This is a guest post from Technology Integrationist Jill Schmitt at Holdingford Elementary School. Need a Mini Grant to purchase materials or try an interesting new program at your library? Apply today! 

We are in the process of creating a Makerspace in our Elementary School here in Holdingford. The majority of materials will be housed in one part of the Media Center and made available to classes on a check out basis. These materials rely more heavily on teacher direction and supervision to prevent misuse and to carry out specific tasks.

In the library, however, we wanted our students to have an opportunity to build and create using easy to handle, durable materials without the need for direct instruction. After some experimentation with other building sets, we found KEVA planks suited our students PreK-6 the best. Unlike other products on the market which are made of plastic and include step by step directions, KEVA planks are made of wood and can be used for the construction of any number of creations. Students are able to make simple or complex designs based on their level of comfort. As you can see in the pictures, our students are enjoying their new building materials! Thank you so much CMLE for the mini grant making it possible to add these fantastic building planks to our library here at Holdingford Elementary School!  See link for more information. KEVA planks