Today we had an opportunity to finish sharing our prototypes for our Magnetic Design Thinking Project. It was so exciting for all of us to see the thoughtfulness, creativity, and problem solving that went into each prototype.
Here are our finished prototypes - remember that these are prototypes made with the materials we had accessible so we need to use our imagination a bit when looking at them :)
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| Push in the Chairs:The box is a pretend chair. Inside is a magnet. In real life, this magnet would sit on the back of the chair. The wand magnet on top would be super strong and when held up, it would push in the chairs. This solves many students problems of forgetting to tuck in their chairs. |
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| The Remote Control BroomThe broom and dustpan would be attached to a remote control car. A magnet would be placed underneath. By driving the car around the room, the broom would sweep up the mess after snack and the magnet would attract any staples or other small metal bits off the floor. This helps solve the problem of having a dirty floor in the classroom in the afternoon. |
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| The Robot BroomThis contraption is one part of a robot broom. The broom would be attached to the robot's leg and would detect dirt. The broom would sweet up the mess after snack and the magnet placed under the robot would attract any staples or other small metal bits off the floor. This helps solve the problem of having a dirty floor in the classroom in the afternoon. |
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| Metal DetectorThis simple device would save teachers a lot of time! It is a strong magnet attached to a stick. It would allow anyone to pick up metal from the floor (those pesky staples after changing a bulletin board) without even bending down! This may be something I will implement in the class this year! |
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| Case of the Missing CarpetPart of being a new school means doing without a few luxuries. One of those being a carpet. Students decided they would like to invent a carpet that is made up of individual pieces. These pieces can stick together by magnets for times that we buddy read, work in small groups, or even as a whole class, but can be taken apart quickly and easily during individual times. |
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| Case of the Missing Carpet 2Like the above example, students recognized that we didn't have a carpet and saw that they had the chance to design something a little different from a traditional classroom carpet. They would use strong magnets and sew them into the carpet pieces so we had flexible carpet pieces. We can hope we get something like this! |
It was fun to see the excitement and pride on the students' faces as they presented their creations to the class. They had the chance to see themselves as inventors and designers. Some questions you could ask your child about the process are:
- What did you enjoy about designing?
- What do you feel most proud about?
- Wid you run into any problems? How did you solve them?
- What would you change about your prototype?
- If you had any materials in the world, how would your prototype change?
Please note: Photo retake day is WEDNESDAY not tomorrow! Sorry for the confusion!
Picture retakes will take place on Wednesday November 16th. If you would like retakes for your child please return the original proof sheet with retakes requested on the envelope. If you no longer have the original proofs please send a note requesting retakes.
