How many of you grew up playing with Playdoh, Lincoln Logs, or Erector Sets? Did you ever make salt dough, paper mache or take your transistor radio apart to see what was inside? How many of you millenials have no idea what I am talking about….please do not answer that question! If you answered yes to any of these questions, you were an original “Be A Maker”.

The first generation of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture/Art, Math) kids.

I am extremely proud of our teachers in Pre K – Grades 12, in all subject areas, who are researching STEAM activities to challenge their students to problem solve, communicate, design, work in teams, and think outside of the box. Long gone are the days when students had to all make the exact same pattern for an art project.

I had the opportunity a few years ago to visit the makerspaces at UNC-Chapel Hill. http://beam.unc.edu/. Yes, makerspaces at a non-traditional engineering school. What is so amazing about the BeAM Community areas on campus, is to watch students who are going to be teachers, nurses, entrepreneurs, heart surgeons, working side by side on a project that interests them. To create something for the love of learning.

It is very exciting to me to know that yes, we are teaching strong fundamentals in the traditional areas of reading, writing, and math in YCS. And now we are going that next step further and expecting our students to use those sound basic skills to innovate, create, and design something by using their imagination.

Thank you, teachers, for writing grants, making mini maker spaces in your classrooms, signing up for times to take your class to the maker space in your school. Thank you for helping to make our media centers the hub of the school, like a public library, to do research and get our kids excited about learning something new. Thank you teachers, parents, and community members for sending in recycled materials and supplies to stock our maker spaces (tape, glue, pipe cleaners, plastic bottles, milk jugs, tin foil, baggies, straws, paper cups, paper towel tubes, paper clips….)

Again, I thank you for thinking outside of the box and trying something new and exciting.

Be A Maker!

https://www.ncssm.edu/stemenrichments

https://biomimicry.org/

The interest and participation in our Week in Pics continues to grow! This slideshow would not be possible without the dedication of the folks in our schools who collaborate and create each week – sharing the incredible moments that are happening in our schools.A very special Thank You to Malinda Silver, Cindy Wilson, Gail Branton (inadvertently omitted last week!), Shirley Chandler, Michelle Woody, Ashley Silver, Christy Deyton, Karen Stevens, Christy Roberts & Jenny Tipton!

Click the pic to see this week’s edition!