👀😍 Button Making is a Hit with Students!

Such a fun advisory activity today with the button maker! It's the first-ever use for the button maker, and based on the smiles and conversation, it's likely that button making will be a regular event during this time!

Last spring the library acquired this button maker in hopes of offering a different kind of activity during advisory. While students often visit during advisory for literacy-based activities, the button maker offers a making and creative outlet for students. After some browsing and learning about different options, this is the button maker purchased:

Find it HERE on Amazon.com

To streamline the process--we have a 25-minute advisory period--tables in the library each held part of the button-making process: sizing (two button sizes were offered today), designing (either hand-drawn or chosen from books), cutting out the design, and making the button.

Students began working, choosing sizes and designing. Once circle were cut out, an efficient button making line formed. Many students created and took with them two buttons today and asked about the next button making session! Lots of smiles and giggles about buttons--a wonderful way to kick off advisory activities for the week!

3D Printer News!

After nearly a year of conversations about how a 3D printer might be a worthy addition to the library, we now have a 3D printer!

While it looks great set up on the counter, it didn't always look like this! "Some assembly required," as the saying goes. . . and sometimes that meant putting pieces together, then taking them apart to put them together in the correct way! 

We're using a PC that our technology department had on hand, and we're working to connect the printer and computer. While it's frustrating to not be able to immediately print right away, the problem solving and trouble shooting continues.

So how do we expect to use the printer? Teachers will be invited to use it with their students in classes--the art teacher has already expressed an interest--and students will primarily use it during advisory time. Using the 3D printer will be part of each month's advisory offerings, with students using existing templates from Thingiverse or modifying templates to best fit their needs. Hopefully we can run a print or two before the end of the school year to promote the equipment with students, and in beginning in late August, students will have the opportunity to see the printer run and sign up for advisory sessions to learn more about using the software and creating.

Makers Gonna Make!

Recently students could sign up to attend a makerspace/making session during advisory, and every available space was filled with students eager to use the 3D pens or felt.

Many of these students participated in makerspace activities in their Literacy Studies class in the Middle School, so the 3D pens were familiar to them. Felting, however, is a newer offering, but several students had felted in the past. Because of their experience, students had most of a 25-minute period to plan and begin their projects. As they weren't able to finish in one session, students returned this week to wrap up their work. Take a look! 👀

📣NEW!📣 December Library Events

With a large collection of makerspace and making resources in the library, it seemed like a good time to look at how to get students making, creating, and generally being imaginative, curious, and playful. So...introducing library events for the month of December!

To get started, we'll provide opportunities on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays starting after the holiday break and running through December. Each day has a focus: low/no tech on Mondays, tech-heavy activities on Tuesdays, and a blend of things on Fridays. 

Got questions? Want to know more? Feel free to email or reach out to your study hall teacher or me for more information--hope to see you soon!

👀 #TakeALookTuesday

We're starting a recurring, weekly post called #TakeALookTuesday when we'll feature all sorts of library-related content. For our inaugural post, we're taking a look at one of the things available to students on the library website--a virtual makerspace located at the Makerspace Materials tab.

Access the library website HERE.

The virtual makerspace comes to us courtesy of Shannon Miller and The Library Voice. Each month she curates multiple resources for K-12 students to access, and the virtual makerspace on the library website is from her work.

CLICK HERE to access.

When students access the virtual makerspace, they have dozens of making options. In addition to art-themed choices, more specific sites that focus on color or paper crafts are available. Sites related to learning to code and expanding coding skills are included; in fact, another separate choice board related to coding (and featuring another 15 sites!) is embedded there. Building and making are included on the virtual makerspace, as well as bonus sites related to design.

With so many options available, stay tuned for AO offerings that make use of the virtual makerspace site. Creating and designing and making were never so convenient!