Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine To Keep Makerspace Exhibit

Bright, primary colors and the loud, high-pitched voices of children create the environment of the Makerspace Exhibit at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine. Beaming smiles of both children and adults can be seen as bright eyes are trained on the task at hand. Whether it is glueing, cutting, hammering, or sawing, kids who visit our museum are being introduced to a new kind of play. The Makerspace allows the children to enter with an idea and leave with a complete project in their hands. The process of creation accentuates the skills of problem-solving and risk-taking. The Makerspace is a guided exhibit operated by staff and volunteers who help the children use real tools and materials for creation. The Makerspace is one of the most popular exhibits within the museum, especially with older children and during after-school hours. It went from beginning as a short-term, pop-up exhibit to a permanent one.

Children are not the only focus here, so too are the parents and grandparents or caretakers. Makerspace is designed for possibility and potential to be recognized among all children. The smallest of ideas can be transformed into immense opportunity in the Makerspace. In the exhibit there are several areas, one dedicated to arts and crafts materials and another is dedicated to a woodshop. The supplied materials from wood to metal scraps to felt and leather are provided by the museum and community donors. 

 “Ultimately the Makerspace was built for children and parents or grandparents to take risks and problem solve together, and empower their capabilities to build and create. Design theories and strategies are the building blocks for engineering. Anybody can tinker. The first step is tinkering with an object, the second is putting pieces together, and the third is engineering it to accomplish something,” said Educator Samantha Connelly.

Makerspace is becoming a popular approach within many schools, libraries, museums etc across the country. Makerspace is not designed for a group teaching lesson or instruction, but rather free time and play for the children to choose how or what they want to build. Tinkering with hammers, wood and nails is the perfect way to help a child’s creativity grow, especially that of older children who are learning more complex skills and ideas. 

This brand new exhibit is the hot spot of the second floor of the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine. Children 3+ are encouraged to stop by the Makerspace with their caregivers twice daily between the times of 10:30-12 and 3-4:30.