Maker Discovery Encourages Innovative Design at Four Corners

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Student Made Instruments Demonstrate Creativity

maker-discovery-alessandra-moe-l-adalyn-lisdaht-rBy Ellen Chicka

What can you make with rubber bands, cardboard, dried beans and LOTS of tape? A musical instrument, of course!

Twenty-five Four Corners students spent two after-school sessions creating their own instruments with found items. They planned, built, tested, and refined their instruments and shared what they learned with the rest of the group.

They viewed a few short videos for inspiration, including the Wintergatan Marble Machine and The Vegetable Orchestra, as well as a video on how sound works. I’ve included some of these videos below for your enjoyment.

Four Corners Maker Discovery stems from a larger movement, known as Maker Space. Maker Spaces are places for people to come together to share tools and ideas and create something new.

This experience ties into the Superior School District’s technology initiative and encourages our kids to be “Creative Communicators” and “Innovative Designers” (which are both standards from the International Society for Technology Education).

Kindergartners through Fifth Graders had a lot of fun at the October event, stating that they liked “making whatever we want.” Although there were adults on hand, they weren’t there to teach the students how to make instruments.

The adult role at Maker Discovery is to provide more questions than answers; to empower students to try out their own ideas (and to help cut through tough plastic with the “grown-up scissors”).

The Maker Discovery group did a fabulous job sharing materials and ideas and even worked together to play a song with their instruments! You haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard “Eye of the Tiger” played with a bean tambourine and shoe box guitar!

We are looking forward to another Maker Discover event in January!




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