Tales from a Loud Librarian

Using the LittleBits When the library received grant money last school year to begin a makerspace , I chose not to spend all the money at once. I was not sure which items would appeal most to the kids, so I took it slow. Though our school serves students in grades 6-12, it is the middle school students who spend the most time using the makerspace equipment and materials during their lunch period. The Lego cart There are class sets of iPads that live in the library, but I needed iPads that stayed in the library and would always be available to use in the makerspace. I bought 5 initially and added 2 more this time around. The iPads are used to watch videos detailing projects that can be constructed with LittleBits. Lego Wedo, or K'Nex or to find instructions for those projects. The tablets can also be used to make stop motion videos. The Sphero robots are powered by an iPad as well as the new Lego Wedo 2.0. Creation with the 3D pen I added some items that were a...

Caught reading in the PFTSTA library Lately, I seem to write more in this blog about makerspaces in the library over books and reading. Yet, reading is still a focus in my library. You can catch pictures of students reading in the PFTSTA library by visiting the library on  Facebook  or  Instagram  and please follow us, too, so you don't miss any of the action. Back to the makerspace--it is so engaging, and if it is the robots, Lego, and a 3D pen that draws the students into the library, then I am all for it. The three teams early in the creative process About a week and a half ago, some 7th grade boys came to me and said that they wanted to do a Build-Off. Never heard of it, I told them. They wanted to create teams and have each team build a structure and then have me and a couple of 6th graders serve as judges to determine a winner. Okay, I thought this was a great idea. I suggested that they come up with a set of guidelines for the structures and rubri...

I really don't know what the students did in the library before we received all the gadgets and tools for our makerspace. Every day at lunch students are engaged in making and creating in collaboration with each other. It is fun to watch the students so excited, and they are having a blast.  Students who don't usually spend their time in here during lunch are visiting to have a go with the 3D pen. We bought the one from 7Tech, and it is working very well for us. I currently have only one pen, and we are waiting on delivery of two more. I think this is going to be a great tool for the kids to sit around, chat, and create together.  Fun with the 3D pen Students visit the library just to draw with the 3D pen, glad to have them The students used the Bird Brain Robot Server to access Snap to program the Finch Robot. Scratch works too, but you need the Scratch offline editor downloaded on the computer to do the programming. We downloaded the robot server, ...

I have always planned makerspace activities during the library's annual celebrations of Teen Read Week and Teen Tech Week. We have crafted bracelets, woven paper bookmarks, constructed duct tape wallets, and have created many interesting paper crafts. When I began planning these type of activities many years ago, I had no clue that there was a specific name for it: makerspace.  Cart for the Mini-Makerspace Over the last year or two, I have been trying to find grants and other monetary sources to fund a mini-makerspace in the library. I wanted to continue with the crafting activities, but I also wanted to get some of the electronic and building materials that can be a part of a makerspace. A Donor's Choose grant brought a Lego station to the library. Unfortunately, I did not win the grants that would have brought a 3D printer, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi to the library. I was devastated. All of that equipment is expensive, and though I had library money that ...

First check out for the new year Okay, I had an idea for a post where I had some pithy comments to make about the opening of the new school year and the library. Since I have been too busy to sit and write, I decided that I would post pictures of our first week showing you the students' interest in the library. It was overwhelming to me. I just want this excitement for the library to last all year long. That is why I spend a lot of time programming for the high school book group, the middle school book group, author visits, skype visits, Teen READ Week, Teen Tech Week, reading challenges, National Poetry Month, and on and on.  Thanks to Donor's Choose the library got a Lego Station The new Lego Station  has already seen lots of use One of the 8th graders who has spent every day at lunch in the library since 7th grade Chess continues to be a much loved game at lunch time Luckily, the library has six sets Library orientation for 6th grade on the t...