Makerspace aims to teach problem solving alongside building and design

Kirsten Wisniewski | August 15, 2025

Despite the school year not starting for several more weeks, on a recent Saturday at Great Expectations School (GES), the cafeteria was full of parents and kids. And mousetrap-powered cars.

The families were attending a makerspace event that the school has hosted every other Saturday this summer, planned and facilitated by 5th and 6th grade science and math teacher Nathan Fell.

Fell told WTIP that after his first year teaching at the school he was asked what his dream program would be. His immediate thought was to set up a makerspace, and this summer that dream became a reality. Every second and fourth Saturday he has hosted people of all ages who are interested in making things. He provides the instruction for a guided project, like a mousetrap-powered car, but also leaves out materials and tools for non-directed making.

Fell said the tools and equipment for the program were purchased with a grant from the Northland Foundation. They range from simple arts and craft supplies, and cardboard building tools geared towards younger kinds, up through power tools and a “tech take apart” station for more elaborate projects. “We have a lot of different stations open. A lot of different things for different age groups and interests,” Fell said.

While the guided projects have a function and a “correct” assembly, Fell said the emphasis is not on any specific accomplishment, but rather on fostering creativity and encouraging novel ideas. “There’s really no limit as to what it can or can’t be,” he said. “It’s mostly about training students on how to use the tools, safely giving them help when they need it, but not doing too much in the way of saying this is what you should do or shouldn’t do. It’s really about leaving it open for their imaginations, and most importantly, leaving it open to failure.”

Dealing with failure is something Fell said he hopes makers learn about through their participation. When some students’ mousetrap-cars did not immediately work as planned, Fell spent time trouble-shooting with them, working to identify where adjustments needed to be made. He told WTIP he hopes that makers learn to approach failure with that mindset, instead of just getting angry.

Fell said, “When something doesn’t work, getting angry doesn’t fix it. Slowing down, taking a closer look at it, taking it apart, piece by piece, figuring out where it works, where it doesn’t. That’s what’s important, and that’s one of the big things that hopefully they come away with.”

On this particular Saturday, the children at the makerspace were elementary school-aged, and most of them had a parent in attendance, too. Fell said that he welcomes all ages of maker, whether they are part of the GES community, or not. Some parents worked on projects with their children, others worked on their own builds.

Betsy Blaisdell brings her daughter, Leah, to the makerspace. She said she appreciates the access to tools and materials the program has given local kids, and the way the participants learn about planning and executing their ideas. “What I think is really neat about this is this is a STEM project and and funded with grants for kids locally. So it’s free,” she said. “I love the fact that Leah can come and learn a little bit more about science and building. It’s not just creativity, but use a lot of tools that she might not otherwise come across.”

Anson Travis was there with his mom, KathyAnn. He summed up why he enjoys the makerspace, saying, “It’s fun to explore how to make things without actually using real, like machinery and stuff. And it just is fun to, like, learn the skills, even if they’re not very necessary.”

As the summer winds up, parents and kids alike said they were excited to stay involved with the school-year version of the makerspace. Fell said that after the final summer session on Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon, there would be a short break. The makerspace will be back up and running as an after school program on Mondays, likely beginning in October, though Fell said the final schedule is not yet set. He encouraged those interested in attending future makerspace events to stay up to date through the GES Facebook page.

Though the makerspace will continue to be hosted at GES, Fell said that the after school version will remain open to those outside the school community. He added that while additional adults are always welcome, parents are not required to attend along with their children, as long as they are confident that their child can participate safely.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski attended a Saturday makerspace to speak to Fell and participants. Listen to the full story below.