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

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Western Kentucky University, Gilbane Announce “Elevate WKU” Partnership

    Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., recently announced that it has reached the financial close on a on a public-private partnership (P3) with Gilbane Development, according to a news release.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.

  • California District Opens New Robotics Center

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Cupertino, Calif., recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for a new, district-wide Robotics Center, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility was designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA); Landmark Constructors served as the builder and Blach Construction as general construction manager.