26 Projects to Jump-start Your Makerspace

By Amy Cowen on November 4, 2022 9:00 AM

Inspire students of all ages to enjoy STEM when you let them loose in a creative makerspace! These hands-on engineering activities use simple materials and encourage students to brainstorm, problem solve, and innovate.

Makerspace STEM activities, including pantograph, mini catapult, balloon car, propeller car, Rube Goldberg Machine, cardboard automata, and more

Makerspace STEM: an automaton caterpillar made from cardboard and craft materials

Makerspace STEM: Example of wind-powered car activity

Makerspace STEM: differential built from K'Nex building toy

Makerspace STEM: student dropping marble into a marble run made of toilet paper tubes

Makerspace STEM: Sample paper lanterns from DIY STEM activity

Makerspace STEM: Flippy the dancing robot made from a breadboard, motors, craft sticks, battery pack, circuit components, and and corks

Makerspace STEM: Paper roller coaster example

Makerspace STEM: Examples from 3D printing experiment with sand and glue

Makerspace STEM: Mini propeller car robot

Makerspace STEM: Example of robot hand activity

Makerspace STEM: mini trebuchet made from popsicle sticks and common materials

Makerspace STEM: Paper circuit unicorn horn with a light-up LED at the tip

Makerspace STEM: rubberband-powered car made from compact discs and recycled materials

Makerspace STEM: popsicle stick catapult with recycled cap

Makerspace STEM: Example of pantograph activity

Makerspace STEM: Example of paper circuits activity

Makerspace STEM: Cotton ball launcher example from cardboard tube

Makerspace STEM: Impossible arrow illusion 3D printed arrow in front of a mirror so you see its reflection as well

Makerspace STEM: Make a harmonica from craft materials

Makerspace STEM: Mini popsicle stick drone

Makerspace STEM: balloon-powered car made from recycled and craft materials and a balloon

Makerspace STEM: Sample Rube Goldberg machine

Makerspace STEM: Scissor lift made from cardboard and pushpins

Makerspace STEM: junkbots example from recycled materials

Makerspace STEM: Example of paper speakers activity

Makerspace STEM: Example of nightlight activity

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 2022!

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: Plan and build an automaton from cardboard and craft materials.
Build a Wind-Powered Car: Add a sail to a DIY toy car and experiment to see how changes to the sail make a difference in the car's stability and speed.
Build a Differential from K'Nex®: Use the K'Nex® toy building system to build a model differential.
Build A Wall Marble Run: Use cardboard tubes and other simple materials to build a wall marble run.
Make an Awesome Paper Lantern: Design and make a paper lantern that holds a battery-operated tealight candle or uses a night light circuit.
Flippy, the Dancing Robot: Build a simple dancing robot and use the engineering design process to improve it.
Build a Paper Roller Coaster: Build a paper roller coaster and try to add a loop.
3D Print with Sand: No 3D Printer Required!: Use sand and glue to simulate one type of 3D printing.
DIY Mini Propeller Car: Make a small toy car with a simple circuit and a propeller.
Build a Robot Hand: Use craft materials to design and build a robotic hand.
Build a Mini Trebuchet: Use craft sticks, rubber bands, and other craft materials to make and explore the physics behind a miniature trebuchet.
DIY Light Up Unicorn Headband: Make a unicorn horn headband with a paper circuit that lights an LED at the tip.
Build a Rubber Band-Powered Car: Build a car with an axle made from straws and rubber bands that store potential energy when wound.
Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult: Make a small catapult from craft sticks and rubber bands.
Duplicate Your Drawings with a Machine: Make and experiment with a pantograph, a device that can be used to make a larger or smaller copy of a drawing.
Make a Paper Circuit: Learn how to make simple circuits from paper, copper tape (or aluminum foil), and a battery. (See Paper Circuits Science Projects for additional ways to explore.)
Make a Cotton Ball Launcher: Use a recycled cardboard tube to make a launcher that can launch lightweight materials.
The Impossible Arrow Illusion: 3D print and explore the "impossible arrow" illusion — the arrow's reflection in a mirror always points the other way!
Make Your Own Harmonica!: Explore how a harmonica creates sound waves by making a small one from wooden sticks, rubber bands, and a straw.
DIY Mini Drone: Make a basic mini drone. (Add additional parts to explore a series of questions related to drone flight.)
Build a Balloon Car: Use a balloon to power a homemade toy car.
Study Kinetic Energy with a Rube Goldberg Machine: Use assorted materials to create a set of chain reactions in a machine designed to perform a simple task.
Build a Cardboard Scissor Lift: Use craft materials to make a scissor lift and explore simple machines.
Junkbots: Robots from Recycled Materials: Design and build simple robots made from recycled and craft materials.
Build a Paper Speaker: Make a working speaker from paper and neodymium magnets.
Make a Night-Light: Build a working night-light with an intermediate circuit project and design the custom housing, too!