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quarter 1: Aug 13 - Oct 10, 2025
quarter 1: Aug 13 - Oct 10, 2025
Looking ahead at what's to come...Â
Looking ahead at what's to come...Â
Design @ Mack is a mix of learning skills, creating, iterating, testing, design thinking, and projects. Projects shift based on kids' interests, and this list is a working, growing doc. Please reach out with any questions, comments, or compliments! Thanks for viewing!
Heidi hjaeckel@mackboulder.comÂ
K
Fine motor skills, making with variety of materials and tools, multi-step practice, beebots (early coding), STEM challenges e.g. egg drop, boats, etc
1st
Cardboard creations, hot glue, starting to design for others and the community, beebots, Lego simple machines, Not A Box projectÂ
2nd
Lego WeDo, stopmotion, designing for others and to solve a problem, interviewing, marble runs
3rd
Intro to circuits, house project, sewing, service learning on campus, Makey Makey
4th
Soldering, night light project, Makey Makey, Scratch, designing for others, forces and motion
5th
Design for others- create an artifact for a peer based on interview and feedback, start 3D design, game project, exhibition prep (spring)
Last Year!
Last Year!
quarter 3: jan 8 - mar 7, 2025
quarter 3: jan 8 - mar 7, 2025
first
first
Highlights of 1st grade Design:
Not a box creations inspired by the book Not A Box by Antoinette Portis and cardboard cutters, hot glue, duct tape, paint, and other creative finds!
Early coding using Bee Bots robots
Creating and navigating obstacle courses with Bee Bots
third
third
Highlights of 3rd grade Design...
Odyssey of the mind design challenge- what can you make with a set amount of materials?
Learning about and building simple circuits- batteries + wires + lights.. even switches!
Designing a floor plan for a house based on how an architect designsÂ
Building our houses and using new tools
Students will add circuits and lights to their houses- stay tuned for the finished projects- a collaboration between homeroom and Design.
seventh
seventh
Highlights of 7th grade Design...
Backpack project- students interviewed a classmate and designed the ideal backpack for them.Â
UN SDG (UN Sustainable Development Goal) choice project- students chose a SDG and identified a problem within the goal, researched, ideated, and created a prototype solution. 7th graders had a design share with their class to share their creative, amazing ideas and prototypes at the end of the quarter.
Intro to Glowforge laser cutter and Bambu 3D printers
Kindness is Golden- 7th graders interviewed their 3rd grade buddies to learn more about their favorite things. They then made them something using the Glowforge or 3D printers. They shared their creation during buddy time with the added sweetness of popsicles. Kindness really is golden.
quarter 2: oct 14 - dec 19, 2024
quarter 2: oct 14 - dec 19, 2024
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Highlights of Kindergarten Design...
Intro to Mack Design lab + materials
Reading books + creating
Love, Z; Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge; Binny's Diwali
Designing and making rafts for the 3 billy goats
Testing sinking/floating
Egg drop challenge!
Making cards for Jaime and drawing maps for him to find them in a scavenger hunt
second
second
Highlights of 2nd grade Design...
Adding clay structures to our stream boxes
Designing for othersÂ
Interviewing a partner/ building empathy
Designing/creating/testing/giving their ideal backpack
Marble runs!
Open design-- designing + creating solutions to problems
fourth
fourth
Highlights of 4th grade Design...
Designing for others
Interviewing a partner to learn more about them (empathy building)
Designing an artifact to represent their partner
Prototyping/testing/gifting their creations
Create Ancient Egypt/personal artifacts in collaboration with homeroom
Open design-- designing + creating solutions to problems
fifth
fifth
Highlights of 5th grade Design...
Exploring our values and creative expression
Designing for others
Interviewing a partner to learn more about them (empathy)
Designing an artifact to represent their partner
Prototyping/testing/gifting their creations
Ambiguous object challenge
Sustainable product development
Designers identified an everyday problem in their life
They then designed and built a prototype of a solution, keeping principles of sustainability in the forefront
sixth
sixth
Highlights of 6th grade Design...
Banana challenge
Design a better ramen
Ramen party (including a design fail!)
Field trip to Art Parts Creative Reuse Center in Boulder
Who You Are project using Art Parts materials
A Person from the Past project
Research + identifying a need + creating a solutionÂ
Design share
quarter 1: aug 14 - Oct 10, 2024
quarter 1: aug 14 - Oct 10, 2024
first GRADE
first GRADE
First grade designers began the year with some fun design challenges- build a tower out of gumdrops and toothpicks and test it's stability on a shaker plate and make catapults and test them with targets. We then moved into a study of sound- learning about sound travels and how the ear works. We built sound waves, tested our hearing with mystery sounds, made salt move with sound vibrations, and made model ears out of clay. We also had a guest teacher- 8th grader Maddie- teach us about her design project.
third GRADE
third GRADE
Third grade designers started the year with a design challenge of building a bridge using toothpicks and gumdrops. This morped with their creative touches into many different structures. They tested them on shaker plates, added weights, and added lots of color. Designers earned blue ribbons for tallest bridge, most unique, best collaboration, and many more elements! We then moved into a project to make our campus better. We learned about public service announcements (PSAs) and brainstormed a list of problems. This was hard! We then interview Jaime (expert on all things Mack) to find out what he sees as areas for improvement that we could help make better. Then kids took off- choosing a topic and creating a PSA poster to educate others. They iterated after an experiment I did with a PSA that failed. We are next moving into connecting our signs to Makey Makey controllers and using scratch to code messages that will make our signs talk. Ask your student what thier PSA is!
eighth GRADE
eighth GRADE
8th graders began Design by exploring identity and how perspective and culture shapes it. We did a banana challenge project and a "Who You Are" project to practice going through design cycles and letting our creativity and personalities shine. We next launched a UN Choice project where students had freedom to choose a project they were interested in as long as they rooted in a UN Sustainable Development Goal, and they were off. They ended the quarter by sharing their projects with their families, teachers, and 6th grade students. Their work and innovative ideas are inspiring!
Design share photos coming soon!
ROTATION 3: Jan 9 - mar 1, 2024
ROTATION 3: Jan 9 - mar 1, 2024
SECOND GRADE
SECOND GRADE
2nd graders started the quarter with a design challenge based off an Odyssey of the Mind problem- to practice working together and freeing their minds to be as creative as possible with a set amount of materials. We then hopped into some basic coding with our BeeBot robots. This led us to the Lego WeDo robots. We built and programmed (they connect to iPads,) troubleshooted and practiced working in flexible groups of peers. We learned about ways that robots are saving the world- check out the Mark Rober trash eating robot!
third GRADE
third GRADE
3rd graders also began the quarter with a design challenge based off an Odyssey of the Mind problem- to practice working together and freeing their minds to be as creative as possible with a set amount of materials. We then launched an inquiry into circuits. We started with Makey-Makey kits. These are invention tools designed by engineering students at MIT. Students use circuit boards- and attach it to various conductive materials to make a controller- this is all connected to a chromebook and the Makey-Makey apps. If they complete a circuit, kids can test conductive materials, create music, and play games. We then had a more open inquiry to make simple circuits. Students were given batteries, wires, and lights. It was awesome to watch them support each other, persevere, and work through failure to find success. Everyone made circuits- both in series and parallel- with many variations. We also started each class with an OK Go video for inspiration. Ask your child which video is their fave!
ROTATION 2: OCT 30 - DEC 21, 2023
ROTATION 2: OCT 30 - DEC 21, 2023
kindergarten
kindergarten
Kindergarten design students began the quarter with an exploration into what Design is and all the materials we have in the lab to create and build. We read books and watched videos to flex our empathy and see things from different perspectives. Some of our projects included: Diwali diyas and lanterns, Hanukkah driedels, love is..., and 'not a stick.' Some books we read: Binny's Diwali, Love, Z, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, and we watched an animated short of Stick Man (based on the book.) I love creating with kindergarteners and seeing them express their amazing thinking and empathic hearts through creating.
first GRADE
first GRADE
1st graders began the year in Design reviewing what Design looks like, sounds like, and feels like. They created paintings to beautify the space. We read books as mentor texts to inspire our thinking, such as Not A Stick, What Do You Do With an Idea?, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, The Lost Gift, among others. Their projects included 'not a stick' creations, which they shared with their 5th grade buddies. We then started our 'wild idea' project. The premise was, "If you could create/build anything, without limitations, to make the world a better place, what would it be?" Ideas ranged from living doughnuts to the Santa phone 3000 to free pizza. The goal was for students to uncover and embrace their ideas, build models, and share them. First graders have a lot of amazing ideas!
fourth GRADE
fourth GRADE
Fourth graders had an awesome quarter in Design. We read mentor texts and watched video clips to inspire our thinking and flex our empathy. Some favorites include: What Do You Do With an Idea?, Love, Z, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, OK Go videos, and this AI robot video. Each fourth grader defined their values before launching into our 'wild idea' project. The premise was, "If you could create/build anything, without limitations, to make the world a better place, what would it be?" The goal was for students to uncover and embrace their ideas and share them with the world. Stay tuned for videos sharing their amazing wild ideas! We also collaborated with homeroom and worked on building their invention prototypes.
ROTATION 1: August 16 - Oct 25, 2023
ROTATION 1: August 16 - Oct 25, 2023
SECOND GRADE
SECOND GRADE
2nd graders began the year in Design reviewing what Design looks like, sounds like, and feels like. We read books as mentor texts to inspire our thinking, such as What Do You Do With an Idea?, Everything is Connected, I Have an Idea, among others. We then started our "wild idea" project. The premise was, "If you could create/build anything, without limitations, to make the world a better place, what would it be?" The goal was for students to uncover and embrace their ideas and share them with the world. Students explored their values, learned how to make a "pitch," tapped into their empathy, and came up with amazing ideas!
third GRADE
third GRADE
3rd graders also began the year reviewing what Design looks like, sounds like, and feels like at Mack. We read mentor texts and landed on What Do You Do With an Idea? which inspired our wild idea project: What idea do you have that you think will change the world? We focused on accepting and being open minded to all ideas. We practiced defining our values, finding our "why," and sharing our ideas with peers through a "pitch." We watched part of Simon Sinek's TED talk and defined our what, how and why before launching into creating our wild ideas. Students' ideas were incredible. I truly believe these kids and their creative thinking will make the world a better place!
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