Looking forward to a great year for

Matt's Maker Space!

Happy New Year! It has taken me almost the entire month of January to wrap my head around all of the exciting things we have planned in 2024! Stay tuned for exciting announcements coming up!

Matt's Maker Challenge

To celebrate the their new Rube Goldberg exhibit, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is working with Matt's Maker Space to offer the MATT'S MAKER CHALLENGE!

The challenge is open to all Matt's Maker Spaces and their teachers in grades K - 12. The challenge is to create a machine that can put toothpaste on a toothbrush!

There are two categories - K-6 and 7-12. All entries must be videotaped and submitted by March 1 to bbielewicz@mtlsd.net. Winners will be played at a live event at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh on Saturday March 16.

Mark Your Calendars

YOU ARE INVITED!

Matt's Maker Space Networking Event

We have worked for several years with the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh as our design partner. We are grateful for their support and partnership. To celebrate their 2024 exhibit of Rube Goldberg machines, they are hosting a Rube Fest the weekend of March 15 - 16.

To kick off the weekend, All MATT'S MAKER SPACE teachers, facilitators, partners and friends are invited to grab some snacks, meet and greet one another, hear about the Rube Goldberg exhibit, meet Rube's granddaughter, Jennifer George, see Museum Lab, and just get connected to our larger community of makers! Please join us!!

When? Friday, March 15

Time? 4:30 pm - 7 pm

Where? Museum Lab (next door to the Children's Museum)

We hope you to see you there!

Click here to RSVP!

Grant Received!

We are so excited for the upcoming year and so grateful for all of our donors, funders, and maker spaces!

We are the proud recipient of a grant at the end of 2023 from the EQT Foundation. The EQT Foundation helps communities prosper through focused giving. This $25,000 grant will allow us to put our third (3) Matt's Maker Space into the Albert Gallatin School District, at George Plava Elementary. We are very grateful to the EQT Foundation for their generosity.

With Two On-Campus Maker Spaces, Point Park University's School of Education Builds Meaningful Classroom Experiences

"With maker activities, I can create a classroom environment where students can make mistakes and learn from them instead of being told there is only one way or answer to do something," PPU student, Sarah Rock said. "Our professors teach us to always tell our students, 'Yes, and?' and never, 'That will never work because...' or 'That does not make any sense, do this instead.' We are trained to encourage our students to explore and know that there is no such thing as failure – only learning opportunities."

Rock and other students in Point Park University's School of Education have the opportunity to practice this creativity-forward, solutions-focused mindset on campus in Point Park's two maker space classrooms – colorful hubs of low-tech and high-tech tools where students can practice modern teaching approaches related to STEM, STEAM and maker education.

Learn more about the positive impact these spaces have on students’ field

The 2024 calendar of training from IU3's TransformED is here.

Click here to view the upcoming training classes. Matt's Maker Space will be teaching some of them!