Students create, prototype and solve during Makers Fair

Tasked with creating a run for a marble to roll through, second-graders at Beaver Creek Elementary eye the materials on hand: large rolls of brown paper, and plastic tubes they can configure like Legos.

They all want the brightly colored tubes, divided equally to prevent fighting. But soon, students like 8-year-old Luci White give their pieces away.

"They were already molded," she says. "It didn't really let you do what you want."

With the paper, however, students can roll and fold and cut and tape.

"You can use your imagination," says classmate Quinn Pohlma, also 8.

Luci nods enthusiastically. "You can let your mind run free."

Beaver Creek is among three schools in Johnston Community School District holding "Makers Fairs," with hands-on activities fashioned after the "Makers Movement." And district leaders are considering expanding the effort to create "Maker Spaces" in all five of its elementary schools.

Seeking insight into the burgeoning movement — it's part technology, part artisan, part do-it-yourself — I stopped by the Area 515 Des Moines Maker Space near the corner of 18th and Grand Avenue.

A converted storefront, the nonprofit has fashioned a space for adults to make and mingle, with shared tools such as 3D and resin printers. Shelves of donated materials are up for grabs, and members huddle around projects, brainstorming ways to make them work.

"A Makers Space is a clubhouse where you can make wherever you want," says Nabil Hanke, a board member. And the movement, says the group's education director Bailey Mader, is about empowerment.

"That they can do it themselves," she says. "To know they can do something themselves, have the confidence in themselves to do it, and try new things. It's a different sort of growth."

For students, the same holds true. Beaver Creek Principal Eric Toot tells me the Makers Fair rounds out a child's education, beyond the structure that comes with reading and math. It's about problem-solving and collaboration, and as I soon found out, the ability to persevere through failure.

"It's tapping into the natural curiosity that kids have," Toot says. "Here's a problem and here's the materials, and find a way to solve those problems."

Maker Fair

During the Beaver Creek fair, students create circuitry out of dough and write code to move computer characters. They fashion aluminum boats strong enough to hold pennies and write poetry from words cut from magazines. Facilitating are teachers and staff members from Prairie Lakes and Heartland area education agencies.

And then there's the marshmallow challenge. With 20 sticks of spaghetti, tape, string and a piece of paper, students are tasked with creating the tallest structure they can in 18 minutes. The caveat: It has to hold one large, fluffy white marshmallow at the top.

Immediately, students go to work. One group tapes spaghetti sticks together to form a long, wobbly pole, although it proves too unstable for the marshmallow. Another tapes the sticks to create a shorter but thicker pole, yet they're unsure how to make it stand.

There's some strife among the second-graders, and tension mounts as ideas fall through. One boy starts counting down the clock — a minute fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve — before being hushed by teammates.

In a third group, 8-year-old Alexis Gould decides a pep talk is in order.

"Don't say it's a failure yet," she says to classmates. "You've got to keep trying. We can still make it work."

In a 2010 TedTalk — the inspiration for this problem — Tom Wujec explains that the Marshmallow Challenge is not as simple as it seems, because of the element of collaboration. Wujec, author of "Imagine Design Create," studied the complexity with individuals of varying skills.

Among the worst performers, he found, are business school students. He says they jockey for leadership positions and spend too much time discussing, instead of testing, what might work. Many place the marshmallow on top at the last minute, often with disastrous results.

Among the best are kindergartners, who create taller and more interesting structures than the average adult. Wujec found the 5- and 6-year-olds outperformed groups of lawyers and CEOs.

As Wujec explains it, the youngsters are willing to jump in and try approaches that might not work, an attribute the Makers Movement cultivates.

"They start with the marshmallow, and they build prototypes," he says. "They get instant feedback about what works and what doesn't work."

As I watch second-graders at Beaver Creek, students try approaches I would never have thought of. One group fastens a string to the table to hold a wobbly spaghetti pole in place. Another crumples a piece of paper to create a pole base.

After her pep talk, Alexis' group creates a pyramid which, at 10-inches high, ultimately wins that session's challenge.

And that, too, is part of the lesson. Like the adults at the Des Moines Maker Space, the second-graders are willing to try something new, and when it doesn't work, put their heads together to try again.

"I didn't want to fail," Alexis explains to me afterward. "I learned that you have to keep going and stay at it."

ABOUT THIS COLUMN

Mackenzie Ryan is a statewide education reporter focusing on K-12 education. She explores Iowa's urban, suburban and rural school issues and experiences in a regular column. Send suggestions to mryan@dmreg.com.

IN OTHER SCHOOL NEWS

• The Johnston Community School Foundation is holding a fundraiser to create a Makers Space in every Johnston elementary school. The April 10 event, Dragon Fest, will be held at the Science Center of Iowa from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased online at eventbrite.com before Tuesday.

• Des Moines Public Schools will host a forum in the boardroom at Central Campus to gather public input on the proposed 2015-16 budget. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday.

• Eagle Grove High School senior Alex Davis was nominated to attend the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston in June. The program is designed to honor and inspire top students who are interested in science and technology.

• The Iowa Department of Education recognized individuals and organizations this week for their efforts in helping students become college- or career-ready after graduating from high school.

The Student Readiness Award recognizes Layla Siddig, a senior at Iowa City West High School; the College and Career Transition Award recognizes Davenport Central High School; the Career Preparedness Award recognizes Iowa Lakes Community College; and the Workplace Success Award recognizes Decker Precision Machining in Peosta.

• The state's top educators were honored earlier this month, including Teacher of the Year Clemencia Spizzirri of Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, and History Teacher of the Year James Hardy of East Union Community School in Afton.

In addition, finalists were honored for the Iowa Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Math finalists are Janna Bjork of Perry Elementary, Ann Johnson of Sageville Elementary School in Dubuque, Molly Sweeney of the Downtown School in Des Moines, Tamara Bane of Winterset Senior High School, and Tammie Cass of Nodaway Valley Middle School in Fontanelle.

Science finalists are Joshua Steenhoek of Jefferson Intermediate School in Pella and Jessica Watson of the Downtown School in Des Moines.

MORE INFO

• Find the Area 515 Des Moines Maker Space online at area515.org.

• Learn about The Marshmallow Challenge at marshmallowchallenge.com.