Building a Future-Ready Makerspace for ELO-P: How STEMfinity Can Help Your Program Thrive
ELO-P programs looking to implement a makerspace have come to the right place! STEMfinity has the largest selection of makerspace resources from the most trusted brands on the planet. Our in-house experts are available to support your ELO-P program and help you find the right resources for your students, and we also offer on-site STEM 101 Professional Development to help your staff successfully integrate your new makerspace. Makerspace environments come in all shapes and sizes - the only thing that matters is that it is a space to make things!
However, we recommend keeping in mind a couple of factors like selecting resources that enable a sustainable long-term program, as well as making sure that the makerspace resources have a wide appeal and provide something that everyone can enjoy. Resources like 3D printers and laser cutters are super cool tools that are perfect for a makerspace, but if you don’t have the appropriate staff to support the technology then you run the risk of them collecting dust (but remember, we offer STEM 101 Professional Development if you need training!). Another factor that your ELO-P program should consider is selecting resources that compliment and/or integrate with one another.
Selecting sustainable resources is critical to ensuring that your ELO-P program can last beyond your grant funding and provide future students with similar educational opportunities. While some makerspace resources require a small amount of consumables that must be replenished from time-to-time, products offered by brands like Makedo and Strawbees use household materials like cardboard or plastic straws that can be refilled at a very low cost (or for free if you save your shipping boxes). Makedo gives students a box of safe-to-use plastic tools including cutting saw, screwdriver, and screws that can be used repurpose old cardboard boxes as building materials and make almost anything. Strawbees, as the name implies, uses geometric plastic connectors that attach to plastic straws so that they can be used as construction materials for students.
One of the best parts about having a diverse selection of resources in a makerspace is that it offers students the opportunity to combine materials so that they can create something that goes beyond their basic use. Resources like Squishy Circuits or Paper Circuits can easily be combined with Makedo and Strawbees to create a unique fusion of building materials that can be shaped and molded by students. For example, students could use Makedo to build an airplane’s cockpit, wings, and wheels with cardboard, use Strawbees to construct a strut and landing gear, and incorporate Paper Circuits to give the plane real flashing lights. While all of these listed resources work great as standalone materials, making several of them available in your makerspace will enable your students to be extra creative and allow them to choose the right tools for their project.
If you are looking for sustainable makerspace resources that serve dozens of students at a time, products like BrickLab, KEVA, and MakerCart have enough materials to keep everyone happy. MakerCart is the ultimate all-on-one makerspace solution that has over 15,000 components and can support hundreds of students at a time. The MakerCart also comes with 40+ NGSS-aligned projects and a wheeled storage cart that has bins for keeping all of your materials organized and accessible. BrickLab contains over 6,500 plastic building bricks to support 30 students at a time, and it also offers a huge variety of standards-aligned curriculum and turnkey summer camp add-ons to fit any age group. Similar to BrickLab, KEVA has 1,000 wooden planks to support 30 students and comes with a large wood roller bin for easy storage. Again, all of the resources listed above are great tools that work in concert together.
ELO-P programs that are interested in implementing advanced technology should consider resources like 3D printers (see MakerBot, Dremel, PicoSolutions, and Ultimaker) and laser engravers (see Glowforge, xTool, and Snapmaker). While these technology resources aren’t as accessible as some of the ones listed above, they are real-world tools that give students the chance to literally design and produce almost anything that they can dream of without the limitations of using pre-designed materials like building bricks or plastic straws. One of the best parts about implementing these tools is that they offer the opportunity for each student to bring their creations home with them, while other resources only provide students with the ability to temporarily construct something before leaving the materials for the next student to use. If you are interested in these technology tools but have no idea where to begin, our on-site STEM 101 Professional Development is the perfect solution to getting everything successfully implemented at your ELO-P program.
By now we hope your shopping cart is full of a wide variety of makerspace resources - but you might be wondering: how the heck am I going to store everything and keep it organized? STEMfinity also offers a great selection of Gratnells storage solutions that are tailor-made for makerspace programs. These high-quality makerspace carts are offered in several different sizes and have a variety of vibrant colors to choose from. If your ELO-P program decides to integrate technology tools, STEMfinity offers 3D printer carts to ensure that your resources are kept organized and secure in one convenient place.
There are hundreds of awesome makerspace resources available through STEMfinity that were not covered above here and we strongly recommend looking through all of them using the link below. If you are not sure where to start or need a recommendation (or even a complete custom makerspace solution), our team of STEM experts are available to support your ELO-P program with selecting and implementing resources - just reach out and we’re happy to help!
