

Coming up...

Flying Futures activity roadshow

Buckle up! An interactive Flying Futures roadshow will be visiting schools from November 2022 to March 2023. By glimpsing back at excellence in engineering through the lens of the Vulcan XH558, we’re looking to the future for a more sustainable aerospace industry. We have worked with local engineers to develop exciting hands-on, immersive activities for KS2 children exploring sustainable aviation. Our activities will ignite problem solving, collaboration and creativity skills to address big questions, like why do some shapes fly better than others? And, how can robots sort our luggage?

We can’t wait for take-off. Between now and Easter we’ll be visiting 15 primary and junior schools in the South Yorkshire region and next summer there will be a series of public events - open to all. Watch this space.

This programme is run by Maker{Futures} and the brilliant Work-wise foundation. Thanks to our lovely funders The Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards.

Maker{Storybox}: Free loaned-out resource for Early Years Settings

We are launching the Maker{Storybox} with our brilliant partners the STEM Ambassador Hub! Maker{StoryBox} is a set of themed resources aimed at students aged 4-7 which are available for schools to borrow free of charge. Each one contains a story sack plus a range of exciting and dynamic activities to develop STEM teaching and learning. There are 21 themes to choose from, each based on a topic in the Early Years Curriculum such as Robots or Minibeasts. You won’t want to miss this. To submit a loan request, contact the STEM Ambassador Hub North Midlands, South & East Yorkshire at ambassadors@debp.org

Teacher training workshop

We are running EY practitioner training sessions with The STEM Hub to introduce Maker{StoryBox} and demonstrate how they are successfully used for STEM teaching and learning. Our next Maker{Storybox} teacher training workshop is on Wednesday 11th January 2023, 15:00- 16:30. Find out more and book a place here.

Please note, this will be first come first served. We can only accommodate up to 15 teachers/STEM Ambassadors at this event.

Maker{Difference}

Engineering taskforce

We’re so excited to have launched our Engineering taskforce. A group of Engineering students from the University of Sheffield are now responsible for maintaining and refurbishing the well-loved equipment that we take into schools. Our trolleys, woodwork bench, and Lego wall were all looking a bit worse for wear and Norzuria, Hassan, Advaith, Royce and Aayush have brought them back to life! The students have told us that they've developed practical skills like using a hand drill, a handsaw and a wood sanding tool as well as improving their delegation and project management skills. These skills will be invaluable for their future careers.

Thank you to our extremely kind donors who have made providing opportunities for engineering students possible.

If you're an engineering student and would like to be a part of future work opportunities, check out our website or drop us an email.

Volunteering opportunities

Do you want to inspire the future generation of innovators and enhance your employability at the same time? We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to support our Maker{Move} workshops in primary schools, libraries and museums. Check out our volunteer pages and fill out a volunteer information form. We’d love to hear from you!

The Maker{Futures} Annual report

Our annual report is out this month and highlights a range of the projects and initiatives led by Maker{Futures} since we launched, navigating the lockdowns and through the 2021-22 academic year.

Find out about the story so far - download the Annual Report 2022 (PDF 9MB)