Last weekend I celebrated the Maker spirt as a vendor and speaker at SoCal Maker Convention in Pomona, CA. Surrounded by engaging activities, races, inventions and shiny toys one would think that teaching tools would be easy to walk past without a second glance. However, CraftED was frequented without a single lapse by parents and educators seeking resources to bring the type of learning that was happening at Maker Con to classrooms every day. The sentiments of vendors and visitors alike were consistent in their praise for CraftED as truly innovating this space by being the first to move beyond sexy machines and support teaching practice. I was thrilled to engage in deep discussions with educators and parents interested in taking the maker spirit inspiration and tools from this event, and combining it with CraftED’s teaching tools to begin their journey to crafting deeper learning experiences for students! [rainmaker_form id=”1065″]
My 8 hours at SoCal Maker Con were intentionally designed to provide a true taste of CraftED’s work and commitment to deeper learning. As a featured speaker my “talk” was an interactive tinker challenge that modeled a low-barrier/easy entry path to Making in the classroom. Participants were given 5 minutes to use the materials provided in the brown bags to address a problem on a local playground. We then collectively debriefed the activity and tied our experience to NGSS and Deeper Learning Competencies-showing how Maker Faire style learning can be aligned to standards and embedded into what we do every day in the classroom (not just one hour in a week in a recently converted lab).
CraftED’s booth provided a very simple way to engage children in tinkering. Simple materials (Gears, Tinker Toys and Rokenboks) were left out on one table, accompanied by CraftED’s Tinker Task Cards. Parents were shocked to see their children completely engaged, creating new ideas and problem solving in such a simple setting. It brought to light what wonderful skills their children were developing-if they only had the opportunity and the proper “tools” to do so every day in school. Educators unanimously commented “Hey, that’s simple-I can do that!” 
And of course there was free stuff! All visitors to CraftED’s booth received a free piece of curriculum, either Make and Take Challenge or Tinker Time to bring deeper learning experiences back to the classroom as early as Monday morning.
It’s time for us to move beyond purchasing the shiny toys and make an investment in our craft. We must demand more than STEM labels for our children by committing to develop teachers in this important work. CraftED’s tools and PD services support teachers at any point on their learning journey- from an entry into Making through organic play and tinkering, to maker challenges aligned to Design Thinking frameworks, to robust interdisciplinary projects. So wherever you are in your learning let CraftED support you!
For more support on integrating Making into your classroom email jenny@craftedcurricu.staging.wpengine.com to discuss CraftED’s PD services including workshops, project coaching and personalized curriculum design. You can also shop our Maker Ed teaching materials or check out the following blog posts on the topic: 3 Baby steps to integrating Making into your curriculum, featured by MAKE, or 6 Must-Haves for a Maker Mindset featured by Edsurge.