Fifth-grader Justin La was coding Intelino trains for the first time at Bella Vista’s after-school makerspace.

“It sounded fun to be able to do so many STEM activities,” he said. “I figured out how to make the trains run.”

Classmate Callie Parkin also worked with the trains. 

“I thought coding sounded like a good hobby,” she said. “I like the challenges here and getting the chance to do it on my own.”

It was the first day that the Bella Vista makerspace advisers, Dan Sampson and Wendie Nielson, had brought out the coding trains for the group that meets almost weekly. Students had figured out the train track’s set up and commands on their own.

“I wanted to be able to help the kids explore, create and learn how to use different programming tools,” Sampson said. “They can create in a safe learning environment after school and have the freedom to choose what they want to do.”

In its simplest terms, makerspaces are known as places where people, or “makers,” create, or “make,” projects using a variety of hands-on and digital tools. 

The advisers have many items to offer students, such as trying a Code & Go Robot Mouse, LEGOs, Blue-Bots, Wonder Workshop, littleBits, Micro:bits, Strawbees and more. They also realize the possibilities are endless; art mediums and filmmaking are two that could easily be incorporated.

Many of the tools were purchased with grants that both Canyons School District and Bella Vista received. The school PTA also received a national PTA grant for the STEM + Families Propelling Our World program grant sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries. 

“Every week, we will pull out different things to give them more challenges and slowly integrate and build on what they’re discovering and learning,” Nielson said. 

Students meet for an hour in two different groups; kindergarten through second graders on one day per month and third- through fifth-grade students on the other three days per month so the tools pulled out are age appropriate. The makerspace groups are capped at 28 students and are offered for 30 weeks.

“I like that it’s their own exploration, so that they discover how these things work. It’s fun for the kids to have an opportunity to experiment because in class, we don’t have a lot of time for this,” Nielson said. “They’re also getting a chance to interact with some others who might not be in their classroom while they learn how to problem-solve and put to use critical thinking skills.”

Sampson said they are using other skills during makerspace they may not realize.

“They’re in control when they code. They’re learning collaboration by working together to figure something out. They’re learning to cooperate. They’re learning to think through challenges and if it doesn’t work, to try again,” he said.

Principal Angi Holden said that last year, the Bella Vista community met and decided to incorporate more STEAM in their school and wanted to become a state STEM-designated school. In addition to the makerspace, faculty and staff added STEAM Fridays, where students rotate every five weeks through hands-on lessons around themes created by the teachers as well as regularly scheduled schoolwide STEAM nights. The school even slated a STEAM spirit week in mid-March. 

This way, all students will gain more exposure and a solid STEAM foundation, Holden said.

“Our goal is focusing on STEAM so we can develop our students to be 21st-century digital learners and be prepared for the workforce beyond academics,” she said.

Fifth-grader Anna Armstrong likes programming.

“I’m able to decide how fast the train can go, if it should stop and turn around, what it should do,” she said. “I like seeing all the things you can do with it.”

She learned some coding on code.com in third grade. Since then, she’s challenged herself with many mazes and puzzles.

“I like figuring things out,” Anna said. “I want to be an astronaut, and I know I’ll be faced with a lot of challenges so makerspace is preparing me to think.” λ