The Project

What is this project?

The new season of monthly build challenges for your learning space, makerspace, school, workshop, classroom is finally here! I am so excited to share this one with everyone. This has taken a great deal of time to prepare and put together, but I know that the results are going to be amazing!

Everything you need is below. If you need anything else, then please reach out. Throughout the month I will share other tutorials and tips and as others share we will have those examples as well.

As we always talk about in my workshops, be sure to document the journey and share! We have community of learners and makers and the only way we all get better is through sharing, supporting, and interacting with one another.

All our work and correspondence along with questions, help, techniques, etc. will be over in our Full Stack Learner Community. We have a Monthly Build Challenge channel for us to share all of our work in this space.

Please be sure to share your work, your journey, questions, ideas, and more with me and the group. This will allow this project to improve and empower one another through sharing.

Project Launch Video

Project Overview

Now that we are month into making and school it is time to personalize things a bit more. Last month students designed a sign for the learning space. Let us allow them to now create something for themselves that they can use in their life outside of school.

This month allow students to create something decorative and/or useful for Halloween. Have them look up ideas. This is also a great time to teach them new skills and techniques with tools and materials.

Let us know what you plan to do with your students in our community.

Share in our Full Stack Learner Community

I really believe this monthy build is important to showcase to students how much we respect and trust them to develop their own ideas. Allow them to create parts of their costume or decorations for their house.

Don't judge. Let them design on paper. Have them create an idea board on a Google Document or other tool. Give them time to share with their partners for feedback.

Learning Targets

Students will understand the safety procedures of the makerspace through a hands on project instead of a sit and get.
Students will demonstrate how to work with others to collectively come up an agreed upon name.
Students will creatively express their ideas through a hands on project.

Project Ideas

Halloween Costume
Halloween Prop
Halloween Decoration
Halloween Make-Up
Halloween Art
Pumpkin Carving
LEGO Creatiions

Skill & Mindset Development

Creating community in your makerspace
Introducing new making concepts if you choose to include
- What makes something scary?
- Sound effects
- Lighting
- Motors and movement
- Sensors
These are the concepts we emphasized last month that you might want to explore this time.
- LED lights
- Arduino
- How cut cardboard
- How to cut wood
- How to paint
- This really depends on what you want to introduce to your students
A nice icebreaker to introduce students to the space through hands on experience
Working with students to learn how to work together

Think about this before you begin!

This is up to the individual educator for this project. The participants are the students involved in this project so you must provide them with the following:
If you want to introduce a specific concept i.e. Arduino and LED you could make these items a required element of the build.
Consider time, materials, and cost before you launch. You want to make sure everyone can complete the project.

Future Learning

After you have your sign(s) you don’t have to stop there
- Continue to hack your sign(s) as you develop new skills to showcase that all work is never finished.
- You can continue to make new signs. Consider making signs for
  - Maker stations
  - Signs for other spaces in the building
  - Taking orders for teachers