What is a Makerspace? A makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials.

Why have a Makerspace? You can read online about many, many benefits of including a makerspace in your school. A few important reasons include teaching basic problem solving, building perseverance, engaging minds, encouraging questions, providing connections between lessons and the real world, practicing inquiry, solving meaningful problems through engineering design, and much more!

Our Makerspace dream is gradually coming true, box by box and paper towel tube by paper towel tube! So many have pitched in to help us take the next step in having an ALIVE Makerspace, such as the summer crew clearing out the science room and student volunteers helping to sort and label bins of recyclables. It now offers tables or a lovely open area for building projects, as well as a whole array of interesting recyclables from which to choose during STEM activities. We hope that you will hear lots of STEM excitement coming from this room from now on. Thank You, Lord, for providing for us!

*Student volunteers Benjamin, Karis, and Martha sorted piles of recyclables into labeled bins to organize our Makerspace this summer.

*As part of his Boy Scout environmental project, former student Wesley Stocken recruited the 2nd/3rd graders to spearhead increased “reusing” throughout our school. Over the summer, he also trained 5th graders Brooke and Autumn to lead a biography puppet project that incorporates reusables in decorating the puppets.

*Wesley coached the 2nd/3rd on reusing and put his instruction into action by helping them create a giant Makerspace sign made with reused items.

*Here students are using the Makerspace for STEM marble run challenges.