For over 15 years students from Grade 6 to Grade 12 have had the opportunity to solve genuine problems, through design, during their Design Technology classes at FIS.
There are also elective design courses to choose from including, Product Design, Innovation and Design, Design for Change Studio, Mechanical Design, and IB Design Technology.
The Design Technology Problem Bank may be used by any number of these courses and is a real help to our students, so thank you again for contributing.
Below are the Problems that are currently being worked on...
Email: judith_brewster@fis.edu
Location: 56
Being solved by:
Some kind of freestanding headphone storage for up to 20 sets of headphones.
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: Primary
Being solved by:
I have a small disco ball that keeps falling down and can't spin unless kids spin it - can you find a way to have it stay up and spin for our light play? Thank you!
Email: Andrew_Chaplin@fis.edu
Location: 298a
Being solved by:
Many of our sub teachers use an ipad that they borrow from the Middle School office. Ms. Isla (office assistant) has to plug them all in to power at the end of the day to charge them but there is no good place to store them.
I am thinking of a storage idea which can be installed on a wall or side of a closet where the laptops can be placed into slots and cords for all laptops can all access a powerbank to power them.
Email: angela_lenk@fis.edu
Location: 32
Being solved by:
We have a dress up play area and all the costumes, hats, wigs, accessories etc are always in a mess. They are always muddled up in various containers and boxes so are hard to find. We need some suitable storage for items of various sizes, so the children can store and find them easier. The storage needs to be quite low so that the children can have easy access to the contents. They are 5 and 6 years old.
Email: caroline_joslin-callahan@fis.edu
Location: PS
Being solved by:
I saw this idea and would like something similar for our Primary School children
Email: virginia_franchini@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by:
Our first steps students would love to be able to paint and draw outside on some sort of easel.
Email: kathleen_ralf@fis.edu
Location: 283
Being solved by:
We need a sign we can flip from In a Meeting, Recording, or Come on In. It could be wood or printed. Something we can use for 283. We have been using sticky notes, but people don't see them, or they fall on the floor.
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: Primary
Being solved by:
We have a very boring water pump on the playground. It needs YOU! I have added some guttering and holders but it can't really flow. Maybe something attached to the pump so that the gutter can attach? What do you think??
Email: bonnie_winn@fis.edu
Location: 61
Being solved by:
My family uses a cargo bike to get around most days. It usually works well to get my 3rd grade daughter to school, but it's tricky on days that she needs to bring her cello for orchestra or to a lesson. I'm hoping you can find a way that we could attach the cello (safely and securely!) to the outside of the bike, so that she has more space inside the bucket of the bike. I'm attaching some photos of how it currently looks.
Email: paul_williamson@fis.edu
Location: S.327
Being solved by:
I would like some equipment that works - this looks awesome...
https://passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/newtons-law-blocks https://www.instagram.com/p/C2CvEZuLwlV/
Email: louise_wade@fis.edu
Location: 615
Being solved by:
I am in charge of book deliveries in the English department. Books come to me to be counted, stamped and put into plastic jackets. After that, I have to move the books to different classrooms.
Recently, I bought a trolley to help me move more books at a time. It's great, but it doesn't have sides so I have to use a cardboard box to keep the books from falling out. What would help would be to attach a large box to the base of the trolley or to build sides up from the base.
Email: jessica_russoscherr@fis.edu
Location: 347
Being solved by:
Here is a video of me using a border alignment tool for printmaking. https://www.instagram.com/p/C-dS_BKvviZ/
This is with a smaller printmaking plate and smaller paper than what I need.
I have a printmaking Gelli plate that is 8x10" and I need to print it on A3 Paper. The sell border alignment tools but they are all made for inches (I have it in my classroom). The current border tool that I have has a 1 inch border.
I need one that can be used for our paper at the school with a 4.7 cm border. So that the top and sides of our prints have a 4.7 border and then we will have extra border the bottom. The bottom border would be 11.9 cm if you keep the top and side borders at 4.7 cm. (Check my math :) )
Here are some details:
8x10" paper: 8 inches by 10 inches
A3 paper: 11.7 inches by 16.5 inches (A3 paper size in mm 297mm by 420mm)
Email:virginia_franchini@fis.edu
Location: 525
Being solved by:
We would like to have an easel to use outside. It would be great if it could be acrylic
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: Primary
Being solved by:
It would be great to have this made for children's fine motor and artistic skills! :)
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: Primary
Being solved by:
We love our shadow theaters SO much that were created by DT students. However, after so much use, it could use some updating. Many of the animals/characters have been broken. We could use new ones! We also need a new holder for lens that change the color of the light from the flashlight (so cool!). I am also wondering about adding a darkness component to it? What about some kind of box over it with areas for hands to go in and out to make it even better? I'd love your ideas! Maybe some cool blocks? Or some scenes and characters from our favorite books like The Three Billy Goats Gruff? The possibilities are endless!
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: Primary
Being solved by:
We have this amazing block with glass that we build worlds on - fairies, animals, forests, etc. What else can we do with it? What could go under it to enhance the worlds? I'd love some creative ideas on what we could add under or over. Thank you!
Email: Lea_Karr@fis.edu
Location: PS
Being solved by:
Have you ever wanted to be a sound effects engineer in a movie? Now is your change. Design a board where kids can go to create sound effects to the stories they create.
Email: anke_mitzlaff@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by:
Last year DT did a great job with this sign for Graduation:
Families held it while taking pictures in the photo corner. We also used it at Fanfares & Farewells and at our Winter Party in December.
Would it be possible to get something again (2 of these would be great) for this year? As this is not a real 'problem' you were asking for, I didn't know if I could enter it in the form.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you very much in advance,
Anke
Email: maria_anderson@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by:
I would love to get some help. I would like to get a holder for my pencil holders. On each table I have three different holders in the same size. I would like them to fit in one and also one additional for erasers. I would like 5 of these ones. If it is possible, I would highly appreciate it.
Email:
Location: S.218
Being solved by:
We would like to have a winner's podium for our ISST Tournaments and other competitions. If you have the chance - our next ISST Tournament is swimming, 6-8 March. Many thanks for your help!
Email: athletics@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by:
The Athletics department is looking for a solution in our updated uniform room. We are transitioning to a hanging system for all of our jerseys, and need some small dividers to separate each team's jersey on the bar. I will attach a photo of some examples on the internet that we were thinking of, but we are open to many different options! All it really needs is to fit around the bar in the uniform room, have the team's name on it, and maybe be white or the Warrior Maroon color (I can give this information if needed). We have 42 different teams that would need to be separated. I can give a list of all the teams as well.
Email: bethany_fields@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by: PD Class Moore
I need dinosaur bones for a week-long event in February. These bones would be hidden in the playground sandbox and library. I would need them to be small and many.
Email: becky_jobes@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by: Kian and Luca G8 Moore
My windows do not stay open. When I open them to allow fresh air into the room, they close.
SEMESTER 1 2024/25 BELOW
Email: bethany_fields@fis.edu
Location: 44
Being solved by: Emory, Eli and Brynn PD G6/7
I would like a simple and small ramp/maze for the rabbits that live in the Primary School.
Email: Lea_karr@fis.edu
Location: 33
Being solved by:
I would like trays added to this easel to hold paints, water, chalk... I had this beautiful double easel made by DT students. It could just use a tray to hold items attached to both sides. Thank you!
Email: shirley_manntz@fis.edu
Location: ES
Being solved by: Lilly and Emma Grade 8
Buddy Bench needs new color that stays:
The PTG presented us with a "buddy bench" which stands on the playground next to the big field under a tree next to the Basketball Hoop.
The beautiful rainbow colors were peeled off (maybe also weather played a role in this) and the different languages saying "make a friend" therefore are not there anymore.
Can you find a way to paint the bench, so the paint is not coming off due to weather?
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by: Kinley and Louisa ID Grade 8
I don't have a photo (the attached one is not the idea) but it would be an open square cube with one side closed to make changing drawn backgrounds. The top would have fishing lines strung across to clip on different characters - imagine an ocean background with mermaids and sharks clipped on. It would be about a half meter cube. Thanks!
Email: lara_hodel-mortensen@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by: Jenny and Emma PD Grade 6/7
My cat is getting older (16 years old) and he is having problems with his back legs. He can no longer jump as well as he used to. This is a problem because he loves to drink from the sink, sleep on my daughter's bunkbed and sit on his stool at the dinner table. It would be great if we had a device that could move around and help him get up to different heights within our house.
Email: corinna_pundt@fis.edu
Location: 254
Being solved by: Grace and Valentina PD Grade 6/7
In the hallways, I would like to have a door stopper created the keeps the door to the 600 rooms open which leads onto the metal pathway.
Email:virginia_franchini@fis.edu
Location: 525
Being solved by: Anton and Zane Grade 8 ID
Fun exploring water movement. We want to use the wooden pallet to create water exploration area! Can you help us?
Email: martin_roberts@fis.edu
Location: 362
Being solved by: Martha and Jaya Grade 8 ID
Looking for a mud kitchen for the garden, for children to play in.
Email: zachary_woodburn@fis.edu
Location: DT
Being solved by: Teresa and Emma Grade 8 ID
Eddie the dog loves to look out of the window but unfortunately, he is getting too old to hop up to the windowsill. Could you design something to help him get up to the window cell on his own?
Email:
Location:
Being solved by: Max and Rohan
Find a problem and design a solution!
We would like to own a 'one of a kind' personalised chess set
Email:
Location:
Being solved by: Yoochan Product Design Grade 7
Find a problem and design a solution!
I would like some decorative lighting above my bed.
Email: vanessa_vidueira@fis.edu
Location: Stroth center
Being solved by: Keegan and Carter Grade 8 ID
The PE office is a mess! We need some organisers for the desks and for storage of department documents etc. We understand this is a big task, so we are open to suggestions to see which parts can be done with your help and which parts we need to work on alone. Come and have a look and we can discuss it together :)
Email: kana_stark@fis.edu
Location: ROOM177 - The Performing Arts Office
Being solved by:
On my work desk, the external monitor needs a stand to raise it, which will help me avoid having to look down at the screen. I’ve marked this with a red circle in the photo. If there could be a stand available to elevate the monitor and also provide storage for office supplies, it would be wonderful. Thank you, DT team.
Email: lea_karr@fis.edu
Location:
Being solved by:Jiyu Suh/Bridget Kurtts ID Grade 8
I'd love a race track for kids that helps them also do some brain work by crossing the midline. Thanks!!
Email:
Location: MS office
Being solved by: Nico and Charles ID Grade 8
We have one box for lost & found where everything (apart from clothes, & water bottles) gets "thrown" into. I would like to have a box with clear departments, at least for the most common found things such as earpods, watches, jewellery, keys etc. It can't be a too big boxm as we don't have enough room for that.
Email: kathleen_ralf@fis.edu
Location: 283
Being solved by: Jinwoo Jung Grade 6/7 PD
We need a paper towel holder that will sit on a counter. We need a tray that will hold the towels but not let the wind blow them away or onto the floor.