Ramps, pulleys, bowls & marbles. Tons of physics here!

Vendor: Mindware

We tried this for the first time this year, and it became one of our favorite makerspaces. We've added all shapes and sizes of cubes for checkout, as well as books with tips for solving them. I had students try to guess what we were building as it grew (and posted a new hint each day)--the first student to guess correctly won a cube. Even the teachers were excited about it! You just have to pay shipping to return the borrowed set (and replace any that are lost/broken).

www.youcandothecube.com/

(2021 update--they are currently NOT sending out kits. The only way to participate is to buy your own cubes, but you can use their mosaic patterns. You'd need a minimum of 36 cubes to start).

Reusable rivets and safe tools to use for cardboard construction projects

Vendors: Follett, Demco, Amazon, Mackin, Maker Maven

Yes! My high school students did engage in this makerspace. They are just little kids in big bodies!

Vendor: Demco

Create amazing marble runs--there is a huge variety of kits available. This makes a great stand-alone station.

Vendor: Demco, Follett

Build with bricks that light up (and they're compatible with Legos!) This was the dragon some of my students built.

Vendor: Barnes & Noble, Target, Amazon

This is part DIY/ part Vendor: (Table is HS; Board is INT., but interchangeable)

Lego Squares-Kaplan; Table- Old library table; Legos- donations from faculty and students, Mackin; Mobile, magnetic dry-erase board: School Specialty

Another good stand-alone station. My own kids "donated" the one we have in the library.

Vendor: Barnes & Noble, Lakeshore Learning, Amazon

Leave these out as independent makerspaces.

The plexiglas cover is DIY to help keep the rascals from messing with it, and works well at CLHS.

Vendor: Yardsales, Barnes & Noble, or pretty much any store

These come in a hundred different kits. A few weeks ago, a parent donated two huge boxes of these for our space.

Vendors: Demco, Follett, S&S Worldwide, Mindware

Kits like this are fun, but any type of dominoes would work. Students love to set them up and knock them down (but have a consequence in mind for any students who knock down someone else's build without permission!)

Vendor: Amazon

These are community fun!

Vendor: Demco

Definitely for secondary students (can be too advanced for younger students). They make some cool architecture kits

Vendor: Brodart, Mindware

Yes! These are high school students playing with Lincoln Logs!

I don't have a set yet, but I've seen them at the Children's Museum, and I think they would work with older students, too. It's a large-scale building kit with simple machines like pulleys, ramps, and screws.

Demco

SO MUCH can be done with these, and my students LOVE them! Lesson plans, challenges, games, and activities at www.kevaplanks.com

Vendor: Demco

Vendor: Zip Tie Domes

My high school students LOVE this. The geodesic dome is made of PVC and put together entirely by zip ties, so it is a build-and-rebuild project that we bring out every year. Once it is constructed, we put a card table under it and the kids can play cards, do origami, or whatever project we choose to put in there. It is like a big-kid fort, and they are always inside it!

If we build it, they will come!

$3,000.00 Foundation Grant for more large builds, written in 2 parts:

Here is a photo of our first large build & rebuild project. 24" PVC pipe, 4 different connectors, and a modified cart. Super simple, with infinite build possibilities, and popular with the kids!

Vendor: Home Depot, for everything including the cart!

At CLHS, we do this for the annual Physics Boat Races, which the students LOVE-- but there are many, many ways to do a cardboard challenge!

Have your custodial staff gather cardboard for you for a month or so before the challenge begins!

You have to buy the templates, but what a fun physics activity! You just need cardstock, tape, and scissors (and a marble!) and you can create some pretty elaborate marble runs.

www.paperrollercoasters.com/

Instructables has tons of great ideas, and this one is classic STEM.

www.instructables.com/id/3-Simple-STEM-Boats/?utm_content=buffer50b30&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer

We have a design competition for these. Students compete to see who can launch a mini marshmallow farthest using just rubber bands, plastic spoons, craft sticks, and tape. I let them search online for design ideas (there are so many options!). I like to let them work in teams of up to 3.

Tutorial

This was created using the peel and stick battery lights (you can get these at WalMart, Dollar Tree, Home Depot, etc.). I just found this on Pinterest and want to try it out!

www.oakpark.com/Community/Blogs/6-29-2012/The-Stars-_-at-the-Library-_-Our-Destination/

This is a cool new marble run that is much more complex than the typical run. This is brand new at Lake so I don't have any student photos yet, but we are excited to start building!