At Portfolio every day is maker day.
However, we are always searching for ways to provide our students with even more opportunities to learn and apply design and making skills. To expose them to a wide panorama of making possibilities – from woodworking and welding to cooking, sewing and robotics. That way, they can apply these skills to their everyday work, individual projects, and inquiry-based unit projects.
Thus, we came up with “Maker Fridays,” wherein everyone participates in multi-age maker workshops in the mornings.
We had our first “Maker Friday” recently, and it was a great morning. Here is what happened on our first Maker Friday:
Woodworking
This class was taught by David Golann, Portfolio’s Digital Fabrication/Computational Thinking Teacher.
Students who signed up for woodworking made sculptural boxes in the makerspace. They used coping saws to cut curving intricate shapes out of thin plywood and white pine, including baseballs, penguins and snowmobiles. A few students opted for a more traditional rectangular shape. They installed hinged lids on the tops of their boxes. Their creativity was inspiring!
Robotics
This class was taught by Amanda Grutza, who is a Robotics/Engineering Teacher at STEM Kids NYC.
Getting a jump start into the world of robotics, students discussed the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on their day to day life. They brainstormed how to use this tech to their advantage, including creating schematics for mini-bots to help brush their teeth, prepare food, and fold clothing.
For their first practical lesson, they did a hands-on electrical engineering project, where they learned about current and power and created a simple circuit that functioned to light an LED. Armed with this electrical knowledge, they then created a moving bot of their own, wiring up DC motors to battery packs, and experimenting with conductive tape. Each bot was able to move when turned on, and the students got a crucial lesson on the importance of correct wiring, and (safely!) utilizing electrical components to improve their innovative ideas.
Filmmaking
This class was taught by Doug Schachtel, Portfolio’s Co-Founder.
This workshop allowed students to experiment with different techniques. They started out by discussing their favorite movies. They then watched one of the trailers of this list of favorites. Then, they all made their own movie trailers using iMovie. This was a fun intro to filmmaking for the group, just getting them up-and-running and familiar with some basic tools that they can use on their own. As Doug explained to them in the beginning filmmaking can be a lot of fun. Making each other laugh is a good thing!
Sewing with Layana Aguilar
This class was taught by Layana Aguilar, who runs her eponymous fashion house in TriBeCa, and has worked at Oscar de la Renta and appeared on Project Runway.
Our workshop was designed to feed the imagination and self-expression of our students. They get to learn how to use a sewing machine, learn about the different types of fabrics and make their ideas come to life! They each sewed a denim bag and decorated it. Everyone learned a lot of new skills. They were then able to apply those skills in a tangible and immediate way. It was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience, for everyone!
At the end of the workshops, we had an all-school gathering and everyone shared their work and what they learned. Our students unanimously expressed the desire to have future Maker Fridays, so that is what we will do!