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The Big Book of Makerspace Projects: Inspiring Makers to Experiment, Create, and Learn

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Start-to-finish, fun projects for makers of all types, ages, and skill levels!

This easy-to-follow guide features dozens of DIY, low-cost projects that will arm you with the skills necessary to dream up and build your own creations. The Big Book of Makerspace Projects: Inspiring Makers to Experiment, Create, and Learn offers practical tips for beginners and open-ended challenges for advanced makers. Each project features non-technical, step-by-step instructions with photos and illustrations to ensure success and expand your imagination. You will learn recyclables hacks, smartphone tweaks, paper circuits, e-textiles, musical instruments, coding and programming, 3-D printing, and much, much more!

Discover how to create:

Brushbot warriors, scribble machines, and balloon hovercrafts
Smartphone illusions, holograms, and projections
Paper circuits, origami, greeting cards, and pop-ups
Dodgeball, mazes, and other interesting Scratch games
Organs, guitars, and percussion instruments
Sewed LED bracelets, art cuffs, and Arduino stuffie
Makey Makey and littleBits gadgets
Programs for plug-and-play and Bluetooth-enabled robots
3D design and printing projects and enhancements
"

256 pages, ebook

Published November 11, 2016

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About the author

Colleen Graves

3 books14 followers

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5 stars
29 (28%)
4 stars
32 (31%)
3 stars
29 (28%)
2 stars
10 (9%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Gina.
50 reviews
July 18, 2018
Lots of ideas. Will be able to incorporate some into an elementary maker space.
Profile Image for Karen.
353 reviews8 followers
February 28, 2017
The title isn't an exaggeration - this is indeed a big book of project ideas suitable for makerspace programs in libraries, schools and also for homeschooling. I like the way it covers many different types of technologies, from newer, high-tech stuff such as coding, Little Bits, wearable tech, to classic making involving wood, hardware and lots of boxes, and also to some science experiments.

My one gripe about this book (and about many other ideas for makerspaces) is that their idea of "low cost" is often not the same as mine. It may be easy to salvage one motor unit from an electric toothbrush, but can anyone realistically expect to be able to salvage enough for a class of 12-25 youngsters? A project that costs a mere $5 per head quickly becomes a significant expense if 20 or more people show up - and it seems mean to say that "sorry you can't take your creation home".
Profile Image for Andrew.
2,032 reviews47 followers
February 20, 2019
WOW! The book features 51 projects for the makers in our community.
The book lists all of the supplies, time requirement, the STEAM behind each, alternate or further ideas and a rough budget idea (most of them are inexpensive). The book caters perfectly to both the public and school library.

The book is divided into several categories of project types:
Small/Low-Cost: Brush bots, artbots, etc.
using Balloons: hovering ufo/drone
Cardboard and Smart Phone: pepper's ghost or holograms or projectors
Paper circuits
introductory coding (using Scratch and others)
Sewing Circuits
DIY Musical Instruments

and some more advanced/costlier ones:
-Intermediate Advance coding: sphero, snap circuits, etc
-littleBits: robotic arms, mini golf windmill
-Makey Makey: switches and circuits
-3-D Printing


Profile Image for Ietrio.
6,614 reviews25 followers
September 17, 2017
A collection of past time activities that are as useful as a game of Solitaire on Windows, which involve far less brain than a game of Minesweeper. Yet, when you are a school worker and want to show the concerned parents how useful was the time they went to the mall for the child locked down in a room, now this can be useful.
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,408 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2017
Graves goes all in right away with intense projects that are "free-$"--her spaces must be much better equipped and her understand of one dollar sign must be much higher than mine. Regardless, great ideas and projects in here.
Profile Image for Ben Rogers.
2,308 reviews143 followers
November 22, 2022
Make Them All!

This was a great fun read.

As someone who is learning how to teach kids how to code, I found this book was a great start. It detailed a bunch of projects for all ages, and they were fun and fairly simple.

Would recommend!

4.0/5
Profile Image for NayDoubleU.
891 reviews30 followers
October 4, 2020
Unique

Pretty cool projects. I just wish the pictures were in color and not black and white . Very informative and unique
31 reviews
August 1, 2021
perfect for makerspace beginners!
many easy to create challenges to introduce makerspace to all grade levels with a little adaptation!
Profile Image for Jonathan Cassie.
Author 6 books7 followers
November 2, 2016
A really helpful compendium of projects for schools that will be incorporating the learning that uniquely comes from a makerspace into their curricula. Graves does a great job of showing how to do each of the projects in the book...illustrations are helpful.

I wonder about the inclusion of Coding in the book, as I would make Coding a separate, non-"makerspace" skill. I think if we were to look at the needs of students going forward they need the crafting/producing skills they're learning in a makerspace to be informed by the essential value of Coding.

Looking forward to the next book, Colleen!
Profile Image for Miss Kelly.
780 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2017
Nice book and some ideas I could actually do for a STEAM or STEM program.
I loved the homemade record player idea. I want to do this.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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