Projects to make and share, worksheets to use, and probably spelling still to be fixed. None the less, many of our tried and true K-12 making project guides are up for you to use. Keep an eye out for new project additions on the Lighthouse Creativity Lab projects page. Project guide PDF Files can be…
Mr. V was interviewed on Tuesday, June 24th by EDUCATION TALK RADIO about Making and Designing in a Creative Classroom and School. Listen to the interview here: SMARTBLOG AWARD WINNING BLOGGER ON SCHOOL CREATIVITY, AARON VANDERWERFF 06/25 by EduTalk | Education Podcasts.
We were one school among 1,000 Makers and 100,000 people who came out for Maker Faire. This is what it looked like.
The 2nd graders at Lighthouse are spending the next few weeks learning about habitats of the Bay area and how animals adapt to live in them. Since we have a weekly making time, we decided to do an integrated curriculum making project. The kids (in groups of two) will build one of the four habitats…
During the holiday break the Creativity Lab decided to take advantage of the student-free time by transforming the already awesome makerspace we’ve built, to an even more student-friendly place. The golden rule in organization is this: in the end everything has a place, within the place it functions. To break this down a little, here…
What’s the best way to get kindergartners thinking about material engineers and what they do? One strategy that’s worked for me came in the form of a fable: The Three Little Pigs. After an introductory discussion of materials and material qualities (i.e. a spoon is made of metal; and metal is hard, shiny, and heavy),…
Check out what the Lighthouse Creativity Lab is up to by watching two new videos we have created to more easily share the making at Lighthouse model. The first video is of our 2nd graders, watch as they discuss making hand-sewn puppets and explore Lego WeDo kits. The second video focuses on how our making…
Wednesday, December 18 was not only my birthday, but also the Lighthouse Community Charter School Winter Expo. Parents are required to attend three events each school year and the Winter Expo is one of them. My mind goes to the single parent, exhausted from a 12-hour workday, having then to trek across Bay Area rush…
One of the Creativity Lab’s top priorities is to get our community comfortable with the idea of making things, and perhaps more importantly, to learn to be persistent when things get tough and to learn from mistakes made along the way, whatever the project. Take for example the challenges 2nd graders have faced trying to…
Sewing gives our students so many possibilities to create. This quarter, our Kindergarteners have been learning the basics of sewing using burlap, yarn, and a big plastic needle. Our Kindergarten teachers suggested sewing as the focus for the second quarter because they thought it would be an appropriate challenge for five year-olds and would help…