Ashley Hurab Kindergarten
Meet the Maker: Ashley Hurab
My name is Ashley Hurab and I am Kindergarten teacher at Poplar Creek Elementary School. Maker culture is important because it allows students, even at a young age, exposure to elements of design thinking. The design thinking approach itself helps create a new type of educational culture where kids from the earliest ages are encouraged to take risks and try out their ideas.
Provocation: We will design and build a structure that will reduce the effect of sunlight on an area in order to protect plants and animals in their environment.
Maker Plan: Science: Weather
What we are making, Why we are Making, Who we are Making for:
Each student will have the opportunity to design something to protect a plant or animal from the harsh effects of the sun. This maker experience ties into our Kindergarten science curriculum unit on weather. We have learned that many plants and animals can be affected by the sun in a negative way (due to climate change) and we wanted to help plants and animals by designing something to protect them in their natural environment. We hope to test our ideas and collect data on how they worked. Last, we are excited to pitch our design to an audience of each other, parents and teachers!
Maker Skill Builders & Highlights
Disruptus
Disruptus challenges players to think of new ways to use familiar objects or devices. During the game you'll roll the die, choose the appropriate card or cards, then take one of four actions: Create2, Improve, Transform or Disrupt.
Learn More/Try it
Scratch Jr.
ScratchJr is an introductory programming language that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games. Children snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Children can modify characters in the paint editor, add their own voices and sounds, even insert photos of themselves -- then use the programming blocks to make their characters come to life.
Design Extraordinaire
Take your design skills to the next level with this fully immersive design experience. Create inventions, gadgets and much more for a diverse range of extraordinary clients and perfect your design skills.
Learn More/ Try it
See Our Process
Check out this video detailing our entire Maker process!
Student Product Samples
Launch to an Audience
IMG_9187.MOV57644619723__C8EDFB2E-39A6-43A9-9D3B-D0EEC1756938.MOVAdditional Teacher Resources & Reproducibles:
Additional Teacher Resources & Reproducibles:
VR Google Expeditions for Kindergarten
Kindergarten Prototype Process
Must know tips for Teachers:
Be flexible.
Have an open mind.
Enlist the help of your digital literacy coach.
Start small.
Don't be afraid to learn alongside your students.