In kindergarten, we have been working on engineering and the design process. Yes, kindergarten!! Our first challenge to be engineers was simple. I gave groups of students bins of supplies. They wee full of markers, crayons, pencils, glue, scissors, highlighters, paperclips, erasers, and a few other random objects. Students were asked to get out a few specific objects, a red marker, purple crayon, and two paperclips. As the students struggled to find these objects in the bins, I stopped the group and asked what was taking so long??? They were frustrated and told me that the bins were a mess! They couldn't find anything! Perfect! I explained that we had just completed the first step of the engineering process - Define a Problem. Next, they worked with their team to Plan and Build (step 2 of the process) a solution to the problem. They needed to design a plan and draw the model of their solution. After they had finished their models, they started organizing the bins using their model to guide them. Then, they tried to Test and Improve (step 3) their design. The groups worked together to see if it was easier to find supplies now that their bins were organized. Step 4 meant they had time to Redesign their bins in order to make any improvements. Finally, they Communicated (step 5) their findings with the other groups. This allowed the groups to learn from each other and redesign and improve if they noticed something they could incorporate into their design.
The best part of the whole experience was when they applied the process to real world problems on their own. One kindergartener identified a problem on the playground. He could not reach the ball he wanted to play with out of the lock box. The next day, the class asked if they could work to design something to help him reach the playground equipment at the bottom of the bin. I can't wait to see what they design!
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