Makerspace Playbook

Welcome...

to a community of people who have a passion for making things, and who want to share that with others by making with others by setting up a Makerspace. This playbook will help you establish a wonderful new resource in your school, neighborhood, or wider local community. It shares the knowledge and experience from the Makerspace team as well as from those who have already started Makerspaces.

We know that the thought of getting a Makerspace started can be daunting, whether it’s finding a facility, engaging members or students, recruiting mentors, dealing with liability, etc. We want your Makerspace to succeed, to expand the Maker community and grow the Maker movement, to share the Maker mindset and DIY mentality, and to engage and stimulate your neighborhood, school, town or region. We wrote this playbook for Makerspace advocates like you—teachers, parents, Makers, etc.— to make it easier to launch a space and get a program up and running.

We like to say that if you can imagine it, you can make it. So let’s make your Makerspace!

Contributing

This is a fully open-source project led by MakerEd, visit our Resource Library for more helpful guides and resources. We would like this document to grow and reflect new practices and current experiences. If you find anything we can refine, add or share, there's a few ways to contribute.

  • If you're familiar with Github, you can submit changes using the "Edit on Github" button on the right-hand menu, or visit the repo: https://github.com/Maker-Ed/Makerspace-Playbook/. Check out our quick guide on submitting changes.

  • For makers unfamiliar with Github, you can create a new Discussion to ask a question, share an idea for a new topic, or offer new insights and anecdotes that we may include in playbook; no coding required!

    • Alternatively, you can comment on the 2013 version of this book on Google Docs.

If would like to contribute comments via email, please address them to info@makered.org

This playbook was adapted from a pdf distributed in 2013 by Maker Media under an Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA.)

Table of Contents

  1. Beginnings what we’re doing and why; origins of the Maker movement

  2. Places making a space more conducive to a community that makes together

  3. Tools & Materials inventory, budgets, and strategies

  4. Safety planning for safety, signage, and common rules

  5. Roles what teachers, students, shop managers, and mentors do in a Makerspace

  6. Practices pedagogical approaches experienced makers use to support emerging makers

  7. A Year of Making teacher Aaron Vanderwerff describes his experience making with students

  8. Projects guiding novice makers as they build their skill set; sources for projects

  9. Startup nuts and bolts of getting involved with the Makerspace network

  10. Documenting sharing projects … and the stories behind their making

  11. Snapshots four school-based Makerspaces in action

  12. Resources helpful lists, forms, and templates

    1. Program Team

    2. Recommended Suppliers

    3. Tips from Mentors of the Computer Clubhouse

    4. Samples and Templates

      1. Proposal and budget to submit to a funder

      2. Makerspace Member and Mentor “Job Descriptions”

      3. Liability Waiver

      4. Project Match for Members and Mentors

      5. Project Plan

      6. Proposal Form

    5. Safety Plan

    6. The Safe Workshop

    7. Makerspace-in-a-Box: First, Next, Additional Purchases of Tools & Consumables

Next1 Beginnings

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