‘Makerspace’ gets Plainfield students designing, solving problems

PLAINFIELD — Inside a former computer lab at the Moosup Elementary School on Thursday, a small group of third-graders put the finishing touches on a scarecrow set to be displayed at the school’s fall festival event.

The classroom, rechristened this year as a “makerspace,” was filled with boxes and shelves holding straw, yarn, markers, glue and building blocks, materials the elementary school students have been using to get some hands-on creative experiences, Principal Colleen Lugauskas said.

“We opened the space this year in an effort to teach students design thinking, practical solution work and collaboration,” she said. “The students work in small groups or as part of a class on higher-learning problem-solving challenges, work with science, technology, engineering, math and art components.”