My Top 10 Favorite Maker Materials

Here are the materials I use with students the most for building, experimenting, and Inventing!

Everyday Stuff

  1. Cardboard — corrugated boxes, cereal boxes, tubes, and scraps

  2. Sharp pencils — good for sketching designs, making notes, poking holes, and as axles, struts, and supports

  3. Paper — thin, thick, colored, plain, including copy, origami, cardstock, and index cards

  4. Tape — all kinds, including clear, duct, electrical, as well as double-sided dots and rolls (which can stand in for hot glue guns)

  5. Recycled containers — plastic, cardboard, metal, wood, glass are all useful

  6. Old t-shirts — cut into strips for yarn to make tons of items

  7. String, yarn, embroidery floss, thread, fishing line — for connecting things, weaving, knitting, and more

  8. Disposable plates, cups, cutlery, and straws — use to keep materials organized, and as building tools and materials

  9. Metal stuff — foil, foil tape, paper clips, twist ties, pipe cleaners, wire, for all kinds of circuits

  10. Cutting tools — regular scissors as well as specialty items like small, pointy scissors, craft knives (including kid-safe versions), larger box cutters, heavy-duty shears, paper cutters, shredders, awls, and programmable vinyl cutters

Extra — Electronics