Some months, when the weather is crazy and the kids are itching for winter break and you are just so burned out and exhausted that you can’t think of anything new, Maker Monday turns into a mini maker fair. Which is, of course, just stations of lots of different maker activities that we’ve done before and a whole bunch of display books. It is easy to set up, requires minimal prep, and some of the kids already know what to do.
But the best part? There is something for everyone. No kids peek in and decide they aren’t interested. Or come for robots (which we did last month) and get disappointed when we are doing something low-tech. We have it all, and they can explore the things they were excited about and show their friends.
Did I mention how easy this is? As part of my plan to slow down, I’m trying to make sure that none of my programs depend solely on me; a maker fair means that anyone could be in charge of this program and set out as much or as little as they want for the kids to explore on their own. Perfect.
Stations:
Spheros
Put tape lines or shapes on the floor to trace with the robot, or just offer a bin of board books to build an obstacle course.
Snap Circuits
They never get tired of making circuits.
Stacking Cups
In which I proved yet again that tweens are just like toddlers. They like to build towers and knock them down. Bonus points if you mix the stacking cups with the Spheros.
Screenprinting
I pre-cut a design to print, but you could also let the kids design their own.
Strawbees
These cool pieces of plastic use straws for building. Not my most popular station, but some kids liked it!
