Columbia Maker Space!

The other day I read a blog post online about the founding of Tempe, Arizona.  A gentleman was on the way from Tucson, in the southern part of Arizona, to Prescott, which is towards the northern part of the state.  When he arrived at the Salt River, it was raging and he had to wait a couple of days before he could cross.  This gentleman saw the possibilities in the area, purchased 160 acres of land, and helped start the city of Tempe.  The writer of the blog, Jim Mullins, called this gentleman (Charles T. Hayden) a visionary.  Any of us who have visited the Tempe area, with its bustling economy, well laid out streets, and large university (Arizona State University) would easily agree with Jim, that it was a stroke of genius to establish the city of Tempe (http://surgenetwork.com/blog/2016/5/26/entrepreneurship-creativity-and-the-story-of-tempe).

At the Columbia School District we encourage our students to make a difference; much like Mr. Hayden did in the 1800’s.  This past week all of our fifth grade students were part of a Maker Space invention discovery day.  The students had an opportunity to build electrical circuits, including using oranges and bananas.  They learned how to program small robots to follow a trail, either on a table or on the floor.  The students used computers to interact with the robots.  Our fifth grade students were also challenged to create!  They used boxes, scissors, paper, tape, staplers and glue to build and create shapes and structures.  The students used various items to build wooden and plastic structures. 

During the Maker Space day, the Columbia teachers and advisors from the Jackson County Intermediate School District were facilitators, helping the students to use their skills and intuition to investigate and create.  Much like Mr. Hayden saw the potential in the central Arizona, our students saw the potential in the random items they were given to construct amazing creations. Their teachers supported their creative spirit and natural curiosity, and gave the students the leeway to be successful through investigations. 

Each day our Columbia teachers give their students opportunities to use their classroom experiences as a base and encourage the students to use their abilities, skills, imagination, and insight to extend their learning.  If you are interested in hearing more about Columbia School District programs, email me at pamela.campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.