MakerSpace: Quick and Easy Stop Motion Movies

As part of our ongoing development of Maker Mondays, I decided to add a Stop Motion station near our Lego station this past Monday. While working at Betty Warmack Branch Libary (Grand Prairie, TX), I learned just how much tweens and teens like making stop motion movies or .GIFs. A little station fit in really well with the Maker Mondays concept at The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County (OH). Here’s what I included:

1. A Backdrop/Background

You can make a quick and easy background using an acrylic sign holder and some paper. Since we are in the midst of a super hero themed SRC, I made a city skyline and added word bubbles that could be easily added and changed.

2. Simple Instructions

At the most basic level, all you need to make a short stop motion movie – or a GIF – is a smartphone. Most of the tweens and teens who have come to Maker Mondays have had these on hand so I put instructions together based on this. I am a big fan of the Giffer app, but you can also use a variety of other stop motion apps. A simple search of the app store produces a variety of choices. Because most of the apps cost a nominal fee, I tend to use the library iPad to help teens make the movies and share them on social media so they can access them.

3. These Books

These books are also part of our Maker Collection and one of our Circulating Maker Kits.

MakerSpace Notes:

My Original Mobile Makerspace (the text below)
My Updated Mobile Makerspace
MakerSpace Tech Tools Comparison Chart
The Unboxing and Learning Curve
Exploring Circulating Maker Kits and Circulating Maker Kits part 2 with a Book List
The Maker Bookshelf/Collection (with a book list)
Strawbees part 1 and part 2
Things I Learned Visiting the Cincinnati MakerSpace: Fun with Buttons! Edition
Creating and Using an iPad Lab in Your Library
Take 5: 5 Tools for Movie Making in Your MakerSpace
Take 5: The Robot Test Kitchen Reading List
Thoughts on Our First Maker Mondays

Stop Motion Notes:

Giffer App Review
First Kiss

Filed under: Makerspace