After reading the three articles, I could connect with all of them. Although the article had a lot of great ideas on using a donors choose account, I don't see myself starting one (Murphy 2015). Instead, I will ask my classroom community to donate household items for projects. Sometimes I will ask that my request go in the school newsletter so that it may be seen by a broader audience (if I'm in need of baby food jars and my students don't have younger siblings.) So far, my needs have been able to be met in this way.
Looking within my classroom community can be handy too. Oftentimes families want to volunteer but they can not come into the classroom. If I know they are woodworkers or work with other tools (after sending home a volunteer questionnaire), I will ask for their assistance in providing materials for the classroom- it could be scraps of fabric, wood or ribbon. On the other hand, I welcome volunteers who have a talent that they are willing to share (like cooking in the classroom or different print making techniques.) My husband and father-in-law have been asked to cut materials for me from time to time too.
I have also collected things from thrift stores and garage sales while visiting relatives in the summer. Along with the thrill of the hunt, this can be also be an economical way to find good stuff without breaking the bank. Occasionally I even find something lovely to add to my home decor. Thrift shopping is fun to do with children too. It's never too early to teach them how to find a good deal!
I also look outside for things to use- sticks, rocks, leaves, beach glass, plants. Nature is ready and waiting to be used into great maker projects! It is an unlimited year-round resource! Sometimes I collect the materials, other times the students do. As Yokama wrote, when we ask students to make things, they get a deeper understanding and their experience becomes more personal and relevant, (Yokama, 2014). Using materials from their environment provides a rich resource from which the students can use to deepen meaning. I look forward to reading Invent to Learn, a book that was cited in an article by Aaron Vanderwerff, May 14, 2014 on EdSurge.
Finally, as I wrote in an earlier post, the leftover items from my own children's art corner eventually find their way to my classroom where they find a new life. Sometimes I tell the students when I bring in something new, sometimes I don't. It's fun to watch them discover the 'new' items and to see what they will do with them.
From this class I am looking forward to broadening my knowledge of maker spaces and incorporating new items (even to me) into my classroom, like paper circuitry!
L. Yokana. (2014, Dec. 2). Capture the Learning: Crafting the Maker Mindset. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/capture-learning-crafting-maker-mindset-lisa-yokana
E. Murphy. (2015, Dec. 15). Why You Post: 8 Reasons Why Teachers Use DonorsChoose.org. Retrieved from http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2015/12/15/why-you-post-8-reasons-teachers-use-donorschoose-org/
A. Vanderwerff. (2014, May 14). Makers in the Classroom: A How-To Guide. Retrieved from http://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-05-14-makers-in-the-classroom-a-how-to-guide
I like your way of looking for resources that are already available in nature and in people's recycle bins Kathy! What grades do you teach? I am spending a lot of time with my 18 month old grandson this summer and it amazes me how resourceful he is with materials at hand! I will make a point of thinking more about maker project resources this way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading- I have been looping k/1 for 13 years and will now be going back to 3rd grade in the fall. I'm also a girl scout leader where we teach girls to use resources wisely! I just love that toddler stage- they just soak up everything! Enjoy your time with him!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you collect things from various sources as well. My wife helps me a lot in scrounging things for the classroom. I don't see my self starting a donors choose account either. We are pretty resourceful and have lots of friends working in virtually every field imaginable. When we can't find it, we usually know someone who doesn't mind providing a hand. Great post.
ReplyDeleteHi Ron, thanks for reading!
DeleteI like the idea of putting it in the newsletter because it will not only get you the supplies needed but will also keep the parents in the loop as to what you are up to when it comes to maker activities.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
Deletethanks for pointing out the multiple benefits of the newsletter. Kathy, I'm glad to see that you are embracing the idea of making at it's core. It doesn't have to be about programming or expensive components, it's about learning in a hands-on and meaningful way.
Thanks for reading, Nicole!
DeleteI also agree that using supplies that you can just go outside and pick up are great. Last year a community member had students make Inuksuk art projects. (rock stacking)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inukshukgallery.com/inukshuk.html
Hi Judy, thanks for reading! I love Inuksuks :-)
DeleteWe started a room in the back where we store items brought from home that have no use at home anymore. Old games, toys, coffee cans, happy meal surprises, picture frames etc... We always have something for the maker to use. Just ask the parents if the next time they clean out the toy box or the junk drawer to bag it up and send it in.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian, thanks for reading!
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