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An experiment in helping Makerspace visitors understand, and connect example projects to the space I have a table for examples at the front entry of my Makerspace: It's a great place to land for folks who are just stopping by, who are new to the space, or who are looking for some inspiration. Examples help make the possibilities in the space concrete and tangible. I believe there's an art to good examples, but that's a topic for another post. In my work here, and in other mak

Books and makerspace activities are a natural pair. When I worked at the Science Center of Iowa, my mentors there always did an amazing job of bringing books of all types (picture books, nonfiction pedagogical books, etc.) to makerspace workshops and professional development. I've also been inspired by how the Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium has creatively and meaningfully incorporated books with making and tinkering activities. Highly recommend their "Tinkering Library

This post is best enjoyed on Leaflet:

"Switch adapting” is a process where electronic tools and toys can be made more accessible by adding a much larger button or switch to operate them. This supports children and adults with disabilities in participating in meaningful experiences that might otherwise be inaccessible, such as play, cooking, or controlling their environment. Switch adapting is something that anyone can do with a couple of tools and some guidance. For example, the small "position button" that opera

Workshop participants working on their paper circuit creations using Chibitronics materials. Chibitronics embodies so much of what I value as a designer and educator. Their paper circuit supplies and resources help us to explore the unexpected intersection of paper craft and electronics, and to create things that seem magical. Jie Qi’s breath activated, glowing dandelion painting is forever imprinted in my imagination, and sparked my interest in paper circuits many years ago.

Designing an interactive, inviting, and functional workshop environment to engage makerspace visitors in electronics skills and topics. STUDIO 24 Makerspace at the North Boulder Public Library was designed to be a responsive and adaptable makerspace with a rotating thematic focus e.g., “printmaking studio” or “fiber studio”, with each studio being accompanied by an artist-in-residence. My task was to curate an “electronics studio” environment at STUDIO 24. Historically, maker