Sometimes students need to get outside of the classroom to stretch their legs and their minds. The Think Make Create (TMC) Lab, more commonly known as a Mobile Makerspace, is a tiny tinkering trailer on wheels that was developed specifically for STEM programming with Nebraska’s rural schools in mind.

Mobile Makerspaces are designed to provide students with an opportunity to build their creative problem-solving skills by participating in hands-on STEM activities during afterschool programs. The trailers contain everything teachers need to set up stations that get students engaged in creative, team-building STEM work. From art supplies to robots, and everything in between, Mobile Makerspaces compliment what students are learning during the school day in a fun, hands-on way.

Because the Mobile Makerspaces are on wheels, they can easily be transferred from school to school, which helps reach school districts that don’t have any formal afterschool programming. When rural and low-income communities have more opportunities to expand learning during summer and afterschool time, it helps level the playing field and reach an underutilized pool of STEM talent.

With 13 Mobile Makerspaces currently on the road in Nebraska, the program is a huge hit with students and the demand among districts is growing. Watch how students at Grand Island Public Schools are thinking, making, and creating with their Mobile Makerspace.