Lower School MakerSpace Classes Yield Practical Products

As part of their regular curriculum this year, students in Grades 5 and 6 engage in a weekly MakerSpace class. To accommodate the creating, crafting, building, and tinkering that go on in our state-of-the-art MakerSpace Design Lab, the front room of the Bayer Family Lower School Science Center has been outfitted with various tools, equipment, and materials.

Heading up the weekly class is crafter-extraordinaire Ann Kohler – also known as one of Hamden Hall’s Lower School physical education teachers! Going for practicality in her lesson plans, Mrs. Kohler started with a do-it-yourself face mask ear guard made of fabric. Students learned how to sew a button by hand.

“They sewed buttons to a headband and were able to take the pressure off their ears by putting the mask handle around the buttons,” explained Mrs. Kohler.

This week, students are tackling mask production. Mrs. Kohler said they are learning the vocabulary associated with sewing, such as pattern placement, cutting and sewing lines, the right side of the fabric, and more. They also learned how to utilize such equipment as rotary cutters and sewing machines.

With mask-wearing a must on campus, Lower School Director Lorri Carroll noted that the assignment has greater implications for students.

“This project is both practical and community-minded in that it brings an awareness of why we wear masks in public and that they can be a sign of compassion and understanding,” said Mrs. Carroll. 

The completed masks feature two pieces of fabric:  a patterned material on one side and a special Hamden Hall section on the other. Mrs. Kohler hand-embroidered the school’s logo to decorate the fabric.