Makerspace: STEM Bins


Blogshare Link:
https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2018/02/unbox-magic-stem-bins/

Teach Outside the Box is an educational website run by longtime educator Brooke Brown. The website includes a shop, blog, freebies, and ideas for educators. Brown's blog has several posts focused on STEM and Makerspaces. One concept Brown discusses throughout her blog and website are STEM Bins.


What are STEM Bins?

A new-to-me concept I learned about this week are STEM Bins. The blog posts above are from Teach Outside the Box. In these blogs Brooke Brown discusses how to use STEM Bins in the library or classroom. According to Brown, "STEM Bins are plastic containers filled with simple engineering manipulatives". These bins contain things like task cards, base ten blocks, popsicle sticks, index cards, tape, and much more listed in the image to the left.

These STEM Bins can be bought from the following link:
https://www.hand2mind.com/stembins or teachers and librarians could make them themselves with easy to find materials!



Why Use STEM Bins?

Brown (2019) does a great job of explaining how STEM Bins can be beneficial to students. These bins are more than just playing or building. Students are able to practice social skills, engineering, arts, math, literacy, and technology. Britton (2012) explains, "creating playful information-based spaces allows the learner to explore and engage with content on the leaner's terms instead of on the instructor's terms". STEM Bins provide students with the opportunity to play, create, build, and learn on their own terms through exploration. There is not an assignment or grade attached to the bins. They are just fun and engaging for students. I think STEM Bins would make a great addition to any Makerspace.

Brown also explains in her blog post how teachers and librarians can easily add a writing component to the STEM Bins where students draw and write about their creations and the steps they took in a journal. I think this would be a great way to add literacy skills or facilitate discussions.

I strongly encourage librarians looking to add to their makerspaces or start a makerspace in their school library to read these blog posts about STEM Bins! I think they are a great addition to makerspaces.

Check our Brooke Browns video on the basics of STEM Bins:




Other helpful blog posts from Teach Outside the Box about STEM Bins:

https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2016/08/stem-bins-hands-solutions-early-finishers/
https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2017/01/spice-stem-bins/
https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2020/03/stem-bins-at-home/


References:

Britton, L. (2012). The makings of maker spaces, part 1: Space for creation, not just consumption. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/public-services/the-makings-of-maker-spaces-part-1-space-for-creation-not-just-consumption/

Brown, B. (2019, April 15). Unbox the magic of STEM Bins. Teach Outside the Box. https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2018/02/unbox-magic-stem-bins/

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