22 Projects to Jump-start Your Makerspace
Inspire students of all ages to enjoy STEM when you let them loose in a creative makerspace! These hands-on engineering activities challenge students to brainstorm and problem solve and encourage creativity and innovation.
Enabling Exploration
Community makerspaces are collaborative spaces where people of all ages can get hands-on with science and engineering. With an array of materials available, a visit to a local makerspace is an invitation to play with science and engineering and really see how things work.
You may have a makerspace in your school or at the library, or maybe you have an area of your classroom dedicated to maker activities students can explore or certain days of the week on which you turn the room into a makerspace. With a few materials and a surface to work on, garage or basement spaces can easily be recast as home makerspaces, too!
You don't have to have expensive materials to start up your own makerspace. With an assortment of craft supplies, electronics parts, and recycled materials, you can set up a makerspace full of inspiring STEM that kids can explore. Figuring out what will work with the materials available is part of the challenge and part of the fun!
Bookmark or pin these projects to add to your makerspace!
Update! This post has been updated for 2021!
Free Projects and Activities for Your Makerspace
Try one of these STEM projects for creative hands-on science and engineering with a DIY "maker" flair:
- Make Cardboard Automata
- Build a Wind-Powered Car
- Build a Differential from K'Nex®
- Build A Wall Marble Run
- Build a Paper Roller Coaster
- 3D Print with Sand: No 3D Printer Required!
- DIY Mini Propeller Car
- Build a Robot Hand
- Build a Mini Trebuchet
- Build a Rubber Band-Powered Car
- Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult
- Duplicate Your Drawings with a Machine
- Make a Paper Circuit
- Make a Cotton Ball Launcher
- Make Your Own Harmonica!
- DIY Mini Drone
- Build a Balloon Car
- Study Kinetic Energy with a Rube Goldberg Machine
- Build a Cardboard Scissor Lift
- Junkbots: Robots from Recycled Materials
- Build a Paper Speaker
- Make a Night-Light
Makerspace Learning in Action
The following STEM videos demonstrate some of the highlighted activities:
Share your story!
What activities are part of your school, library, or home makerspace? Email us at blog@sciencebuddies.org to share your story!
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