Students expanded their Design Thinking skills in the 2nd grade Invent Odyssey. They watched a video about ant behavior and habitat, then read the story Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose.

As they read, students were asked to think about how the the ant is trying to teach the kid to connect how they might be feeling about their problem, a practice in empathy.

Students received a baggie of materials and were tasked to make an ant protector structure. The E-Skill of adaptability was discussed, which means to manage transitions and adjust to changing situations and responsibilities.

Students were prompted: 'How can you use adaptability in your Design Thinking?"

A graphing exercise and word problems about ants and bugs incorporated mathematics into the activity.

Hey, Little Ant ends ambiguously:

So students wrote and illustrated their own endings.