This year, a new library funded by Measure EE has Glen Avon students thriving. The building features a makerspace where kids complete various STEAM activities that promote critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. In education, STEAM stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics.”
“The [library] is phenomenal,” shared Glen Avon’s principal, Felicia Noel. “One of the best I’ve seen in my twenty years of education. Both staff and students love the library [and] the makerspace.”
The makerspace is managed by Glen Avon’s Elementary Media Center Clerk, Madison Candelaria, who introduces activities to students that are related to technology, art, and general problem-solving. “The goal here is to learn how to work with others and think through the problems,” she said.
In one of her favorite technology activities from this year, Ms. Candelaria had second through sixth-grade students code with Ozobots, a coding robot designed for K-12 education. “Students had to draw lines and color codes on a piece of paper for the bot to follow,” shared Ms. Candelaria. “Every time the student drew a correct color code the bot would do the trick that it was programmed to do. The students had to closely follow directions and work together as a team.”
In a recent engineering activity, Ms. Candelaria instructed third graders to build bridges with K’NEX, a popular construction toy system. The bridge had to be long enough to connect two tables, and safe enough for a plastic egg to roll across without falling off. Ms. Candelaria provided examples of bridge styles to model, including beam, arch, and suspension.
Students had about fifteen minutes to construct their bridges. Afterward, Ms. Candelaria tested them one by one with her plastic egg. Cheers and groans filled the space with each successful or unsuccessful roll.
“The kids who were successful with this activity took into consideration the size of the egg. They would put cross beams or they made the bridge very narrow so the egg could roll across easily,” shared Ms. Candelaria. “For the kids that were unsuccessful with the bridges, they were a little over-ambitious, making them a little bit too big. They didn’t take the egg size into consideration.”
Ms. Candelaria incorporated lessons into each demonstration, telling students why certain elements worked while others needed adjustments or further development.
“[Makerspaces help] kids gain more confidence in getting creative and thinking outside the box,” she said. “It’s a place for them to not be afraid to try new things that maybe they would otherwise not try.”
In the past, Ms. Candelaria faced challenges in keeping the makerspace well-stocked with supplies for activities. When she did not have enough of something, she had to limit the number of students who participated. Now, increased funding provides for the entire school, which she calls “a blessing.”
“Before makerspaces, we would usually just say that the library is the heart of the school,” said Ms. Candelaria. “But now I believe that the library and the makerspace is the heart of the school.”
