praiseworthy educational solution,
which can be highly recommended for
use in schools”.
The award-wining MakerSpace trolley
is already being used as a central
resource station for collaborative
working at one of Europe’s leading
educational charities – the Eden
Project in Cornwall.
Opened in 2001, Eden Project quickly
became a world-famous visitor
attraction. Called the “eighth wonder
of the world” by the Times newspaper,
Eden Project welcomes over 1 million
visitors each year of which, around
50,000 are children on organised
school visits.
Perhaps most famous for its two
massive biomes housing ecosystems
from the Mediterranean and the largest
indoor tropical rainforest in the world,
Eden Project is equally recognised for
its world-class exhibition programme.
As an educational charity, Eden Project
has a firm focus on developing and
delivering STEM and STEAM learning
outcomes through their exhibition
and education programmes, receiving
support from the Association of
Science and Discovery Centres.
Chris Bisson, Policy Development
Manager at Eden Project commented,
“Horticulture is very much a part of
the STEM spectrum. It’s not just about
planting; it’s about the science of plants
and everything that entails, right down
to the microscopic level. We’re looking
at things like soil making, hydrology,
maths and biology – all mapped against
the curriculum.” He continued, “All of
the educational programmes we run
here at Eden must provide meaningful
learning outcomes. For example,
Darwin’s Doodles teaches adaptation,
interdependence and evolution to year
5 and 6 pupils and its impact is currently
being researched in conjunction with
the University of Exeter”.
The MakerSpace trolley has become
a central feature in the LAB education
space where it is used as a resource
to support various STEM and STEAM
activities, encouraging a hands-on
approach to getting involved in the
Invisible Worlds exhibition. When
asked to provide feedback on the
usefulness of the MakerSpace trolley,
Chris Bisson said, “The trolley has
been a fantastic resource for us. We
run all sorts of activities in the LAB
and we can load up the trolley before
sessions begin so those participating
can easily select the materials they
require”.
MakerSpace (MS) is a relatively new
movement that embraces a wider
spectrum on topics than STEM, but
includes all STEM activity. It spans
from art and craft, through design
technology, to robotics, coding and
programming, with all sorts of practical
skills and experiences in each section.
MakerSpace trolleys provide a focal
point for collaborative working
and also a resource centre for the
management and control, as well
as storage, of technical resources.
They allow practical activities to be
carried out anywhere, even in regular
classrooms, and not confined to
specialist technology workshops.
MS studios offer a broad range of
opportunities for the widest range
of students, with all getting the
opportunity to explore new activities
and express their manual dexterity at
many different levels of competence.
Activities are particularly beneficial
for those choosing a more practical
career path and support a move into
apprenticeships, as well as supporting
higher level research and development
and highly academic/technical careers.
These can be can be typified by a range
of activities and skill sets from the
practical and construction based, to
the academic and theoretical, suiting
a mix of students. Students get to
work in a mixed skill group, each with a
positive contribution and activities can
be stretched and developed to reach
greater heights, pushing the students
to explore new limits.
Richard
Picking,
International
Marketing Director at Gratnells,
commented, “The MakerSpace trolley
provides a focal point for collaborative
working. A reliable resource centre for
all types of project work, it’s the ideal
extension to our range of portable
storage solutions.”