Lewis and Clark Learns

Years ago, I showed the video, Caine's Arcade to introduce my students to learning through the Genius Hour philosophy.  The inspiration from that video encouraged my students to make cardboard games as well. We have been designing and making games every year since.  Each year we learn from past mistakes and improve the process and the final products.  Plus we now have a dynamic MakerSpace! My third graders have finished working through the design process and we are ready to share our games with the entire school.  E-V-E-R-Y student will have time throughout the week to play the games.  This week is obviously a favorite of my students.  Our third graders are so proud to share their games as they put their hearts into making the very best game possible. Most important are the skills that the kids practice along the entire process.  So many... planning and designing compromise when working in a group submitting ideas with kindness and respect wo...

My fifth grade students are learning everything they can about 3D printing...how it works, why 3D printing is important, and what is possible to 3D print.  Now we begin learning how to create 3D designs using a couple of different programs.  We are going to explore the Gravity Sketch app and learn Tinkercad, an easy to use CAD design tool.  Below is our first look at our Ultimaker 2 in action.  The kids are always amazed by the printer and seeing it work.  

Here is a quick look at the cardboard arcade games my kiddos have been building.  We took a break from making and spent some time sharing and getting feedback to make our games the best they could possibly be.  For the next couple of weeks we will work toward finishing our games so that they can be played by the ENTIRE school!