“Dave, I think we’re going to have a really busy day today,” BC said. Our day had begun in the Makerspace and we were preparing for that day’s work. BC alerted me that it might be a nonstop day and…
3D Printed Button Battery Holder
I originally got the idea of making a button battery holder by identifying a need that someone else had. The need was that the button batteries were put into one of the bins. They were without order and were hard…
Significant Objects
FCS seniors Naomi, Catherine, and Georgia presented “Significant Objects” at World Maker Faire today. Their presentation offered snapshots of three projects that emerged from conversations in STEAM last spring. The unifying theme of these conversations invited each student to explore…
FCS seniors presenting at Maker Faire
It’s an exciting time for the makerspace! The 2015-2016 school year is off to an exciting start. Seniors Catherine Barbour, Naomi Detre, and Georgia Fossett are presenting with BC at World Maker Faire in NYC this weekend. Their talk will be…
A Simple Microscope for Smart Devices
What is it? The device I built is a microscope designed for cameras like those that exist on smart devices (like an iPhone). The idea is that one could place their camera device (most likely a smartphone or an iPad)…
A Bigger Tent
The STEAM blog is now the FCS makerspace blog. Wondering why? We started a STEAM program, and three years later, we’ve outgrown the acronym. Here’s how it happened: Start with design: The hated classroom chair. We asked students to redesign them.…
Makerspace cookbook
You’re invited! Any time the door is open (note: link only works properly when you’re on campus), students, faculty, staff, parents, and alums are all welcome to come down to the makerspace to learn and work and celebrate our school…
Making metaphors
Twelve or thirteen years ago, as I sat in the Meeting Room as a student at Friends’ Central myself, Bill Kennedy stood up to share a message in Meeting for Worship. His message left an impression, and I can still…
Ideation is Improvisation
If you’ve ever studied acting or improvisation, you are probably familiar with the “Yes, and…” exercise. In this activity, participants are asked to have a free-flowing conversation with the only requirement being that every response begin with the words “Yes,…
Makerspace Founders Logo
As we continue breaking in the newly opened makerspace, one way we have decided to invite the community in is by offering workshops! The program for the makerspace workshops is as follows: