What To Buy For Your Makerspace As a STEM Teacher
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There are so many things to think about and oftentimes STEM teaching seems like it has to be all about the stuff. While at WhyMaker we believe that STEM starts with great project based learning experiences, the stuff makes it exciting! To learn more about building great project based learning experiences, check out our online course The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Maker Ed.
When creating a makerspace the first thing we encourage you to think about is what do you want your students to learn, then think about how the stuff can support their learning. Secondly, think about storage, how many students are going to be in the space, where are they going to put their work in progress? Then think about consistency, where can I place items that we are going to use over and over again so everyone knows exactly where they are.
Below are lists of great products you need for your STEM classroom. Check them out and let us know what else you are loving for your Makerspace on WhyMaker social media.
What you need for your Makerspace
Containers & Organizers
Containers are vital for making sure you keep all your different materials and tools in an easy to access and organized fashion. Here are some of our favorite storage containers to use in the classroom. Containers help you organize tools and materials for building and creating STEM projects. Containers also help your students store work in progress.
Small Clear Storage Tote With Lid need to see what’s in the box
Slider Pencil Cases for individual storage of projects
Robotics Kits
Kai’s Clan - AR and VR capabilities, semester long of possibilities
Marty the Coding Robot - humanoid, different, flexible, Great for grades 2 - 12
Edison Robots - Great for grades 2 - 12, durable, affordable, easy to use
Ozobots - Evo Classroom Kit (12 Bots) - Great for younger kids to code with color
Electronics Kits
Makey Makey - hours of creative open ended fun and play
Sam Labs - coding and building together
Snap Circuits 750 Kit - construct great electricity circuits and learn all about it
Microbit - coding and create whatever you dream up
Tech Room Construction
Making sure you have your room constructed to operate as a functional STEM classroom is important. These are a few of our favorite items to get.
White board paint - To paint full wall as white board
Safety Glass - Adjustable for kids and adults
Safety Glass Cabinet - for hygienic disinfectant of safety glasses and other small plastic objects
Heavy Duty Dustpan - teach kids how to sweep, because they probably do not know how
Electronics Components
These are handy for all your electronic projects in the classroom.
Coin Cell Batteries - Small Batteries
Brown Dog Gadget Maker Tape- Creating simple electronics projects
Battery Pack/Holders - Help keep projects neat and organized
Consumables
Things students will use and you need to refill over and over again.
Wood Glue - great for wood and cardboard
White Glue - great for paper
Glue Sticks - don’t want a mess, buy a big pack
UHU Tac Removable Adhesive Putty - this is the best for hanging posters on cinder block walls
Color Masking Tape Pack - Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Black, White, and Pink
Coloring and Writing Utensils
You can never have too many coloring and writing utensils!
Washable Markers - Get a lot!
Dry Erase Markers Thick Colorful - Get a lot!
Colored Gel Pens - Kids love them!
Pre-Sharpened Graphite Pencil with Eraser - Get more than you think you need
Craft Supplies and Accessories
Keep one of your storage containers packed with a variety of craft supplies!
Creativity Street Craft Pack - Pom-Poms, Pipe Cleaners, everything you need for fun!
Elmer's Foam Board - perfect for bases, and walls and structures and so much more
Creativity Street Wonderfoam Craft Sticks - craft stick art is so great
Scraps - speciality paper, cuts, stickers
Cutting Tools
With almost all of your STEM projects you will require some form of cutting tool. Here are some great ones to get you started.
Blunt Tip Kids Scissors - most kids under the age of 12 should be using these
Large Straight Scissors - helpful for cutting tough things
Fiskars Rotary Cutter - perfect for cardboard. Get the Circle Cutter Replacement Blade too
Paper
Get yourself a variety of these to complete your makerspace!
School Smart Graph Paper - have kids draw their sketches on graph paper to make them feel like pros
Creative Collection Premium Cardstock - Metallic - it's just really pretty
Colored Cardstock - you can never have enough colored paper
Construction Paper- it is hard to find good construction paper
Hand Tools
Hand tools are a must for creating all the fun projects you will be creating over the course of the year!
Hand Saw - Easy to use and safe for kids
Power Tools
Having a couple power tools on hand will come in handy and save you time while working on your STEM projects.
Cordless Drill/Driver Kit - so that students do not get wrapped up in the cord
Drill Bits - Ryobi Drill and Drive Kit (60-Piece)
Construction accessories
You can never have too many construction accessories. Making sure you always have your storage area full of a mixture of these things will ensure you always have something ready to be created.
Assorted Nail Pack - for general use
Assorted Screw Pack - for indoor use
Circle Template - to make a perfect circle every time
Tape Measure - 25 foot
These are just a few of the MANY options we have compiled for you to help you build your makerspace. Check out our full list of STEM tools that are organized for you here.
There are sooo many options for amazing STEM projects to do in your classroom! Take a chance, try lots of different projects and watch how your students respond to them. If you’re looking to provide your students with meaningful & engaging STEM projects using the revolutionary WhyMaker Way then click here to learn more. Need some professional development on how to use your new tools inside your? WhyMaker can help with great Professional Development to get all teachers using the Makerspace up to speed.
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