Pop-up Labs turn your learning space into a hands-on makerspace! FutureMakers brings the focus to invention and innovation through Sparks, diving deeper into big ideas and skills with maker materials. Each learner takes home a substantial personalized project, making Pop-up Labs perfect for classrooms, after-school groups, family learning programs and special events.
If you’re looking for a deep dive into making, FutureMakers brings season-long makerspaces into the school day or extended day classrooms! Our menu of multi-session programs is designed for young makers in PK – 8th grade who are ready to explore real tools, creative technologies, high quality materials and expert level exposure to what the world of making and design thinking is all about.
Learn what we do in our Pop-up Labs – and bring it into your classroom with confidence! FutureMakers coaches can turn any Pop-up Lab into an exploration of up to three Sparks per session for educators, content specialists, and administrators. We encourage as many of your team members as possible to participate in order to learn our methods and offer the workshops on your own!
"FutureMakers are always on the cutting edge of educational trends! Their work is a perfect fit for any schools interested in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) programs for their students. We have received glowing reports from our partner schools who have hosted Future Maker programs for their students. They work diligently to custom design their programs to challenge and inspire young learners."
"We want all of our middle schoolers to be makers – to feel empowered to design and build useful, interesting things with their hands. FutureMakers staff created an International Baccalaureate-aligned Design course and are teaching our sixth and seventh graders how to use tools as well as how to collaborate and think creatively. The Design course is a highlight of our school and of our students' days."
"MOST has been excited about the potential of the Maker Movement for afterschool and summer programs. Making offers the nexus of creativity, technology and the development of the STEM skills like design thinking and problem solving. Yet, often youth development professionals may not think of themselves as makers and don’t know how to get started. FutureMakers has offered programs in our network an accessible, entry way into the world of making – successfully engaging both youth and adults."
"The Alexandria Seaport Foundation's contract with the City of Alexandria Public Schools required my non profit organization to teach 150 middle school students math. Through FutureMakers help, we were able to provide at-risk students quality hands-on instruction using boat building and cigar box guitars to help the students struggling in math. In our George Washington middle school class, 100% of the class passed their technology education class."
"FutureMakers helped Maryland Public Libraries establish their current culture of providing customers of all ages with the space and tools to participate in experiential learning. They have also done numerous workshops, training, and learning projects with library staff around the state and at several state-wide library conferences. Thanks in no small part to the wonderful job FutureMakers has done, many public libraries have built or are in the process of building makerspaces and STEM labs for public use, which means that a growing number of Marylanders have access to this critical type of learning."
"We are always looking for new and innovative programs and FutureMakers provided us with the opportunity to offer hands-on maker camps to our Kids in College families. Maker camps provide the camper with an opportunity to be creative, innovative, inventive and resourceful as the campers learn the joys of making something themselves. Campers become problem solvers who look at projects from a variety of angles to reach a successful solution."
