Playing with content seems to decrease as students age through school. Why? Middle-grade students enjoy playing with language and numbers just as much as primary-grade students. Students enjoyed doing this math problem as a warm up to get in the Fall spirit. Upon completion, students were encouraged to make their own puzzles! You can find this puzzle from Greg Tang here.
Students were eager to make their own puzzles and share them with another fifth grade class. The puzzles are not perfect and they initiated great conversations among students. Classmates were motivated to solve the puzzles made by their peers!
Almost 1o years ago, my son was going into fourth grade and attended summer school. His summer school teacher, now my teammate 😊, introduced my son to Caine's Arcade. This 10-minute documentary inspired my son to create his own arcade out of Legos. He spent weeks working on different games, made tickets, and invited young friends over to play. And, the littles loved it. My son has always been creative and a "put things together" kind of kid. He is resourceful and was always a "maker". He learned early on that his talent could be financially rewarding too. Whether selling Duck Tape wallets on the bus or using Rexlace to construct intricate keychain designs for his teachers, he was a builder.
Our incredible Library Media Specialists regularly design astonishing learning opportunities for our students. Recently, they offered a cardboard construction session for our monthly Maker Space! I was introduced to new tools and techniques that allow students to construct without using tape! Students used teamwork, planning, and work delegation to complete a simple cardboard construction and I will tell you, they did not disappoint!
Here is the documentary that inspired the Cardboard Challenge movement!
The pictures do not do justice to the student projects... here is a glimpse of what they accomplished in less than 45 minutes!
A McDonald's Drive Thru...
A doll house...
The Twin Towers with the plane crashing in on the side of one of the towers...
A house...
A tree house...
Working together and team work...
And they cleaned up all of it! Such a great session!
