I have to admit, I don’t visit the library often nor do I make a habit of visiting a public library on the weekend. I would rather be outside or working on a project. I wonder if kids feel the same way?
Wouldn’t it be great if kids wanted to go to the library and wouldn’t it be great if they could make noise???
Drum roll… I would like to introduce the Maker’s Movement in school libraries.
The definition of the Makers Movement is “a cultural trend that places value on an individual’s ability to be a creator of things as well as a consumer of things.”
The Makers Movement looks different in every library I visit. I would like to take a second to highlight one of our local libraries at Colt Elementary.
I like to describe Makers Movement as multitasking at its best! You are completing several tasks at one time that all lead to one common goal. For example: I want to make a scarf for the local shelter. While making the scarf I have to measure a certain length of yarn, count rows, read and follow instructions, problem solve, communicate with others, stop, restart, try on the scarf, and so many other skills.
The cool thing about this happening in the library is that there are tons of resources for the kids to go to help with this “making”. They can find how to books on the shelves, search YouTube for instructional videos, find books where characters wear scarves and try to duplicate, find characters in books that need scarves, research climates that utilized scarves, and the list goes on and on.
The REALLY cool thing about the Makers Movement is that kids are excited!!! To tell you the truth, the kids get so wrapped up in what they are making, they don’t realize that they are using skills that they learned in math, reading, science, and social studies classes.
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| The student created scarves are great! They enjoy picking out colors and creating new designs! Scarves and hats were later donated to the local shelters and nursing homes. |
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| Reading and Scrabble goes together like Peanut Butter and Jelly! Students are playing a game while simultaneously learning how to spell and navigate a dictionary. |
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| What better way to check for Reading Comprehension, have students build a model of summary of the story using Legos. After completion, they must explain the model to the class. |
Cari Orts 