  The facilitation of STEM education can be enhanced by the provision of
opportunities for learners to gain a better understanding of science through
the utilization of tangible and visual examples. The objective of this work is
to present an account of our experiences and activities carried out in Italian
schools with this novel approach. The selection of projects and experiences
discussed --in which students develop a range of core competencies such as
collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, experimentation, prototyping,
communication and problem-solving; include tangible complex 3D printed
structures, large micro-controller board replicas and the visualization of wind
dynamics and tiny invisible elementary particles among others. These hands-on
experiences demonstrate the benefits on the use of digital fabrication
technologies implemented within a FabLab for STEM learning.
