School makerspaces have emerged as centers of creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and more. These skills–often referred to as soft skills, but also known as durable skills for their importance in the workplace–are a focus of 21st-century classrooms.
These days, school libraries often include makerspaces and librarians are becoming well-versed in the coding, robotics, engineering, and tinkering skills necessary to help students bring their ideas to fruition.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, students set up personal makerspaces at home, logging onto school-provided resources and gathering materials from their homes to keep their creativity going when learning moved online.
As schools prepare to welcome back students full-time this fall, many students are likely eager to return to their school makerspaces.
Here are 5 resources (digital and non-digital) for school makerspaces that might be worth a look before the new school year begins–and check out this list for more supplies:
1. Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It’s used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything. Free lessons plans are ready for use online or in the classroom. Curriculum is developed in partnership with teachers to align with standards including ISTE, Common Core, and NGSS.