How To Build a Portable Whiteboard Makerspace

Are you keen to have a makerspace in your classroom or at home, but are a little nervous to start permanently sticking baseplates to surfaces? Why not follow these simple instructions to make a Portable Whiteboard Makerspace?

Materials Needed to a Make Portable Whiteboard Makerspace:

• Creative QT Peel 'n Stick Baseplates (available in a range of colors and quantity packs, we used one 10" x 10" blue baseplate)
• Large Whiteboard (we got ours for $6.87 from Walmart)
• Selection of building bricks (we used LEGO and DUPLO)
• Whiteboard marker

How to Make your Portable Whiteboard Makerspace:

This really couldn't be any easier! Simply decide on the layout of baseplates that will best suit your learning and play needs. You might want to stick a few baseplates next to each other, or leave a gap in the middle for writing, or just place one baseplate in the middle like we did. You can of course cut the baseplates using a sharp craft or utility knife if you want them to cover the entire whiteboard.

Once you know the layout, just Peel, Stick and PLAY!

Play Based Learning Ideas for your Portable Whiteboard Makerspace:

Here are a few fun ways that you can use your new teaching tool. The great thing about this makerspace is that it is big enough to easily accommodate collaborative learning.

1. STEAM Challenges- why not set up some STEAM challenges for your students to attempt individually or in small groups? Here are some examples.

Build a maze:

Build a bridge strong enough to hold your teacher's stapler:

Build your ultimate house:

Symmetry:

2. Group Math Challenges- using building bricks can make solving math problems so much more interesting. We gave it a go with addition and subtraction, but you could also work on multiplication, division and fractions.

Addition:

Subtraction:

3. Games- using the makerspace for games is a fun way to encourage collaborative learning. You can also sneak in some math by encouraging students to keep track of their own scores.

Tic Tac Toe:

You could extend this activity by then challenging students to come up with their own game and scoring system, using the makerspace and building bricks provided.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to using your Portable Whiteboard Makerspace. It is a fantastic way to encourage learning through play, as well as developing fine motor skills. We would love to see any of your classroom activities using our baseplates. Please add #creativeqt on Instagram, or tag Creative QT on Facebook.

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Creative QT designs quality + innovative toys that declutter homes and inspire creative play. Founded by parents of five, Adam and Dana Sue Hinkle, Creative QT’s vision is to empower parents and encourage a culture of families that Make Time Together. All products are designed to enrich families’ lives through active, creative play and play based learning. Creative QT products are laboratory tested for compliance with CPSC requirements and are free of lead, cadmium and phthalates so you can play with confidence. So, go ahead … today is the day: be your kid’s hero.

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