fbpx

creativity

Welcome to the Shark Tank

by

For students in grades 3-5, the design lab has been transformed into a Shark Tank. The TV show Shark Tank, regularly aired on ABC, inspired me to challenge students to create something worth selling and that would convince sharks to invest in. While many students created prototypes, others, like Ezra, were billionaire investors (aka “sharks”). Ezra took it upon himself to interview the designers in his class in order to get an idea of their products, past sales, current locations, offers, and valuations prior to their pitches.

The following video is brought to you by students in the fourth and fifth grade. Cooper is pitching his product, Your Home Security. Welcome to the Shark Tank!

Building Up

by

At the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, the designers are small in size, but they can still build tall. Lately, it seems that our ceilings are too low because… well, our structures are reaching too high!

Our prototypes aren’t the only things being built up. Our confidence, cooperation, collaboration, empathy, optimism, and experimental mindsets are also growing, built upon a solid foundation of joy and excitement.

Children in kindergarten and first grade met a new friend named Harry. Harry wants to have the best view of the design lab, but there’s one problem… he is afraid of heights! We are working on empathizing with Harry and helping to create the perfect perch for him. We discussed how HIMG_6501arry probably feels scared, sad, and uncomfortable when he is in a bad spot.

With a bag full of simple and recycled materials, we created the perfect perch for Harry. We made sure that the perch was stable, not too high up, and comfortable.

In second grade, students heard the story, Jack and the Beanstalk. We wondered, “how might we build a beanstalk as high as possible, using only straws, wooden skewers, and tape?” The main focus of this particular lesson is that constraints drive creativity. This means that with limited resources, we must be extremely creative!

When class is over and it’s time to go to recess, children often ask, “Can we stay in and keep building?”

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

by

How many things can you create using one cardboard box?

KIMG_0450One large cardboard box in Kindergarten inspired creativity and imagination, as the children build upon, transformed and reinvented it.

First, the Kindergarteners let their sense of adventure and imagination run wild, turning the box into Noah’s ark. The children had fun bringing their stuffed animals aboard, as we learned the story of Noah’s Ark.

kIMG_0524Then, sails were added, portholes were reinforced, and the box was transformed into the Mayflower, where the children had a creative space to retell the Thanksgiving story. The Mayflower also provided many hours of fun on the high seas. A couple of weeks later out came the paint and paintbrushes.

image

We had fun “throwing paint” onto our box, as we transformed it into a giant hanukkiyah for Hanukkah. Our transformations were very entertaining, creating fun environments using creativity, collaboration, storytelling, imagination and one large box.