Kid Classroom/Adult and Me Area - I need at least 3 more people

Anyone interested in helping me takeover one of the classrooms so that we can do classes aimed more at kids. This would not be a place to park a child - it would be a place to teach kids how to solder, how to make slime or how to do the latest friendship bracelet and cool things like that.

We might also come up with some kits that an adult could check out for some “Adult and Me” time at the space. (Maybe things like magnet sets, or art books with paper or some laser cut lacing cards…)

I want to get a committee together and I know some of you are interested. Sami, my niece, is already on board. If at least 3 others are interested, I will make us a meeting to kick off the committee. We will take our time to get organized since we need to get the building off the ground - but if I can get enough takers, I will start holding back items we might use to start the space from the sale.

6 Likes

I would love this…but I need to finish the building mod 1st.

2 Likes

We won’t start doing anything of note until we are in the building. My niece, Sami, is going to start some “Adult and Me” classes before then… but I don’t expect to do much of anything before move in. I just want to hold back a few things from the sale that we wont get much for that might make a good starter set of stuff for the room and it would probably be better if I have an actual committee started so no one feels like I am just doin’ my own thing over here :slight_smile:

3 Likes

I’m interested in helping with this, Ladeana!

Big Brothers Big Sisters has expressed interest in this as has Art Partner’s. I’m not sure if they submitted the grant. There’s a $10,000 grant for this type of activity that I received notice of. I will look into it and report back.

4 Likes

Are you talking about taking an entire classroom and dedicating it to kids’ pursuits? That’s a lot of space to idle for everything else. One of the reasons we expanded is for classroom space. It just seems a bit premature to chop out an entire room before we have even started moving in and seeing how the pieces fit, and whether we even have a room that could be spared. We haven’t even figured out where Book Arts is going with the letterpress, or where the UV printer that James L has been storing for us is going to go.

1 Like

No, we’re talking about have activies available in one spot. So when the classroom isn’t being used as a classroom, there will be activities available to engage kids in STEAM activities. Got to start those Makers out young.

2 Likes

Yeah…for sure other stuff could go on in that room… just more keeping the kid friendly stuff in one of the classrooms. That way we wouldn’t need an area… maybe more like some shelf space or some carts… something like that… so it would kind of be a part time area in one classroom.

(I think this might also be a good model for some smaller crafty areas like paper crafts… and other areas where specialized equipment is not needed.

4 Likes

I’d be interested in helping I hope they saved those boxes that we were talking about making.

1 Like

Ok I have put a few things in the outer office in one of the cabinets. We won’t meet in the next two months so we can concentrate on the move… but as soon as we get a date for occupancy, I will get us a meeting date on the calendar.

  • anyone who wants to add themselves to the committee, just say something here
  • add any ideas for discussion here as well
3 Likes

I’m in! I like the idea of a mixed use space where there’s some fun stuff for kids and comfy places for adults to learn/cowork.

2 Likes

As a (grand)parent I 100% LOVE kiwi crates. They are well designed and you have everything you need. BUT it would be expensive to buy a steady stream of Kiwi crates.

But

I’ve been observing them. They all use the same basic materials. The key differences are generally foam (which can be cut on the foam cutter) and wood (which can be cut on a laser cutter* so reverse engineering these if you had a set of bins… washi tape, labels, pom poms, watercolors, pipe cleaners etc… you could just cut the foam or wood as needed. Or have bins of precut available. They have a set of projects for older kids making simple robots and stuff that curious adults may enjoy, I bet it can be deconstructed into a similar subset of parts and bins.

This would give an organized space with the potential of many different stem projects that can easily scale from an individual to a mid sized group.

*eventually a small simple lasercutter could be made just for this spot. Powerful enough to cut the wood, but not complex enough to be in constant use from hardcore makers.

2 Likes

Actually… I like the idea of making stuff just like that!

1 Like

Oh and to heck with reverse engineering… we could come up with a hundred or so of our own…

Magnets
Lacing cards made on laser cutter
Automata
Glue together boxes
Lemon battery (just add lemon) :slight_smile:
Marble runs
Button and string toy
Solar car
Old fashioned tops
Origami
Teeter totter and scales
Plus we could have some for check out with big things like a bike wheel and a stool for rotational learning…

2 Likes

Yes, the gateway maker drugs I’ve been begging for us to have. Safe for the kids and simple for technophobs.

Just as a note, one of the reasons that there were the 3 classrooms was so that classes could be taught in them, with equipment stored in one or more rooms. So for example if we were going to teach a class on bacteria in creeks, we could have a cart with microscopes in it to be moved to any multipurpose classroom. Or soldering class. Obviously some classes would need to be done in work areas, ex: Lasers, but a lot of things will benefit from this.

We’ve had kids things before, but one of the issues was location and time. I’d love to have summer classes/camps in say the afternoons for kids, as we’ve now got the space for it.

I really do want to have more kids things. I’d be very willing to help as well… later. (All the stuff I’m trying to get done now has been wearing me out.)

3 Likes

I’ve been trying to start up some classes like this myself so I’ll be down to help. I’m also trying to be more involved in the outreach committee so maybe we should schedule a meet up sometime soon to discuss implementing more kid/teen centric classes.

1 Like

I’m doing a STEM night March 5th at Rex Elementary in Haysville. I’d love to do the Neighborhood Nights through USD 259 at all the schools. I personally don’t have any more time to help run a committee but would be happy to be a support person.

I have tons of home school teaching tools I can donate, we home schooled our youngest until we realized what our youngest was capable of and then sent him to brick and mortar school. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of any of it because it’s all decent stuff that can be used by someone. What about writing to Kano and see if they will donate their computers to the makerspace. Some of the maker merch offer it for cheap or sometimes free to maker spaces with llc. Oh and I would be able to teach plant growth class to kids I have an entire pocket chart setup to teach a class.

1 Like

@ladeana, would this work in with your vision for #3