2018 Maker Buddies

rplchild6021

Description

Maker Buddies is a weekly , drop-in STEAM and literacy based program for children ages 9-12. Each session is one hour in length. Teen volunteers work together with the children to complete a variety of STEAM activities organized by Branch Programmers. The children are encouraged to register for Level Up! at Regina Public Library/TD Summer Reading Club to record the amount of time spent reading and engaged in library programs like Maker Buddies. In 2018, Maker Buddies programs were offered at four library branches for 8 weeks during July and August. In total, 30 sessions were offered.

Length of program session

30-60 minutes

Number of sessions

30

Frequency

Weekly

Presenter(s)

Library Branch Programmers
Audience

Primary Audience

Intermediate (Gr. 4-7 or aged 9-12)

Secondary Audience

Intermediate (Gr. 4-7 or aged 9-12)
Resources

Funding (grants/foundations/corporations)

Provincial Library and Literacy Office - Government of Saskatchewan

Budget for this program

A grant of $5000 was received from the Provincial Library and Literacy Office to purchase resources for the Maker Buddies Programs.

Resources required (materials/supplies; food/refreshments, etc.)

The rotating Maker Buddies kits contained the following resources: balloon sculpture supplies, 3Doodler Pens, ZOOB Creations, Cubelets, Engino Inventor, Ozobots, K'NEX and Roken Blocks.
Evaluation

Feedback from Participants

The children enjoyed trying a new activity every week and were enthusiastic about participating in the sessions.

Highlights - what worked well?

Using a rotation schedule was an effective and efficient approach for sharing the Maker Buddies kits with the participating Branches. The open-ended nature of the activities allowed the children to design and make their own creations.

What were the goals/objectives of your program?

To support children's learning and literacy in addition to providing volunteer and leadership opportunities for teens.

What would you change about this program?

Half of the Maker Buddies kits featured building materials (i.e. ZOOB Creations, Engino Inventor, K'Nex, and Roken Blocks). Although the children liked engaging with the building materials, the sessions would be further enriched by a wider range of activities for the children to explore.