Where the Garage Meets the Classroom
Making things, problem solving and learning-by-doing have been at the heart of Unquowa since our school’s inception in 1917. Our school’s 1500 sq ft makerspace provides us with bigger and better space for activities that involve making, un-making, tinkering and designing. It is the place where the garage meets the classroom, and offers students a chance to bring their ideas to life using materials ranging from wood, metal and fabric to robotic components and 3-D printing.
Knitting in Makerspace!
Posted by Joey Casey
6th graders recently have been working on hand knitting, developing their vocabulary and skills with this versatile textile structure. They are starting to work with a knitting machine and will be designing and knitting some hats. The machine is non-electric and fully mechanical, operated independently by students. How does each student know what size to make? We measure! We knit what’s called a gauge swatch and measure the number of stitches (horizontal) and rows (vertical) in a 10cm sample. After reducing that number to 1cm, we plug in the information to find out how many stitches to cast on and how many rows to knit. There is a lot of applied math in knitting and we take full advantage of everything students have learned over the years in the classroom!
Ice Faces
Posted by Joey Casey
We love it when a plan comes together! 2nd graders finished making silicone ice cube moulds in Makerspace and had so much fun in the process. The project came about while sitting in 2nd grade science class, where students were learning about states of matter. The topic was water and how it can change back-and-forth from liquid to solid. This discussion sparked the simple question, could we make ice cube moulds? The answer, a resounding yes. Each student created a CAD (computer aided design) file with a drawing of a face and a shape. Each file was 3D printed and then assembled for mould making. Students mixed equal parts to prepare the food-grade silicone and poured the mixture into cups. After the silicone was set and dry, the 3D print was taken out and voila! Ice cube mould. We filled them with water, froze them overnight and then had a chance to see the finished product. Everyone was excited to make ice cubes at home with their moulds! Perhaps they’ll get more use during the heat of the summer and will add some fun to cups for sure.
Building Houses!
Posted by Joey Casey
Lampshade Designers!
Posted by Joey Casey
Woodworking!
Posted by Joey Casey
Unbe-WEAVE-able!
Posted by Krissy Ponden
Is weaving an art or a craft? That was the question that sixth graders started with as they journeyed through the history of textile production and landed squarely in the middle of contemporary fiber arts. We learned that weaving can be utilitarian, fine art, or it can even be a powerful social statement as seen in the work of Sonya Clark. Students created their own looms using Adobe Illustrator and then printed them on wood using the laser cutter in the Makerspace. They then added the traditional warp and weft strings to create a weaving that complemented the looms. So is weaving an art or a craft? Sixth graders would say it is both!
