Laser cut signs seemed a popular addition to many of this year's models. One student even created an interactive map of the Alamo (also laser cut) using Scratch programming and the Makey Makey. He chose five places on his map, made electronic buttons, and recorded facts about what occurred in each place.
Several fourth graders explored TinkerCad to make pieces of their models. A student designed an Olympic podium and then printed it on one of the MakerBots. She added the podium in front of an intricate backdrop that she designed using Adobe Illustrator and laser cut in the Lab. She finished it up with handmade felt flags for the countries who earned the most medals and detailed clay figures for the podium. When she finally finished her creative project, she stood back to admire her work. "I really used a lot of different materials and methods," she observed, proudly.
For the very first time, those creative projects stayed right where they had been toiled over for weeks. In a stroke of genius, one of the homeroom teachers suggested holding the Fair inside the Light Lab and stationing students in three of the working studios, reserving Natural Sciences for all the food and drinks for the feast. Scheduling challenges made it hard to hold it in the LS Meeting Room as usual, so we decided to go for it.
Teachers and students helped decorate with patriotic paper chains, balloons, flags, and spinners. It looked so festive and inviting! Community visitors paraded through the studios on Thursday and Friday, sharing feedback and eventually sharing delicious state-themed foods. The weather allowed us to open the doors to the lower floor studios and eat in the Light Lab courtyard.
Visitors are encouraged to engage with the students while visiting, ask questions, and give feedback. I like to stand back and watch this process. Sometimes visitors will ask me questions they didn't want to ask the children for one reason or another.
One guest visited the interactive map project and then came over to ask me how much of this idea really belonged to the student. She explained that she felt it was almost too sophisticated for him to think of on his own.
I could honestly tell her that the idea was entirely his. He was absolutely clear on what he wanted to make, how it would work, and what the final product would look like. He simply needed a mentor teacher to help him think through the materials and steps to make it happen. He had been a part of the FCS after-school Coding Club which gave him some background in the programming needed. He had explored laser cutting through a class project earlier in the year. He had a Makey Makey at home that he hadn't really figured out how to apply yet. He really had all the pieces but needed a little guidance on how to put them together.
He worked step-by-step to design the board in Adobe Illustrator, cut it on the laser cutter, size the map of the Alamo and attach it, drill holes for wiring, record his facts, write the Scratch program, and hook up the circuit board. Testing all the recordings and securing the wires probably took the longest; it required some fiddling around to make everything consistently work without glitches. But the first moment he tested his buttons and heard his program activate, it was magical. He almost couldn't contain his excitement and his friends joined him enthusiastically by patting him on the back and telling him how cool it was. All the hard work most definitely paid off!
As his mentor, I was there when he needed my help or a little motivation to try something again or differently. The best part of mentoring is getting to share each child's enthusiasm and pride. The other mentor teachers serve the same role for students doing projects that require different skill sets. Our librarian and technology integration specialist work with students using iMovie and green screening. They help students make newscasts and creative films. Our science teacher mentors students in stop-motion animation and our art teacher supports children making all kinds of models. The classroom teachers float to supervise all the projects and lend their own expertise in many ways.
Although the creative projects are my favorite part of this yearly event, the students learn all about their state before they even propose their project ideas. They spend time in Library and in their classrooms learning about geography, history, and important details specific to their state. This information goes into a research paper that accompanies the project, complete with a bibliography to accurately cite their sources.
So the hard work and the happy chaos of the State Fair is over. I'm sitting in the quiet Fabrication Studio this Friday afternoon, writing this blog post surrounded by the projects that will soon be picked up and taken home to be celebrated again by individual families.
I'm struck by how lucky I am to support the kind of learning that feels so individual and inspiring. Happy making!
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