Want to jump start Making in your classroom?
June 22 and 23, we’re running back-to-back skills workshops: Make by Hand + Digital Fabrication. Learn the skills. Build your confidence. Leave with ideas you can implement immediately.
Or go deeper: Master Making in the Classroom is our semester-long PD program focused on project design. It begins on campus June 24 and 25, and continues throughout the fall with remote meetings and coaching sessions.
Whether you are looking to level up your skills or transform your teaching, we’ve got you covered! Register at k12maker.mit.edu
What is a Maker project, you ask? We define it as ”using cool tools to build something creative of your own, with others, improving as you go.” Each phrase in this sentence relates to a key skill or mindset students practice through this kind of hands-on project work.
Learn more about this, and the whole Maker Methodology on our website: k12maker.mit.edu
This summer, students across the country have a chance to experience something special, and K-12 Maker Lab got to be part of making it happen!
We recently sat down with @mitspokes to do one of our favorite things: design hands-on learning experiences with enthusiastic educators. The team’s five workshops are built to be accessible for learners from elementary to high school, and will be delivered at 10 Learning Festivals across a 4,000-mile bicycle journey from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco.
We can’t wait to see the impact they make! Is Spokes stopping near you this summer? 🚴♀️ Find out on their website: mitspokes.com
📸: Lien Nguyen (1), Spokes (2-4)
To all the teachers designing, experimenting, and building with students - thank you! We love being along for the journey. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from the K-12 Maker Lab 💙
Master Making in the Classroom gives teachers a design process that unlocks deeper learning. One group of Toronto educators joined our workshops in 2025, and now look at the experiences they’re creating! Over the course of this year, their Grade 5 students designed ethical housing, learned through building and rebuilding, and deepened connections with their community. This is what’s possible when teachers have a framework built on iteration, reflection, and hands-on making.
Curious about the power of grounding academic subjects in hands-on making? Read all about this project on the Learning in Action blog from The Bishop Strachan School (🔗 in bio) and learn more about Master Making in the Classroom at k12maker.mit.edu
Photos via Learning in Action blog
There’s something special about connecting with fellow Makers 🛠️
K-12 Maker Lab is part of a monthly meetup with makerspace leaders from across Cambridge, and each month we get to visit a different space. This time, we connected at The Foundry, a vibrant and inclusive hub for Making and the arts. We talked about what’s working in our spaces, what challenges we’re facing, and what we’re excited to try next. We swapped resources. We brainstormed. We laughed, connected, and we reminded each other why we do this work.
This is what a community of practice looks like: coming together in our spaces to build relationships and craft real solutions. How do Makers in your community connect?
What if students could 3D model something meaningful without extensive CAD training? 3D Hacks make it possible!
Students use Tinkercad to modify existing 3D files by adding their own custom features. Create historical artifacts, design custom coins, devise map puzzles, depict idioms in different languages, model awards or trophies, and more!
Why we love this project:
⭐️ Beginners learn the workflow of 3D modeling and printing without a focus on CAD
⭐️ Visually expressive, using shapes and objects to share ideas
⭐️ Easy to differentiate by adjusting design requirements
⭐️ Fosters a sense of accomplishment in students
Find this project and more on our Tutorials page: k12maker.mit.edu/tutorials
Have you used 3D Hacks with your students? We’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment or email us at [email protected]
“What kind of tool would you be, and why?” might be our favorite icebreaker, not because the answers are hilarious (although they always are), but because they reveal how educators think. This prompt opens a window into how people view the world around them, create, and solve problems.
These responses are from educators who just participated in one of our workshops. The broad range of answers demonstrates how each of us brings special gifts, talents, and interests to the world of Maker education!
Now we’re asking you: What tool would you be? Drop your answer in the comments 👇
At the K-12 Maker Lab, one of our favorite things to do is host educators in our Makerspace and get hands-on with projects! Throwback to this visit from PrepaTec educators where we explored all kinds of Maker projects, created custom shadow casters, and talked about the value of integrating Maker into subject areas.
Want to make your own shadow caster? Curious about visiting our Makerspace or bringing Maker PD to your school? Find project tutorials, ways to get in touch with us, and more at k12maker.mit.edu
Maker culture transcends borders! 🌎 K-12 Maker Lab leader Diane recently visited Monterrey, Mexico to spend time with 35 educators from across the PrepaTec system, building a community of practice around hands-on learning. Together, they explored Maker skills, design processes, and practical applications for the classroom. The best part? The ideas, energy, and connections that will ripple through PrepaTec classrooms for years to come!
Ready to grow the Maker culture at your school? We offer Maker tool training, project design workshops, and much more. Check out all of our programs & resources at K12Maker.mit.edu 🛠️
As a hub for experiential learning at MIT, part of the Edgerton Center’s mission is to foster hands-on learning opportunities for K-12 students. We do this by hosting STEM field trips at the Edgerton Center, collaborating with schools across the US and around the world, innovating in the bio education space, and through @k12makermit whose mission is to get “more kids making” by helping teachers design and deliver engaging, academic Maker projects.
During this year’s 24-Hour Challenge, you can show your support for this important outreach by donating to the Edgerton Center K-12 Programs fund. Visit giving.mit.edu/24hc-edgerton (🔗 in bio) on March 12 to be part of this effort! If 250 donors make a gift, of any amount, to the Edgerton Center during the MIT 24-Hour Challenge, the Harvey family—Mark P ’18, Diane P ’18, Will ’18, Lauren, and Zach—will give $50,000.
Yesterday, the K-12 Maker Lab co-hosted a design workshop as part of Day of Design: Connect. In collaboration with @mitdesignacademy and @wpsinstitute we devised a hands-on exercise in lateral thinking skills - and had a blast sharing it with educators at the workshop!
Stay tuned for more exciting K-12 Maker projects and events this semester 🎨🛠️🤖
