From ideas to inventions

Sheridan Public Library launches new Maker Cart

On Sept. 8, the Sheridan Public Library (SPL) was filled with building, experimenting, and things flying through the air as children and families gathered to celebrate the launch of the library’s new Maker Cart.

Made possible by a generous $2,200 donation from the Kiwanis Club of Sheridan, the Maker Cart is bringing new opportunities for hands-on learning, creativity, and STEAM exploration to the Sheridan community.

The launch party gave local children their first chance to dive in and put the new Maker Cart to work. Instead of simply unveiling the resource, the library invited young makers and their families to take on a playful challenge: build something that launches! Together, kids and parents created catapults, straw rockets, pom-pom shooters, paper airplanes and other high-flying inventions.

With simple materials and plenty of imagination, children designed and built their own launchers, then tested their creations to see how far they could send their objects flying. Some designs worked right away, while others required a little adjusting, rebuilding, and trying again.

And that is exactly the kind of learning the Maker Cart is designed to encourage.

The idea behind the Maker Cart is simple. Children don’t need fancy equipment or a large makerspace to become makers. Sometimes they just need a few supplies, a little encouragement, and the freedom to see what they can do.

The cart is filled with hands-on materials that can be used for a variety of STEAM activities, including science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. It will be incorporated into the library’s children’s programming, providing opportunities for kids to learn through building, testing, problem-solving and, of course, a little trial and error.

Families will find one side of the cart stocked with art supplies and consumables – paper, recyclables, markers, stickers, popsicle sticks, and more – while the other side invites building and engineering with materials such as Plus-Plus blocks, Brain Flakes, K’NEX, KEVA planks and other hands-on construction tools.

But the Maker Cart won’t be limited to scheduled programs.

SPL will also offer Open Maker Hours, when children and families can drop in and spend time creating together. Participants can choose their own project and see where their imagination takes them, or they can try the library’s featured STEAM Challenge.

One week, that challenge might be to build the tallest tower. Another might ask participants to design a catapult, create a marble run or build something that can fly. There won’t necessarily be one right answer. The fun is in figuring it out.

“My favorite part about making is the mindset it helps to develop,” SPL Children’s Library Elissa Dee said. Making encourages kids to be curious, take risks, solve problems, and keep trying when something doesn’t work the way they expected. Those are skills that go far beyond the project they’re working on.”

The Maker Cart is also a great fit for Sheridan because it brings hands-on learning to the library without requiring a large dedicated makerspace. It can roll wherever it is needed and can be adapted for different ages, interests, and programs.

While the cart itself may be small, the possibilities are anything but.

The library hopes the Maker Cart will become a place where families can spend time together, where children can discover new interests and where a simple pile of supplies can turn into an invention, a work of art or an idea nobody expected.

SPL is grateful to the Kiwanis Club of Sheridan for making the Maker Cart possible and helping create new opportunities for the children and families of the community.

The Sept. 8 launch was just the beginning. Now that the cart is officially on the move, the library is looking forward to seeing what Sheridan’s young makers will dream up next.

Come curious. Come creative. Come make something!