We called on the Kindergarten students to help solve this problem. After reading the classic “Goldilocks and the Three Bears“, students were asked to design and build the perfect chair that Goldilocks would be able to sit on comfortably. Since there were three different size Goldilocks dolls of course, (small, medium, and large), the students had choices to what size chair they would design. The first step was the Design stage, where all the students came in small groups to the makerspace and created their chairs on the whiteboard table
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In order to save their masterpieces, photos were taken of their creation and they were signed by the individual students. The next stage was the Making stage, where the children actually made their furniture using any materials they found in the makerspace. These included wood, cardboard, toilet and toweling paper rolls, duct tape, pom-poms, feathers, stones, ribbons, straws, brads, all size boxes, popcycle sticks, pipe cleaners, washi tape, tile pieces, jewels, jewelry, and different kinds of clay. As their works were created, the students continually tested their chairs to see if they passed the test of supporting the weight of their chosen Goldilocks doll. If their first model failed to pass this test, then the students would go back to the re-design stage of their prototype. This is a very important part of any design project. Asking questions like, “What works?” “What doesn’t work?” “What can be improved?”
It was just amazing what the results were and the proof is in these pictures. All of the final projects are now on display in the media center for everyone to admire. As of this writing, there are also three chairs still in the “production” stage.
In addition to this design project, extensions can be done to include designing a bed for the Princess and the Pea, a bed for Goldilocks, or a bridge for the Trolls in Three Billy Goat Gruff. Fairy tales are just one way you can take your students on a remarkable journey way beyond the storyline….into the world of creating and designing.
