Blog, articles, and books

Read the latest ideas, guides, and insights from Maker educators at MIT and beyond.

From the K-12 Maker Lab

K-12 Maker Sessions at FAB26 on MIT Campus, July 27-31, 2026
Project spotlight: Shadow casters
Takeaways from 2020 - A Conversation with Maker Educators
More posts

Making in the classroom

Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators
Margaret Honey
April 22, 2013
Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom
Sylvia Libow Martinez
May 7, 2013
Start Making!: A Guide to Engaging Young People in Maker Activities
Danielle Martin, Alisha Panjwani, Natalie Rusk
May 17, 2016
The Art of Tinkering: Meet 150+ Makers Working at the Intersection of Art, Science & Technology
Karen Wilkinson, Mike Petrich
February 4, 2014
Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student
John Spencer, A J Juliani
May 19, 2016
Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom
Ross Cooper, Erin Murphy
December 19, 2016
Free to Make: How the Maker Movement is Changing Our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our Minds
Dale Dougherty
September 27, 2016
Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School
Laura Fleming
February 17, 2015
Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff
Curt Gabrielson
December 1, 2015
Zero to Maker: A Beginner's Guide to the Skills, Tools, and Ideas of the Maker Movement
David Lang
October 31, 2017
Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration
Scott Doorley, Scott Witthoft, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University
January 3, 2012
Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era
Tony Wagner, Ted Dintersmith
August 16, 2016

Project inspiration

Paper Inventions: Simple Supplies, Creative Engineering, Extraordinary Fun!
Kathy Ceceri
October 28, 2025
The Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects
Chris Hackett
November 4, 2014
The Invent To Learn Guide To Fun: Makerspace, Classroom, Library, and Home STEM Projects
Josh Burker
May 7, 2015
Imagine Design Create: How Designers, Architects, and Engineers Are Changing Our World
Tom Wujec
May 3, 2011
The Big Book of Makerspace Projects: Inspiring Makers to Experiment, Create, and Learn
Colleen Graves, Aaron Graves
October 19, 2016
The Elements of Pop-Up
James Diaz
October 1, 1999

Makerspace layout and safety

Safer makerspaces, fab labs and STEM labs: A collaborative guide!
Kenneth Russell Roy, Ph.D., Tyler S. Love, Ph.D.
January 1, 2017
Review and Recommendations of Best Practices for K-12 STEM Learning Spaces
Jake Foster, Laura Smith
January 1, 2018
Safer engineering and CTE instruction: A national STEM education imperative. What the data tells us.
Tyler S. Love, Kenneth R. Roy, ITEEA
January 1, 2022

Electronics

Getting Started in Electronics
Forrest M. Mims III
July 1, 2020
Make: Electronics
Charles Platt
January 1, 2021
Sew Electric
Leah Buechley, Kanjun Qiu, Sonja de Boer (Illustrator)
January 1, 2014

Articles for teacher, administrator, and community buy-in

Tinkering is Serious Play (Educational Leadership, STEM for All, 2015)
Bevan, Petrich, and Wilkinson
January 1, 2015
7 Things You Should Know About Makerspaces (EDUCAUSE, 2013)
EDUCAUSE
April 1, 2013
The Maker Mindset (Dale Dougherty)
Dale Dougherty
​Integrating Makerspaces Throughout the Curriculum (THE Journal, 2018)
Joshua Bolkan
September 4, 2018
Technology Helps Schools Answer the ‘Why’ of STEAM Learning (EdTech, 2020)
Doug Bonderud
January 1, 2020
Using a Makerspace for English and Humanities Instruction (Edutopia, 2019)
Lauren Huddleston
July 10, 2019
Maker Movement Reinvents Education (Newsweek, 2014)
Louise Stewart
September 19, 2014
Presidential Proclamation -- National Week of Making, 2016 (The White House, 2016)
President Barack Obama
June 16, 2016
The Growth of Making in K-12 and the Expectations for Maker Resources at Universities (ISAM, 2016)
Diane M. Brancazio, Dawn Wendell
January 1, 2016
Bringing manufacturing back to America, one fab lab at a time (MIT News, 2025)
Zach Winn
April 13, 2025
Red wax seal with "MAKE" stamp on envelope icon.

Get the K-12 Maker Newsletter

Don’t miss the latest news, project ideas, PD opportunities, insights, and more!

Sign up
read past issues
Black version of the MIT Edgerton Center logo
Facebook iconYouTube iconInstagram icon
© 2026 K-12 Maker Lab at the MIT Edgerton Center. All rights reserved.