Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Preschool in Conn. Opens Makerspace

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 01/13/20

The United Methodist Preschool (UMPS) in New Canaan, CT recently held a public open house of their newly completed makerspace. The makerspace enhances their STEAM-based curriculum.

The makerspace provides children ages 3-5 with a space for making, learning, exploring, and sharing. “Through tinkering (using stuff), making (using stuff to make stuff), and engineering (using stuff to make stuff that does stuff), children are engaged in the same creative processes and actions that engineers and scientists use,” read a statement on the school’s website.

“The new space will enable the children to create, explore in-depth, and work on long-term projects,” UMPS board member Margaret Pastel told the New Canaan Advertiser. “This is unique as most preschool projects are often completed in one day and rarely returned to. In the Makerspace, children will construct, improve, dismantle, imagine and redesign long-term projects, fostering creativity and higher-level thinking skills.”

The preschool is the first preschool to receive accreditation through The National Association for the Education of Young Children.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Georgia State University Opens New Research Tower

    Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new, nine-story, 155,000-square-foot Research Tower, according to university news. Amenities include academic classrooms, a large lecture space, teaching labs, faculty research space, and the uppermost floors reserved for future expansion.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.