In case you haven’t heard, the Maker Movement is coming to a school near you. Hopefully my school, or specifically, my classroom. Maker Spaces are appearing in neighborhoods nation wide. The White House just hosted a Maker Faire. It appears that we are a nation of makers. So, why, I ask, couldn’t this be a part of my classroom?

I first read about the Maker Movement on… wait for it…Pinterest. Shocking, I know! Even more (less) surprising is the fact that I have learned tons and tons about Makers and maker education on Twitter.

Twitter…swoon. #TwitterILoveYou

For a couple years, at least, I have felt that there has been a very important piece missing from my first grade classroom. Don’t get me wrong. I am producing readers, learners, writers. I have 6 year olds who can explain what an open syllable is. (It’s a real thing. Look it up.) They can use text evidence to identify the solution to a problem in a story. But, you guys, some of them don’t know how to hold scissors! The creative learning part of early childhood (or all of childhood)  is being stripped from our classrooms. Teachers don’t want it to be this way. At least I don’t want it to be this way.  But, the stakes are high people. And they are only getting higher.

So, when I started reading about Maker Spaces, I started to understand the gap in learning I was creating in my students. I am a creative person. I have always been artistic. I consider myself to be a bit of a DIYer, and have a homemade dining room table to prove it! Turns out…I AM A MAKER! This… the hands on, creative, making stuff part of learning is exactly what I want (need) to bring into my classroom!

Walt Disney  said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

We started slow. Very slow. But kinda jumped in head first at the same time!

The last few weeks of the 2014-15 school year, I set up a makeshift Maker Space in my classroom. We spent the last few minutes of the day as often as possible making. Students designed and created their own classrooms after we read about students in Chad who have to build their school each year. Another week, after reading about family traditions, including knitting, students experimented with weaving and yarn. One week, we had an open ended Maker Space where their only guideline was: Make something for your mom for Mother’s Day.

My favorite part of my beginning Maker Space:  taking a step back. Just stopping and taking a mental picture of what was happening in my classroom. It may have just been 15 minutes of the day, but I promise they were 15 of the most meaningful minutes I had seen. Ever. There was collaboration. There was planning. There was failure and trying again and then success. It is A.MAZ.ING what 4 first graders will do with a cardboard box if you JUST LET THEM!

So, now I’m hooked. I have committed myself to growing my Maker Space. I’m reading and researching and Tweeting about maker education. I’m begging for supplies and writing grants. I have partial funding on Donor’s Choose here for supplies. (Yay!) I have submitted a Small Projects Grant through my local Community Foundation, which grants up to $1500. My proposal slips in just a few dollar under that amount. I have already received some great supplies from a teacher in my building. I have  high-tech and low-tech plans for this space, including circuits, Legos, stop-motion videos, crafts, and 3-D printing. Because first graders need deserve a space to experiment, design, explore, and solve problems. They learn best through hands-on, self-directed learning. And, it’s my responsibility to provide them with the space and supplies to be the best little first grade learners possible. Walt Disney also said, “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” I truly think that the Maker Space is going to grow a whole new set of skills in my students, which will only enhance their learning.

Plus, it’s fun. And I like fun!