Led need finding process and iterated solutions to share more hands-on opportunities for k-8 students.
Project Manager
8 months from Sept to May 2023
Grant writing, Woodworking, Managing Volunteers
Woodworking, Rhino (CAD), Web development, Canva
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Incorporating hands-on learning in K-8 public education can be challenging for educators due to a lack of activity ideas, high costs, and concerns about mess.
The Maker Cart is equipped with everything needed to seamlessly integrate hands-on learning into K-8 educational spaces.
Curated Materials
A selection of tools and supplies designed to spark imagination and creativity.
Activity Cards and Demos
Ready-to-use prompts and demonstrations to inspire and guide educators in delivering engaging, hands-on activities.
To address the lack of hands-on learning opportunities for K-8 students, I conducted research to identify the best target audience. Through interviews with educators, including high school teachers, librarians, science museum exhibit developers, and nonprofit workers, I gained an understanding of the educational environment. These insights pointed to school libraries as the most effective space for implementing creative and sustainable solutions.
1. Overcoming Resource and Time Limitations
Educators face significant challenges in providing hands-on learning opportunities due to limited supplies, constrained class time, and large student groups.
2. Providing Practical and Structured Support
Teachers need more than just materials—they require structured lesson plans, easy-to-manage clean-up processes, and a centralized system for managing resources.
3. Maximizing Space and Accessibility
Effective hands-on learning requires well-organized storage solutions and accessible tools, especially in classrooms with limited space.
HMW simplify the adoption of maker activities into busy classroom schedules, making it easier for educators to manage large class sizes?
HMW provide educators with easily accessible and affordable supplies to overcome resource constraints for hands-on learning?
HMW offer structured lesson plans and practical support to help teachers with hands-on activities?
Run Workshops at Schools
Include Easily Replaceable Items (ie cardboard, utensils, wood)
Provide Activity Cards and Demo Projects
1. Simplifying Management
Before - Recipe Style Workshops
After - Open Ended Activities
I conducted several workshops to identify the most effective activities for large group settings. Through these workshops, I found that self-guided 'challenge prompts' were the easiest to manage compared to recipe-style projects. Additionally, providing examples of the final product and allowing students to work toward that outcome proved to be highly beneficial.
Fostering Creativity
Before - Preparing Kits
After - Offering a Range of Materials
I experimented with running sessions using open materials instead of pre-made kits. By offering buckets filled with basic supplies like fabric, paper, popsicle sticks, and straws, I found the preparation process much easier. This approach also gave students greater creative freedom, as they weren't constrained by the limitations of pre-packaged kits.
Enhancing Material Organization
Before - Constantly Open
After - Closable
When I ran a two-week summer camp, I initially used a grocery bag to transport materials to the classroom. While simple, it effectively kept everything organized in one place. This experience helped inform the design of the final Maker Cart solution, which made material organization and transport more efficient.
Sketches and Ideation
Build Processes
1. Better Stability
Make cart bigger and the wheels more supportive.
Before
After
Kid-Centered Activity Cards
Added more images and multilingual support to activity cards. Also included example projects in the cart.
Before
After
Materials are openly displayed and easily visible, making students feel comfortable using them.
The cart can be closed and locked, ensuring that materials are securely stored when not in use, which helps maintain organization and prevents unauthorized access.
Supplies
Activity Cards
Handed off the project to a woodworking class at a local high school to continue building more Maker Carts. Below is a video that the school filmed to introduce the Maker Cart project to the wood-working class in 2022.
If I could redo the project, I’d focus on being more explorative with the Maker Cart designs. Once I settled on a prototype, I mainly made tweaks based on feedback instead of considering new ideas. I now believe that presenting more diverse design options upfront could have led to a more effective final product.