Lost in STEM Standards? Here's Your Compass!
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Lost in STEM Standards? Here's Your Compass!

Navigating educational standards can be confusing and challenging for new and seasoned educators alike.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and many states, including Indiana's Integrated STEM Standards, can seem overwhelming, and it's easy to feel lost. We want to help.

In addition to this guide, we've revamped our FREE curriculum to meet both standards. So buckle up, and let's demystify these standards together!

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The Heart and Soul Behind 1st Maker Space and Shaping the Future of Education
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

The Heart and Soul Behind 1st Maker Space and Shaping the Future of Education

Explore how 1st Maker Space is revolutionizing education by integrating 3D printing and makerspaces into classrooms. Discover how they're nurturing creativity, resilience, and an entrepreneurial spirit among students, preparing them for a future where these skills will be highly valued. Learn about their commitment to an egalitarian approach to education and their vision for the future of learning.

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How to Prep Your Makerspace for the Summer
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

How to Prep Your Makerspace for the Summer

Learn how to prepare your school's makerspace for summer. Discover long-term storage tips for 3D printer filament, maker table care steps, and essentials for restocking.

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Inside Make48 - Gregg Nowling's Unforgettable Experience
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Inside Make48 - Gregg Nowling's Unforgettable Experience

Meet Gregg Nowling, Season 5 Make48 champion, now a Tool Tech in Season 6, fostering creativity and innovation in this reality TV competition for makers. Sponsored by 1st Maker Space, Gregg is dedicated to experiential STEM education, makerspaces, and collaborative learning. Through Make48, Gregg has formed lasting friendships, learned valuable insights, and witnessed the powerful impact of teamwork in driving solutions. The competition has also transformed his teaching methods, enabling him better to guide students through the design and invention process. Dive into Gregg's unforgettable journey and join us in championing the next generation of trailblazing thinkers and creators!

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Scaffolded Curriculum Projects for STEM Educators
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Scaffolded Curriculum Projects for STEM Educators

Learn why continuity in STEM education is crucial and how our scaffolded curriculum projects can bridge the gap between grades. Engage your students with our innovative cardboard pet projects. Designed for different age groups, aligned with various academic standards.

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Pi Day Skyline Activity is the Coolest Thing Since Sliced π
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Pi Day Skyline Activity is the Coolest Thing Since Sliced π

Celebrate Pi Day with the coolest STEAM activity around! The Pi Day Skyline project combines creativity and math for a fun, hands-on learning experience. You only need graph paper, markers, and pastel paints to create a beautiful cityscape artwork that celebrates this mathematical constant. Get your students engaged in STEAM education with this easy-as-pi activity from 1st Maker Space! #PiDay #STEAMEducation #MathArtProject

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Becoming a Maker Manager: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Makerspace
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Becoming a Maker Manager: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Makerspace

Unlock Your Potential as a Certified Maker Manager & STEM Educator. Description: Are you an educator or community leader looking to build an active maker community? Join us at the Maker Manager Program for four intensive training days of developing and sustaining a makerspace, STEM Lab, or innovation space. Our program covers everything from the basics of the maker movement to practical skills like managing your space and safety practices. We'll foster a maker mindset amongst participants while providing personalized coaching throughout the course - plus explore educational theories and build a maker community in your school or organization with tips on making a case for your program. Join us this summer to get certified as a Maker Manager!

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Introducing Our Two Newest STEM Experts
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Introducing Our Two Newest STEM Experts

1st Maker Space understands the importance of professional development for educators, which is why we have added two amazing new experts to our team - Megan Ewing and Natalie Parsons. Both bring with them extensive STEM teaching backgrounds from public school settings that will be invaluable assets to our Professional Development workshops.

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Purposeful Design
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Purposeful Design

We love to support and feature local companies that not only promote hands-on work but also desire to make a difference in their customers’ and employees’ lives. Purposeful Design is an Indianapolis-based furniture company that 1st Maker Space has collaborated with in the past, with their client list ranging from local schools to large corporations.

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STEM Brings New Learning Opportunities in Gary
Kim Brand Kim Brand

STEM Brings New Learning Opportunities in Gary

“Space can be incredibly important in determining how learning happens. Makerspaces provide an opportunity to pair classroom learning with hands-on making to bring learning to life,” said Mary Rinehart, President and CEO of 1st Maker Space. Gary Community Schools partnered with 1st Maker Space to install 12 makerspaces.

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Make! Creation Through Imagination
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Make! Creation Through Imagination

CELL, STEM Teach, ICI and 1st Maker Space present the "Make! Creation Through Imagination” day-long event on the campus of the University of Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

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Let’s Fly!
Collin Obremski Collin Obremski

Let’s Fly!

Last weekend kids learned that they could fly at the Rush County ‘Tech Fest’ Drone Rodeo! The event was held in the basketball gymnasium of the Rush County Boys & Girls Club. 1st Maker Space constructed a drone ‘cage’ built with PVC pipe and bird netting – complete with take-off and landing platforms and hula hoop obstacles to fly through.

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How to Encourage Curiosity in Early Childhood Education
Kim Brand Kim Brand

How to Encourage Curiosity in Early Childhood Education

1st Maker Space has developed a series of lessons and support resources to make it easy for classroom teachers to add STEM and making as a learning experience for children as young as preschool. The 1st Maker Space Early Childhood Maker Curriculum is designed around the NAEYC STEM Framework and is aligned to the Indiana Early Learning Foundations. Although this curriculum is hands-on, every lesson begins with a book that is linked to the theme of the challenge or problem. This series of 45+ lessons provide a foundation in tinkering, making, engineering, and service learning for children ages 3-5.

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Maker Education Goes Deep when Partnered with PBL
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Maker Education Goes Deep when Partnered with PBL

Project Based Learning and maker education are deeply intertwined. The problems that students solve in a PBL Unit take form in the makerspace. If you are a teacher currently using PBL, a makerspace will expand the horizons for student creation while exposing students to technology. This blog will detail the ways that PBL and maker education are aligned.

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3D Printing Brings Curriculum to Life in the Classroom
Kim Brand Kim Brand

3D Printing Brings Curriculum to Life in the Classroom

Looking for ways to make learning more relevant? Consider adding a 3D printing project! In this guest post, teacher Kevin Self outlines a project he uses in Integrated Chemistry and Physics to bring the elements in the periodic table to life.

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Makerspace Forges New Career Pathways at Daleville
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Makerspace Forges New Career Pathways at Daleville

Daleville Jr./Sr. High School is forging new career opportunities and community partnerships through a new makerspace. The Bronco Makerspace was designed and installed by 1st Maker Space in the summer of 2021 and recently opened with the new school year in September of 2021. The Bronco Makerspace gave Daleville a vehicle through which to partner with the Magna facility in Muncie.

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Discovering Hidden Talent
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Discovering Hidden Talent

We are delighted to announce the graduation of the first cohort of students from our Hot Shot – Introduction to Advanced Manufacturing course presented with the support and cooperation of WorkOne Indy! “Filled with confidence and pride, they dug in – more than even they knew they could. That was transformational – and kept them coming back,” said Kim Brand.

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Developing Life Skills through Woodworking
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Developing Life Skills through Woodworking

Woodworking is a cornerstone of making, but how do you incorporate it with students? Read our blog to learn about our latest partnership with Maplewoodshop for a turnkey woodworking solution.

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Intro to Maker Education Goes Live
Kim Brand Kim Brand

Intro to Maker Education Goes Live

Introduction to Maker Education is a new self-paced course for educators interested in incorporating hands-on learning through making into the classroom.

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Making Things is Essential to Learning “Robot-Proof” Job Skills
k-12, makerspaces Kim Brand k-12, makerspaces Kim Brand

Making Things is Essential to Learning “Robot-Proof” Job Skills

Making something combines the head and the hands to solve problems. The solutions to many problems are innovations that cannot be scripted or anticipated. The real world provides uncompromising feedback when it comes to making things. A maker mindset engages students to collaborate, articulate, imaginate and create solutions that can’t be programmed into a machine . . . and which have the biggest impact on student attainment.

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