When third graders tested out centripetal force, they had them tie any kind of string (ribbon, twine, fishing line, yarn, even a shoelace) around any kind of small soft thing (cotton ball, stuffed animal). A single tissue was used in the example. No matter what they used, they were able to fling it around in a circle to demonstrate centripetal force and then take it apart and still have perfectly usable materials. When they were require to use drippy glue, a recipe for a DIY, make-from-home-with-common-ingredients option was included.
- Offer pickup for materials, as many districts have done for classroom materials. Many districts have a procedure in place for materials to be picked up weekly or as needed by parents or families, often in conjunction with free meal pickup. Consider this option for oddball materials that would be high impact for your instruction, especially those that could be considered consumable, like plastic pipettes. Include instructions for care, and accept news of loss or damage with grace.
- Capitalize on parent/family participation. For some families, a silver lining of remote and hybrid learning is the increased participation of parents and family members. Parents who might not have their finger on the pulse of the science, technology, engineering, and math classroom in more normal times now have the opportunity to cheer on their children, share advice or encouragement, and even lend a hand. Think about giving an option for your project to be completed with help from family members, especially in younger grades. Create a platform for parents to share praise or report something they’ve learned from their child. Not all home environments are positive, and not all adults can give this time; be cognizant of this and show grace. Give room in your grading systems.
Students can make shelters for Pilgrims out of recyclables and test them out against high winds (a hair dryer or fan) and snow (cotton balls, marshmallows, etc.). Families can be welcome to pitch in, and you may have so many who may enjoy working together.
- Celebrate iterations. One of the most important parts of a makerspace classroom, and one of the most painfully absent in our current climate, is an opportunity for iterative learning. Having the opportunity to start something, try it out, make adjustments, and try again is central to the idea of the student as the maker, and it’s really hard to do today. Swapping our focus from the product to the is recommended. Design a very flexible project, and have the students’ main task be to document their design changes. Set up a scavenger hunt, and require them to report one item they fixed, one thing that worked well from the outset, and one thing they scrapped entirely. Or, have the final product actually be a collaged layout of pictures of their progress, showing how their thinking evolved.
It’s so valuable to steer our classrooms back toward the pillars of experiential learning that we value so much. By offering learning opportunities that capitalize on maker-centered tenets, we take important steps to fill these voids.
